Smoke bush or for its official title, Cotinus Coggygria (fancy!), is a shrub that's also commonly known as smokebush, smoke tree, and purple smoke tree, or even cloud tree or wig tree. Those mysterious, burgundy-hued, cloud-like floral designs you’ve been seeing on Insta lately? That’s smoke bush! This unusual, merlot-toned foliage lends a sultry feathery effect thanks to its beautiful smokey wine plumes that look like a puff of brown or pink smoke over its foliage. Smoke bush is the perfect addition to wedding floral arrangements such as hanging installations, arches and centrepieces. We've been spotting this unique plant being used in some really inspiring ways over the last while, so today, we're sharing our very favourite smoke bush wedding ideas.

Smoke bush in a deep burgundy can feel summery and lush when paired with a pastel-hued vintage inspired roses like this beautiful Bud Botanical bouquet.

Bunches of pink baby's breath and hydrangea are paired with puffs of smoke bush to create this positively dreamy reception set up by Trille Floral with styling by Lilli Kad Photography.

Smoke bush, orchids, cherry blossom and Kangaroo paw - what a winning combo by Wildflower!

We have all the heart eyes for this pretty ceremony arch by Trille Floral created with delicate gypsophila and smoke bush in shades of pink!

Smoke bush is a bold but beautiful pairing for a rose filled bouquet as shown here in this beautiful creation by Flannel Flowers.

This all-pink arrangement by Trille Floral featuring sprayed smoke bush is such a fresh and contemporary take on the traditional floral arrangement. Just imagine two of these either side of a mantel for a wedding ceremony, just dreamy!

We love the high fashion vibes of this contemporary bouquet by Of The Flowers featuring two of our trending floral faves - smoke bush and anthurium.

Yellow and wine is not a colour combo we are used to seeing together but we're loving this unique pairing featuring rose, peony, scabiosa pods and smoke bush by Cecilia Fox!

This burgundy smoke bush, planted-style ceremony set up adds a moody and romantic dimension to the outdoor space!

Another gorgeous smoke bush bouquet, this time featuring only smoke bush! We love how those burgundy tones look against this brides wedding dress! Bouquet by Oh Deery Floral.

Smoke bush is the perfect choice for creating flower cloud installations just like this beauty by Violet Rose Floral. We also love how the flower cloud is 'mirrored' on the table creating an ethereal setting.

We love this simple but striking Ikebana design by Studio Mondine featuring smoke bush. Ikebana is the Japanese art of floral arranging, a disciplined art form with the goal of bringing together nature and humanity. A new floral style entering the wedding world which we can't wait to see more of!

Another gorgeous idea for a ceremony space, you can create an impactful display to line your aisle using smoke bush. We love this design by Coco Rose Design featuring hydrangea, roses and liquid amber.

Even when used on a smaller scale, smoke bush can be still impactful, such as a finishing touch on a cake like this design by La Ombre Creations with florals by Lilygrace Flowers.

Smoke bush lends itself to large, exuberant displays like this one, which combines hydrangea, roses and lush greenery for additional texture.

Hello dreamy bouquet! Smoke bush foliage looks great as a backdrop for other flowers and the texture and tones in this Kindred Floral design are just stunning!

Tips for Using Smoke bush in your Wedding

• Smoke bush is available in late summer and early autumn. However, make sure to liaise with your chosen wedding florist to ensure its availability for your wedding.
• Smoke bush is drought tolerant, so once cut, it can survive out of water for many hours making it ideal for large scale installations or if you need to prepare your flowers in advance.
• Smoke bush can also be dried and even sprayed to a chosen shade. It pairs wonderfully with other dried flowers, check out some of our favourite dried wedding flower ideas here.
• To find the perfect florist to create your dream look, check out the handpicked florists in our suppliers directory.

From bouquets to centrepieces, check out more wedding flower inspiration.

Featured image by Mary Lennox