bridal bouquets Various types of bridal bouquets are available that suit individual styles of wedding gowns. The flowers are as much a part of the traditional wedding as the white gown and tiered cake.
traditions & sayings: Like the bride's outfit, there are many customs or superstitions associated with flowers that brides often like to incorporate into the wedding theme. read more shapes of bouquets: Fashions in the shapes of bridal bouquets fluctuate in the same way as do wedding gown styles. The grand shower bouquets of the 1890s remained fashionable for many years. read more choosing flowers: It is advisable to seek the professional advice of a florist when choosing the flowers for a wedding as they will know what flowers are available at that time of year. read more other flowers: While male members of the wedding party usually wear carnations in their buttonholes, either with or without greenery, alternatives include using one or more of the same flowers read more
traditions & sayings:
example of a dried & framed bouquet Like the bride's outfit, there are many customs or superstitions associated with flowers that brides often like to incorporate into the wedding theme. Perhaps the best known of these is that of the bride tossing her bouquet over her shoulder to the guests at the end of the wedding reception, the girl who catches it being the next to marry if the saying is true. Brides who wish to do this but also want to keep their bouquets as a memento of their wedding can have a replica made in fresh flowers. These can then be dried or some pressed and mounted in a picture. Also, some florists will make a replica of a bouguet in silk flowers to keep after the wedding. Orange blossoms are traditionally associated with weddings and are said to represent Juno's gift to Jupiter on their wedding day. Spanish brides often have a sprig of orange blossom sewn to their gowns as a symbol of good luck. back to top
choosing flowers
It is advisable to seek the professional advice of a florist when choosing the flowers for a wedding as they will know what flowers are available at that time of year. Also, florists who specialise in wedding flowers and bouquets or regularly supply them will be able to offer guidance on what types of flowers and shapes of bouquet would best suit the wedding gown. It is therefore helpful to the florist to take along sketches and fabric swatches of the bridal gown and attendants' outfits so that flowers can be colourmatched. back to top
shapes of bouquets:
Fashions in the shapes of bridal bouquets fluctuate in the same way as do wedding gown styles.The grand shower bouquets of the 1890's remained fashionable for many years. They were superseded in the 1920's by a double-ended bouquet that was cradled in the crook of the arm. Large round bouquets were popular during the 1940's and 1950's, while brides of the 1960's often carried small posies of flowers. The huge formal cascade of white roses carried by Princess Diana in 1981, which reputedly took several florists a number of days to make, spurred this traditional bridal bouquet shape to popularity once more. However, while this type of bouquet was undoubtedly suited to the romantic gown worn by the Princess, there are many other styles that are equally attractive. Around the same time, the most popular shapes of bouquets were still the teardrop-shaped cascade, or shower of flowers, and the waterfall, both of which were best made by professional florists who were trained to wire the flowers, which was necessary when creating such shapes.
	Posies, or nosegays as they were called by the Victorians, are usually rounded bunches of flowers with the stalks firmly held together a the centre back. The bunch can be backed with a piece of lace in the Victorian-style, framing the flowers, or tied with satin ribbons, these being left to hang as streamers. Less formal bridal bouquets can be made from sheafs or bunches of flowers, simply finished with satin ribbon tying the stalks together. Lilies, tulips and other long-stemmed flowers are ideal choices for these simple styles. It is worth while bearing in mind the attendants' ages when deciding upon the flowers they will carry at the wedding. Small children are undoubtedly the most ornamental attendants for the bride...(but) they have the unfortunate knack of either dropping their bouquets altogether...or of letting slip some of the flowers. Practical fashion has surmounted the difficulty by introducing the bridesmaid's basket. Long-handled baskets, filled with fresh flowers or hoops entwined with blooms and greenery, are much easier for small hands to grasp without dropping them somewhere down the aisle. Floral pompons, which are balls of flowers suspended from a satin loop of ribbon are also easy for little ones the carry. Fresh flowers tied to one wrist is another pretty idea for younger bridesmaids. A small spray of flowers can be attached to a band of ribbon or velcro. Also, prayerbooks can be decorated with a spray of fresh flowers and long silk ribbons and make an appropriate alternative to a bouquet or posy. Buttonholes, or boutonnieres, are optional for small page-boys and can match those worn by the groom, best man and ushers. The flowers chosen for flower baskets, posies, nosegays, hoops or whatever can be echoed in fresh flower head-dresses for bridesmaids and flower-girls. These can range from the simplest option of a perfect bloom held in the hair by means of a haircomb or grip to a full ciclet of leaves and blooms. Evergreen leaves and berries are striking alternatives to flowers for winter weddings and can be used to create head-dresses and bouquets trimmed with ribbons. back to top
other flowers:
While male members of the wedding party usually wear carnations in their buttonholes, either with or without greenery, alternatives include using one or more of the same flowers used in the bridal bouquet, extending the colour theme of the wedding. Corsages, too, worn by the bride and bridegroom's mothers, can incorporate these flowers. back to top