"We are very happy with this year's demand; I can say that we finally caught up in 2024 compared to 2022. 2022 was a home run year, an incredibly big year for everybody thanks to a pent-up demand for weddings from the pandemic," says Jose R. Azout, president of Alexandra Farms. This Colombian boutique grower specializes in garden roses and wedding roses. The company primarily focuses on the US market, but Spain and other European countries are also among their target markets.
Roses are being prepared for export at Alexandra Farms
Photo credits: Juan Felipe Rubio @ irrepetible.co efeunodos fotografía
At the moment they are in the midst of the wedding season, and that is why we asked them about their experiences, expectations, and the latest wedding trends.
The impact of weather conditions
According to Jose, the wedding season has extended in the last few years, starting earlier. "This is caused by the weather; people want to get married outside when it is not too hot. We're having huge Mays and Octobers, and not so much Septembers and Junes. They are still big, but the others are bigger."
This year, the unpredictability of the weather did affect the production scheme at Alexandra Farms. "The dry season and the wet season no longer occur in the months they have historically occurred, which messes up our production schedules. We had some difficulties at the beginning of the year, such as an unexpected scarcity in March. Usually when it is sunny, we have too many flowers because the plants would produce more. However, this year they were not producing as it seemed to be just too hot in the greenhouse," Jose explains.
Rose cultivation at Alexandra Farms
Photo credits: Juan Felipe Rubio @ irrepetible.co efeunodos fotografía
Sand, nude, and garden roses
At Alexandra Farms they believe that the ability to predict is also helpful when it comes to wedding trends. "Preparing for an upcoming wedding season starts with us trying to predict the trends, and then finding the varieties that fit them."
Jose elaborates on this topic by giving an overview of the colors and varieties that are high in demand. "Colors such as white, pink, peach and sand, continue to be some of the top tones for wedding work. I do not think it has replaced any other trend, but it has nudged itself into that group. Another trend is the increased use of strong colors, think of hot pink, yellow, and oranges. These colors might have been 5-6 percent of wedding work, and now I think this increased to 10-12 percent.
Moreover, we see that garden roses are used more often. Not just in bouquets, but also in boutonnieres and table arrangements. It may have to do with all of the different shapes, forms, colors, and fragrances that are now available."
To prepare for these trends, Alexandra Farms has launched several rose varieties. "We launched half a dozen nude and sand varieties in the past couple of years. With different shapes, both sprays and regular roses, to add even more diversity to our offerings. With the vibrant-colored varieties, David Austin was ahead of the trend when he launched Millicent (AUSCP17431) and Hettie (AUSCP17117) from David Austin Wedding Roses."
After November
In November the wedding season will come to an end, leading to some more preparations and a shift in focus.
Jose shares some of his expectations for the next wedding season, saying: "It is really hard to expect anything in the crazy times we are living in. We think the market might shift back to peaches, so we are looking at a fantastic selection of varieties from David Austin that fit that trend. And sprays, we think they are undervalued. Simply presenting them to the market will increase demand. We are doubling our offering next year."
Photo credits: Juan Felipe Rubio @ irrepetible.co efeunodos fotografía
However, he points out that it is not all about weddings for Alexandra Farms. "When the wedding season is over, we turn our focus on roses for everyday usage. Our varieties have been selected for their vase life, performance, and fragrance. Thanks to these characteristics florists can differentiate themselves from supermarkets. Every winter, we offer specially packed boxes of our garden roses - at significantly reduced prices - to wholesalers all over the world to make them familiar with our products."
For more information:
Alexandra Farms
www.alexandrafarms.com