Avoid Using These Four Flowers in Your Wedding Bouquet Because They Bruise Easily

Any flower that is going to see a lot of motion on your wedding day-in bouquets, boutonnières, or arrangements in high traffic areas-need to be able to stand up to a lot of handling. We spoke to flower experts Joan Wyndrum with Blooms by the Box, Oleta Collins of Flourishing Art, Ashley Greer at Atelier Ashley Flowers, and Sarah Burnell from Flourish & Knot to see which flowers the pros say to avoid, and which they suggest using instead.

RELATED: FLOWERS PROFESSIONAL FLORISTS WOULDN'T USE FOR THEIR OWN WEDDING ARRANGEMENTS

These delicate blooms generally do not have stems when cut fresh, which means they have a very short vase life and tend to bruise on contact. Our experts all say that these fragile flowers should be handled with care, which makes them a less than ideal choice for a bouquet that you'll be carrying all day and night. Consider dendrobium orchids; this hardier alternative provides a similar look and feel without the worry, they say.

According to our pros, poppies require a lot of opening time. If they haven't opened by the time they need to be arranged in your bouquets, a florist may need to help force them open, which could lead to excessive bruising. Gerber daisies or carnations will deliver a similar whimsical look.

A very delicate and sensitive flower with petals that can bruise very easily, gardenias add lots of fragrance to a bouquet, but can also cause a great deal of worry, our experts explain. White roses or lisianthus provide a similarly classic look, but hold up better in a bouquet.

They are beautiful, exotic, lush and come in many colors, but they also bruise easily and are prone to wilting. Regular dahlias are a better choice in a bouquet, according to the experts.