At Element, we like to keep up with the trending topics and one thing we get excited for every year is the announcement of Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2026. We started out December with the news that this year’s color is a gentle white, with the playful name “Cloud Dancer”. The reactions from all sides of the internet have been mixed, with some seeing the choice as boring or flattening and others appreciating the beauty of simplicity.
Our studio has had so much fun debating what turned out to be a controversial choice, with many of us seeing the color from the perspective of the wedding world. One thing we love about Cloud Dancer is how very bridal it is! We thought we’d share some of our thoughts with you, plus take the opportunity to look at some of the common bouquet florals that best match the cloud dancer vibes. We love any chance we get to chat about flowers!
Our First Reactions
Last year, the pick was Mocha Mousse, which set the tone for our introduction of the walnut frame option. We were all in on the soft brown shade (we have an article in our Field Notes Blog about it, check that out here!), but this year’s color has been a bit more controversial! Pantone chose this shade of calming white to symbolize “a calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection”. We certainly love that sentiment! Some of us on the team may have been hoping to see a brighter, more vibrant shade. Others welcome the soothing tone. There has been a fair amount of chaos in the wider world, and taking a moment to slow down and sit with something meant to be a calming force is helpful.
One thing we all thought of immediately when it came to the Cloud Dancer color is how it will inform bridal trends in the coming year. 2025 was a year with many colorful blooms and unique arrangements, and we’re sure that the Cloud Dancer choice will shake that up a bit for 2026! Of course, the first color that comes to mind when you think "weddings" is the gauzy white of the traditional bridal gown, so Cloud Dancer fits in seamlessly with the wedding world. We’re sure to see the influence of Pantone’s star color trickle into bouquets throughout the year, and we truly can’t wait!
Are you planning a 2026 wedding? Let us know whether you’ll be incorporating Cloud Dancer in your bouquet, or other pieces of the wedding! We love hearing from our brides and grooms about their aesthetics and how they tied in various trends and made them their own.
Pantone Color of the Year 2026 and Cloud Dancer Blooms
Some of our favorite flowers (both as they are fresh and pressed) are those with delicate white shades. If you’re looking for Cloud Dancer inspired florals to include in your bouquet and preservation piece, we’ve got you covered! Here’s a quick list of some of the most lovely white flowers we see come through our doors. We hope you find the perfect dancing-through-the-clouds shades of white, and gather an idea of how they will press.
Lilies
This classic flower is a stunning example of a white flower. When pressed, lilies become very delicate, with some potential for transparency in resin. Our preservation specialists will carefully remove the petals to press each individually, and our design team will rebuild the flower before adding it to your frame or resin design.
White Peonies
White peonies are a show stopping element to include in your bouquet. These big, fluffed up florals have always been a staple of an elegant white wedding bouquet. The magic of pressing makes them completely flat, showing off the layers of petals coming out from their centers. These blooms look amazing in any bouquet and fully match up with the Cloud Dancer vibes.
Anemones
Anemones are one of the best white florals. They are so sweet, with the button of deep navy-black at their centers. The petals are wonderfully light and they press to perfection. They can sit alongside a dozen other blooms and still steal the show!
White Roses (and Spray Roses!)
White roses will never go out of style. They are a true mainstay of bridal bouquets, and for good reason. They are simple to source throughout the year and are simply stunning. When preserved, they will shift in shade, but remain beautiful. And their smaller counterparts, spray roses, add a little something to a bouquet. Within a design, these florals add a classic look.
Ranunculus
This many petaled flower is a great example of a very fun white flower. The layers and layers of petals flatten in a miracle of pressing. You can see the texture of those layers in the pressed version, making it a dynamic choice as a fresh bloom and a pressed flower.
Orchids
Orchids are a very common white floral to see in bouquets. They create a feeling of whimsy and elegance in equal measure. Their playful stems make them so fun to design with, and they to retain their white shade for quite awhile. They can become transparent, but our designs mitigate that change with clever layering and looking for only the best florals to add to your resin and frames.
Hydrangea
Hydrangea, particularly white hydrangea, is the most cloud-like flower ever. Often used as a filler by florists, we hope to see it shine this year! Individual blossoms are pressed separately and the hydrangea poufs are reformed by our designers, sometimes stealing the show!
This is not an exhaustive list, just a few of our very favorites! We hope to see lots of shades and textures of white florals in the coming year. We love seeing how our brides incorporate this classic bridal shade in various ways.
We love seeing how white florals change throughout the process of being pressed. We’ve always been honest with our clients that all florals change through the pressing process. White flowers will often adopt an antiqued look, but that makes them no less beautiful. All of the flowers listed here can shift in shade not just during the processes at our shop, but also over the course of the many years we hope you have your pieces proudly displayed.
Preserve Your Cloud Dancer Florals with Element Design!
We hope that 2026 brings us a huge variety of florals, and we’re sure we’ll see our brides responding to the Color of the Year with their own unique and exciting bouquet choices! Keep those florals for years to come by preserving them through Element’s premiere preservation. We care for every bloom like it is our own and creating lasting pieces of artwork that you can keep hung on your wall or use throughout your home.
Schedule your complimentary consultation today and begin the process of holding your bouquet for years to come.
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