“They say when you marry in June, you’re a bride all your life,” or so goes the song in the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” Local florists say the abundance of summer weddings doesn’t prevent them from giving each event a personal touch.

“We try to help them fulfill their ‘dream come true’ day,” said Kathy Mason, the assistant manager of Flowerama. Flowers add a personal touch to every wedding, and June is a popular month for flowers and weddings.

She said the most popular flowers this year are the traditional white roses and dark pink stargazer lilies. Another flower often selected this year for weddings is the stephanotis, a small, fragrant, trumpet-like bloom, said Brian Smith, owner/designer at Everts Flowers and Gifts.

“More and more colors are being included in wedding work … anything goes,” Smith said. He said brides and grooms are looking for something unique that has never been done before, and that they are willing to try all kinds of new ideas with flowers.

Smith said one of the most unusual things he has done for a wedding included “flowers hanging in a big ring over a dance floor.” He also used lavender flowers to accent brown dresses for a recent wedding.

“We like to make each wedding individual,” Smith said. He added that Everts carries no packages or sets in order to fulfill wishes in an individual way each time.

Mason said one of the interesting pieces she did for a wedding was a topiary tree, which was pruned to a certain shape. She made them out of roses and put lights in them for a night wedding. The bride’s bouquet also emitted a glow of light, Mason said.

“We are always open for new ideas people come up with,” Mason said. She said brides and grooms can come and get ideas if they aren’t sure what they want.

Because weddings take place every weekend in the early summer, many places, including Flowerama, provide flowers for a wedding that often, Mason said.

Although most flowers bloom in the spring in Iowa, many arrangements are available at floral shops throughout the year because they are ordered and shipped from all over the world, said Diane Riedemann, manager at Coe’s Campus Flowers.

“It starts with the grower and ends with the consumer,” Riedemann said. Keeping flowers watered and in a cool spot can keep them fresh and beautiful, she said, as well as application of the preservatives used by Coe’s Campus Flowers.

Inflation and new trends often increase the price of weddings, and flowers follow that pattern, costing anywhere from less than $100 to several thousand, Smith said.

Weddings can be small and intimate or huge and extravagant depending upon the wishes of those involved, he said. Smith and Mason both said a person’s second wedding is usually simpler, and therefore not as expensive.

“Book your florist early,” Smith said. She said planning is important when it comes to the flowers for a wedding. Mason said a party must book at least three months in advance.

Smith said he has some weddings booked for up to three years in advance.

He said a person shouldn’t plan a wedding during the holidays, even though it may be tempting, because florists are much busier during that time of the year. He added that summer will always be a popular time for weddings.