If you love peonies as much as I do, here is some inspiration on how to use peonies for your destination wedding in the Greek islands.

Peonies are loved by brides the world over, with pretty ruffles and large, full heads that make a perfect feature flower for any bouquet or table arrangement. Their colours range from white through to pastel pink, to burgundy and coral, making them a truly feminine bloom.

Revered since ancient times, the peony gets its name from a Greek myth in which Paeon, physician to the gods,  angered his teacher Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. When Asclepius  threatened to kill Paeon out of jealousy, Zeus saved him by changing him into the lovely flower we know today as the peony.

1. Peony bride bouquets

Peonies are delicate and romantic-looking which makes them the perfect flower choice for any destination bridal bouquet. In the warm Greek sunshine they open fully into big, ruffled flowers that look beautiful in both traditional or hand tied bouquet styles.

If you are after a more traditional look, peonies are ideal for a classic posy style bouquet. Either as a bouquet of full, white or pale pink peony blooms or with accents of your favourite bloom for a more personal touch.

For Evaggelia, we blended white peonies with lavender and marguerite daisies.

Mixing the peonies with other summer wedding flowers is a great way to add more scent and colour to your bouquet – as proven by Lisa’s beautiful rose and peony bouquet

Adding a couple of peonies to a simple bouquet and will instantly make it romantic. Here we mixed blush pink peonies with Protea flower to Ellie’s elopement bouquet and white peonies with succulents for Nina’s beach wedding bouquet.

Georgina choose white peony and olive bouquets for her bridesmaids at their destination wedding in Parga.

2. In the small details

Use peonies for your destination wedding as buttonholes or as equisite, natural hair decoration for the bride and bridesmaids. See more details of Ellie & Jesse’s elopment here

3. Your ceremony decor

Here we added peonies in the flower decoration on our wedding ceremony arches. They look stunning against the backdrop of the blue Ionian sea – don’t you agree!

4. On the tables

The peony’s versatility and symbolism make it a favourite choice for any centrepiece. At Jo and Richard’s intimate, vintage styled, wedding at Seaside Restaurant in Lefkada the table was dressed with mismatched china and glassware to display the pastel coloured peonies. Read more about this day on Chic & Stylish Weddings

5. As a finishing touch!

In Greece, the cakes are usually decorated with gorgeous real blooms, turning your wedding cake into a romantic floral masterpiece.

Wedding Planner Tip: As peonies have a large head, you don’t need as many to fill a whole bouquet. Instead to reduce costs a little, go for the natural and wild look by adding a little extra foliage in to the mix. Or consider the minimalist look, with just one or two peonies for your bouquet.

Images by: Lefteris Kalampokas, Maxeen Kim Photography & Protography

Resources: The Secret Language of Flowers Interflora