This summer, I’m going old school, back to the basics, starting with step 1…whatever you want to call it! I’ll be doing a series throughout the summer highlighting the various types of arrangements you may want to include on your wedding day and what better place to start than with the OG—the bridal bouquet!
While weddings for centuries have incorporated flowers and greenery, it wasn’t until the Victorian era that our modern idea of a bridal bouquet really became popular. If you want to read more about the history of wedding flowers, check out this fascinating article featuring a pretty comprehensive history by Maxine Owens, a wedding florist and the founder of Max Owen Designs.
Photo by Rule Creative Co.
So now that you have an idea of the history, let’s talk abut what your bridal bouquet can be. As a main piece of both apparel and decor for your wedding day, it will be seen in a lot of your photos and will be carried around quite a bit through the ceremony, reception, photos, and sometimes more. While it’s important to think about colors and flowers, it more important that it’s a reflection of you and your style! That means you get to design it however you want!!
Photo by Simply Hunny Co.
I’ve included a variety of photos of bridal bouquets throughout this post so you can see different styles, shapes and color combinations as a reminder that it’s about what you like!
My website includes a page dedicated to Bridal Bouquets that highlights the two main types of bouquets: Round Bouquets and Cascading Bouquets. Within those two main categories there are some unique variations that give you even more options. Here are two examples of round bridal bouquets—a more traditional ball shape and a handtied bouquet.
You can see the similarity in shape, but the style offers a variation. The ball shaped bouquets is more compact with flowers closer together and not much veering outside the globe of the bouquet. In the bouquet on the right, the handtied style bridal bouquet, there is more movement to the bouquet. There are sprigs of flowers and greenery going beyond the ball shape and in fact this one has a more linear shape overall. Both look awesome but have their own look!
As with the round styles, cascading styles vary too! I coined the term modified cascade years ago because I was finding myself creating a lot of bridal bouquets that weren’t the classic teardrop shape. Some were asymmetrical, some were wild and big and some were close to the round handtied style but with lots of draping. Here are a few examples where the teardrop shape is quite obvious. It’s a classic look that will never go out of style!
Photo by Bellagala Photography
Now let’s take a look at what I’ve labeled the modified cascade bridal bouquet.
Photo by Empiria Studios
These two bouquets are great example where the trailing pieces are either greenery or floral and they are both asymmetrically shaped. There is still a cascade to both bouquets, but they incorporate different elements to achieve the cascade and the flow off to the side rather than straight down the front of the bouquet.
Photo by Marquee Studio
While there may be other styles of bouquets soon to be discovered, one thing is true: the bridal bouquet is here to stay! And the great part is that you get to decide what your bridal bouquet will look like. But if that’s a bit overwhelming, I’m here to help! Fill out the Free Bride’s Checklist today for a free quote and to start the design process with me!
