Wedding Flowers for JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh
Getting married at JC Raulston Arboretum means choosing a setting where flowers are already part of the experience.
With curated plant collections, themed garden ‘rooms’, winding paths, and intimate outdoor spaces, the Arboretum offers a naturally beautiful backdrop that changes with the seasons.
For weddings here, floral design works best when it complements what’s already growing — focusing on personal flowers, thoughtful accents, and seasonal harmony rather than large installations.
My approach is rooted in respect for the gardens and an understanding of how to let them shine.
Garden Wedding Flowers for JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh
Photo by Emily McPartland Photography
A Living Garden as the Backdrop
Photo by: JC Raulston Arboretum
The Raulston Arboretum isn’t a single ceremony space — it’s a collection of possibilities. Couples often choose from multiple garden “rooms,” grassy clearings, arbors, paths, tucked-away corners, each with its own character and seasonal mood. Inside spaces like the York Auditorium offer windows on the garden beauty.
Because the setting itself provides so much visual interest, flowers here are most effective when they’re flexible, refined, and intentionally scaled. Bouquets, wearable flowers, and a few carefully placed arrangements create cohesion without competing with the landscape.
Seasonality matters deeply at JC Raulston Arboretum, where the plant collections are at their peak at different times of year. Wedding flowers that feel at home here echo what’s already blooming.
Spring weddings often feature airy blooms like ranunculus, anemones, tulips, and flowering branches. As the season progresses, garden roses, delicate filler flowers, and textural greens add softness without heaviness.
Designing with seasonal flowers allows wedding florals to feel like a natural extension of the gardens rather than an overlay.
Seasonal Flowers That Belong at the Arboretum
Photo by: Emily McPartland
Floral Services for JC Raulston Arboretum Weddings
Given the intimate size of most weddings at JC Raulston Arboretum, couples are best served with floral services that are intentional, lightweight, and respectful of the space.
A La Carte or Pickup Wedding Flowers
This is the most common and natural fit for the Arboretum. Pickup options often include:
Bridal bouquet and personal flowers
Designed pieces for easy placement by a coordinator or family member
Florals that can move easily between ceremony locations or photo spots
DIY bunches
Curbside drop off is available
This approach allows couples to take full advantage of the Arboretum’s many garden settings without over-styling or spending in any one area.
Photo by Emily McPartland
Full Service Wedding Flowers
In some cases, delivery and light setup may make sense for specific floral moments. Full-service designs are always scaled appropriately and focused on enhancing — not decorating — the gardens.
Bouquets and personal flowers
Custom floral designs for unique places
Altar ground arches and meadows
Reception table centerpieces
Why Personal Flowers Matter Here
At the Arboretum, personal flowers often become the most visually impactful floral element of the day.
Bouquets and boutonnieres provide continuity across different garden spaces, photograph beautifully against ever-changing backdrops, and allow the couple’s style to come through without distraction.
This is a venue where a beautifully designed bouquet can do more than an entire room full of florals elsewhere.
Located just minutes from NC State’s campus in Raleigh, JC Raulston Arboretum is a meaningful choice for Wolfpack faculty, alumni, staff, and couples connected to the university.
Having spent time working at NC State and with family ties to the university, I’ve long appreciated the Arboretum as a place where plants, learning, and community come together — which makes it a particularly meaningful setting for weddings.
It’s well suited to weekday weddings and smaller guest counts, where ease, intention, and seasonal beauty take priority.
A Natural Fit for NC State–Adjacent Weddings
A Farmer-Florist Perspective
As a farmer-florist, I approach weddings at JC Raulston Arboretum with a deep appreciation for the plants, seasons, and sense of place.
Most of the flowers I design with are grown locally, allowing each bouquet and arrangement to feel fresh, thoughtful, and grounded in the same rhythms as the gardens themselves.
Whether flowers are picked up or lightly installed, the goal is always cohesion — creating designs that feel like they belong exactly where they’re placed.
Planning a Wedding at JC Raulston Arboretum?
If you’re getting married at JC Raulston Arboretum and are looking for wedding flowers that feel seasonal, refined, and in harmony with the gardens, I’d love to help you explore what will work best for your day.
Photo by Emily McPartland