For Her – Wedding Bouquets:

Ahhh… the wedding bouquet. The first thoughts that come to mind for me are of a romantic, voluptuous handful of flawless blooms, arranged to perfection, beautifully scented, elegantly bound and captivatingly complimentary of the radiant bride… There are many and varied thoughts as to the origins of wedding bouquets. Needless to say, some of these left me reeling and my stomach turning.

It is believed by some that the bride’s bouquet incorporated scented flowers and herbs to disguise her body odour due to the infrequency of bathing in olden days. Yikes, can you imagine?! One would like to think that even if baths were rare back then that a bride-to-be would, at least, take her wedding day as a opportunity to invest some time in preparing herself for her groom, and that hopefully that would involve a good scrub. It is also thought by some that her bouquet was intended to ward off evil spirits. She was seen as the embodiment of good luck on her wedding day and this resulted in the guests at the wedding tearing bits of her dress off for use as talismans. Thankfully this horrendous tradition was left in the past and evolved in time into the more-fun-although-still-often-frowned-upon bouquet and garter toss, as a way of giving a bit of good luck away. Good grief! Thankfully, for all of us, times have changed!

Here are some of our favourite bouquet styles with a few pointers along the way…

Cascading Wedding Bouquets:

This style of bouquet is currently right on trend and lends itself to the boho-chic themed weddings we are seeing so much of at the moment. Often asymmetrical in appearance, these wedding bouquets have trailing greenery and blooms that add softness and fullness and are better suited to simpler dresses.

Tip: Not recommend for tossing, these wedding bouquets can be quite heavy as they require a lot of flowers to create this effect and can be tricky to hold for long periods so use light-weight greens such as asparagus fern to add volume and make sure you point it downwards when carrying it so it is viewed from the correct angle (otherwise it looks like you’ve gone fishing).

And a few more cascading wedding bouquets in soft pastel palettes…

Round Wedding Bouquets:

This is probably the most classic and stylised of all the bouquet styles. It requires the blooms to be wired, taped and very precisely arranged to create a very symmetrical, domed shape.

Tip: For this style, less is definitely more so opt for a single type bloom or colour.

Hand-Tie Wedding Bouquets:

For a looser, more garden-picked look or for something with a romantic softness this is the way to go. It incorporates more greenery into the design and other soft fillers around the feature blooms and while it has a less domed effect, it still allows for a lovely fullness.

Tip: Ask your florist to cut the bouquet nice and short so that the blooms get all the attention and not the long stems.

Nosegay Wedding Bouquets:

Traditionally known for its scented flowers, this is a smaller, compact posey of flowers that is usually perfectly suited for bridesmaid wedding bouquets.

Tip: This style can be done at a lower cost due to the addition of more greenery and is a great style to use for larger bridal parties or budget-conscious brides.

Pageant Wedding Bouquets:

A sheath of longer stemmed blooms held in the crook of a bride’s arm, this is a slightly more old-fashioned style of bridal bouquet and lends itself to blooms such as calla lilies that have a natural curve to their stem. These types of wedding bouquets are typically used for beauty queens due to their elegant appearance and can be as complex or simple as desired.

Tip: Better used for brides with height as it can overpower a shorter, more petite bride.

Wrist Wedding Bouquets:

A trailing garland of blooms attached either to a ribbon or plaited together to create a dainty, flexible strand that can be wound around the bride’s wrist or waist. A lovely, more contemporary option for the bride wanting to do something a little different.

Tip: This allows the bride to go hands-free which is a huge draw card for many who don’t like the thought of holding something throughout the day.

The above pic (LHS) is from a wedding we did for Mel & Paul. We created a soft and whimsical trailing wrist wedding bouquet for her special day. You can see more on their wedding here.

You can view all of these pics and more lovely wedding bouquet inspiration on our Pinterest Board here.