Choosing your Bridal Bouquet
You may not be aware that your choice of bridal bouquet could make or break your entire wedding outfit. It is the shape of your bouquet that could be a beautiful addition to your wedding day look or a total disaster!
Many brides don’t give it much thought and choose a bouquet according to flowers and appearance. Actually a good florist will be able to guide you to a bouquet which is the right size and shape to compliment your wedding dress – but you have to furnish them with as much information as possible about your dress first.
Hand tied bouquets are round in shape and are currently the most popular style. They are simple in style but can be made to appear more traditional or more contemporary depending on what you want. This style of bouquet generally suits any shape of wedding dress and is also a nice choice for bridesmaids bouquets.
Tear drop bouquets require flowers to be wired into a teardrop shape. This is a nice shape for a traditional, formal wedding and generally looks best with gowns with larger skirts where it doesn’t overwhelm the look.
Shower bouquets are larger and are wonderful for adding drama to an outfit. These are best kept for large ball gown style wedding dresses where the size of the bouquet is in proportion with the dress.
Both tear drop and shower bouquets require flowers to be wired to hold the shape which means more time for the florist and more expense for you. They do however generally have more impact than a hand tied bouquet and are a popular choice for large, grand, formal weddings.
If your wedding dress is very simple then consider just holding a single flower, such as a tall elegant calla lily. This is a popular choice for informal and destination weddings and creates a very unfussy look.
You will need to furnish your florist with as much information as you can about your wedding dress. A photograph would be a good idea along with a fabric sample if you have one. This will tell the florist firstly how big the dress is – ball gown size or simple sheath dress; the weight of the fabric – a large bouquet with a dress made from very thin material will look unbalanced, and a small posy on a gown made with heavyweight silk would have the same effect. The colour of your dress is also important so that flowers can be chosen which will compliment it as well as coordinating with your wedding colour scheme.
You may also want to consider other decorative elements which could be added to your bouquet and which would coordinate with your wedding dress. For example, if your dress has crystal or pearl beading on it then beaded picks in pearls or crystals could be added to your bouquet. Something like a decorative brooch could be added to the ribbon covering the flower stems and would coordinate with your jewellery or added brooch on your dress. You can also add in elements that coordinate with your wedding theme, for instance if you chose a butterfly theme for your wedding then butterfly picks could be added to your bouquet and that of your bridesmaids.
