20 Best Allium Wedding Ideas

Cluster of Purple Alliums, Grasses, Dried Flowers, and White Roses Lining Wedding Aisle — Photo by Jenny Quicksall

If you’re planning a wedding, no matter your aesthetic, flowers will likely comprise the bulk of your décor and design. While there are an endless array of blooms to consider for your big day, one striking option to have on your radar is alliums. This type of flower—which has been trending in the wedding world—is a bulb-shaped cluster of small, star-shaped blossoms, attached to a long stem, which can reach up to six inches. Although alliums are mainly found in purple tones, certain types are also available in white, yellow, blue, and pink. Whether you include them in your aisle or altar installations or cut assortments, such as your bouquets and centerpieces, alliums will add color, height, texture, dimension, and interest to any display.

With their tall stems, spherical shape, and clustered petals, alliums evoke a whimsical, ethereal, organic feel, perfect for enchanted garden nuptials. And since they’re typically in season from late spring to early summer, these types of blooms will accentuate any warm-weather wedding. While alliums are usually the focal flower of any installation or arrangement, they pair well with many other varieties, such as larkspur and gladiolus along the aisle and hydrangeas and roses in your centerpieces.

If you’re curious how to make alliums a core part of your celebration, we’ve rounded up 20 allium wedding ideas that will surely make a statement.

01 of 20

Elevate Your Signage

floral and metal welcome sign at welcome party — Photo by Greg Finck

Want to greet your guests in a statement-making way? Add alliums to your welcome sign décor. To accentuate these long, textured blossoms, mix in shorter-stem varieties, such as roses and clematis. Stationing your signage with a colorful floral hedge will create a garden-fresh feel.

02 of 20

Enhance Your Bouquet

Bride in White Lace Dress Holding Bouquet of Alliums and Other Seasonal Flowers — Photo by Sasithon Photography

Alliums make a stunning addition to bridal bouquets for summer nuptials. Combine them with other seasonal options in various shapes, sizes, and heights—such as daisies, snapdragons, and lily of the valley—for a textured, intricate arrangement. Be sure to curate an assortment of blooms in hues that coordinate with your overarching color palette, but bright blossoms will best channel the season.

03 of 20

Plant a Bed of Moss

last row of ceremony chairs with allium and rose flower arrangements — Photo by Emily Loeppke Photography

To create a botanical, wild-grown feel at your ceremony, consider bordering the back row of chairs with a hedge of alliums, planted in a bed of moss. With other multi-petal blossoms, like roses and peonies, plus greenery and grasses, the installation will appear as if it’s growing from the ground. Even if you’re tying the knot indoors, such as these brides did at their rustic-chic affair in California, this allium wedding idea will bring the natural vicinity to you.

04 of 20

Add a Tropical Flair

Ceremony floral installation with purple alliums and red anthuriums — Photo by Lulan Studio

Whether you’re saying “I do” in a tropical climate or converting your venue into a tropical oasis, pairing alliums with exotic flowers in vivid colors will help you execute your vision. One allium wedding idea is decorating the end of your aisle with an assortment of purple alliums and red anthurium. You can also incorporate other island-native blossoms, such as heliconia, birds of paradise, and hibiscus.

05 of 20

Create a Living Arrangement

White and Purple Flower Decor in Aisle Next to Wooden Chairs at Wedding Ceremony — Photo by Jenny Quicksall

For those who are holding an outdoor ceremony, plant your stems in a pile of soil along a grassy aisle—you’ll feel like you’re exchanging vows in a rich, sweet-smelling garden. Alliums, grasses, greenery, roses, and dried flowers sprouting from the dirt (as seen at this dinner party-inspired wedding in Southern California) will seem like they’re part of the natural flora and fauna at your venue, and they’ll coordinate perfectly with your intended aesthetic.

06 of 20

Accentuate the Scenery

Purple and Blue Larkspur and Alliums Lining Aisle and Altar With Mountain Backdrop — Photo by Olivia Rae James

Although alliums are bold blooms with towering stems, they won’t detract from a scenic ceremony backdrop. If a background of overlapping mountain formations is the focal point of your vow exchange, for example, alliums will cultivate an awe-inspiring, whimsical ambiance. Integrate other long-stemmed flowers, such as delphinium, to accentuate the view.

07 of 20

Curate a Pastel Palette

Yellow, Pink, and Purple Flowers Alongside White Wedding Aisle — Photo by Michellia Fine Imagery

Since alliums are at their peak in the spring and summer, painting your wedding floral arrangements in light-and-airy pastel hues will capture the balmy weather and carefree feel of the season. Decorating your aisle with alliums, roses, and peonies in peach, baby pink, and lavender (like the ones at this dreamy garden soirée in California) will add a delicate, soft touch to your ceremony.

08 of 20

Mix in Delphinium

White And Light Pink Flower Decor Against White Chairs — Photo by Jenny Quicksall Photography

There’s nothing more dreamy than having rows of lush, tall blooms guide you to the altar. Alliums and delphinium, another long-stemmed variety, are the perfect pair to enact a tall aisle display at your ceremony. When these two blooms appear beside one another, the towering effect is even more pronounced (as is evident in the above photo, which was taken at this fairy-tale affair on Lake Como).

09 of 20

Adorn Your Arch

White, Purple, and Blue Flowers on Arch at Wedding Altar — Photo by Jenny Quicksall

While alliums are typically the main attraction, when you incorporate them into a floral arch, complete with other overgrown blooms, they blend seamlessly into the installation. To create a wildflower feel, add them to the frame of the structure, along with roses, hydrangeas, and tulips. If you want to emphasize alliums' height, you can always place a cluster of the flower at the base of your arch.

10 of 20

Frame Your Vows With Urns

Large Wedding Flower Arrangement — Photo by Brittany Painter

If you don’t want an arch to compete with your ceremony backdrop, another allium wedding idea is framing your altar with two urns. Stuffed with alliums, foxglove, roses, and peonies (like the ones at this whimsical wedding in the English countryside), these vessels will inject your setup with height, width, and texture—without obstructing the view.

11 of 20

Build an Overgrown Display

Floral Display of Purple Alliums and Other Colorful Flowers and Greenery on Old Fence — Photo by Love Is My Favorite Color

Another allium wedding idea is building an altar display featuring untamed, overgrown flowers for a wild, whimsical vibe. When this couple wed at their colorful celebration in Portugal, for instance, they said “I do” in front of an old-world fence decorated with billowing assortments of alliums, delphinium, tulips, hydrangeas, and iris germanica. Without any vases, the unkempt arrangement looked as if it was part of the palace.

12 of 20

Opt for a Modern Take

Black and White Seating Chart With White Alliums and Greenery — Photo by Alice Ahn Photography

Alliums usually offer an ethereal, romantic flair, but they can also take on a modern note. Embedding white alliums into a black-and-white function with clean lines and minimalist designs will elicit a contemporary aesthetic. One example that will accomplish this concept is decorating an oversized structure with white alliums and other overgrown flowers for your seating chart (such as the one at this wedding in Napa Valley).

13 of 20

Include Repeating Assortments

iron window pane seating chart with flower arrangements — Photo by Emily Loeppke Photography

Why have just one allium arrangement when you can have several? Another allium wedding idea for your seating chart is stationing three bundles of flowers at the foot of your sign to decorate and define this feature. Paired with arched window panes and wooden frames, alliums will help produce a rustic edge.

14 of 20

Highlight Your Entryway

Wedding Tent Entrance With Purple Alliums, Pink Roses, and Greenery — Photo by Koby Brown Photography

If you’re hosting your reception in a tent or inside of your venue, use alliums to highlight your entryway. A trail of alliums, roses, and foxglove suspended from the draped frame of your tent or the doorway of the reception room will bring a pop of color and texture to an otherwise ordinary feature, while guiding guests to the right location.

15 of 20

Produce a Timeless Feel

Close Up of Reception Tables With White Flower Decor — Photo by Mary Pastuh

Alliums come in a few different hues, but if you’re going for a traditional look, choose white blossoms. Centerpieces with white alliums and other cream-colored flowers and greenery (like the ones at this botanical bash in Seattle) will look beautiful at a neutral, minimalist reception. To spotlight the floral arrangement, stick with simple place settings.

16 of 20

Make Purple the Focal Hue

Purple Alliums and Other Flowers in Planters on Blue Linens — Photo by Sophie Epton

Since the most common type of allium comes in strictly purple, you can use that customary hue to inform the rest of your wedding color palette. Another allium wedding idea for your reception centerpieces is pulling shades of purple, such as lilac, lavender, puce, and amaranth, into the arrangement. If you want to bring in another similar tone, consider royal blue.

17 of 20

Combine It With Shorter Stems

Wedding Tablescape With Purple Floral Centerpieces, Light Blue Linens, and Wooden Chairs — Photo by Norman & Blake

For floral centerpieces with alliums, to underscore the textured buds, choose accompaniments with smaller bulbs and cut the stems short. That way, the tall, spherical blooms will stand out and command attention. A word of caution: Make sure the alliums aren’t so tall that they’ll block guests’ field of view.

18 of 20

Prop It Up on the Perimeter

Floral Arrangement of Purple Alliums and Other Colorful Flowers and Greenery — Photo by Koby Brown

Flowers are often the main decorative element on reception tables, but don’t forget about the rest of the design. On the perimeter of the tented space or the room, prop up arrangements of alliums and other colorful flowers to enliven the outer edge. You can either showcase these assortments in planters or place them on existing structures.

19 of 20

Engulf Your Sweetheart Table

White Flower Decor at Wedding Reception — Photo by Alice Ahn Photography

Want to make your sweetheart table extra special? Engulf your seating arrangement in alliums. For an organic, hand-picked facade, add other long-stemmed blossoms and various types of greenery to the floral decoration. Ivory blooms will particularly enhance this botanical feel.

20 of 20

Deck Out Your Cake Spread

3 Tier White Wedding Cake Decorated and Surrounded by Light Pink, Orange, and Yellow Flowers — Photo by Michellia Fine Imagery

Concluding the festivities with wedding cake isn’t just a time-honored tradition or a way to curb your sugar craving; it’s an opportunity to create a stunning design. Whether you add a sprinkle of alliums to the display table or the confection itself (alliums are related to onions and garlic, so they’re safe to add to food), these bulbs of star-shaped petals will transform an edible item into a work of art.

25 Stunning Ways to Use Baby's Breath Throughout Your Wedding Ceremony and Reception