Your bridal bouquet is your ultimate wedding accessory. After all, brides have been carrying blooms down the aisle for centuries!
Whether you choose a simple, fashionable couture silhouette or an opulent, embellished princess gown, your bouquet should complement your wedding dress's beautiful style. Your floral accessory should be just as eye-catching and there’s are so many stylish choices available. However, if you’re like most brides-to-be, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about your wedding day look but have little to no experience of accessorising an outfit with flowers. So, how do you know what shapes work best with your dress? What flowers would look breathtaking so you get the perfect pairing?
As a floral creative, I enjoy helping our clients explore every single element; of the bouquet including shape so it celebrates your individuality and unique personal style unlike any other.
Here are a few popular options for you to consider……
A pageant or presentation bouquet is designed to be cradled and to rest on the bride’s arms with the flower heads resting just above her elbows.
PAGEANT BOUQUET
A bridal favourite in the 1900’s, the flower stems are kept at a long length and tied just below the blooms and were often presented to the movie stars. This elegant shape works well with all gowns and is perfectly paired with a mermaid or trumpet wedding dress, emphasising the unique design and lines of the gown!
The Pageant also lends itself to contemporary, Boho dresses, with phalaenopsis orchids and pampas grasses, or meadow and garden florals such as delphiniums and sweet peas, providing a free-spirited barn wedding.
GLAMELIA BOUQUET
A Glamelia or composite bouquet is a luxurious design and beautifully crafted from individual petals, which are arranged to resemble a single large bloom such as a rose. This highly stylised, glamorous bouquet compliments a bridal gown with lots of embellishment and makes a statement. Since it is a labour of love to make, this design does come at a price.
WATERFALL BOUQUET
A waterfall bouquet is designed to look like water gently cascading over rocks and is sometimes called a cascade or shower. This style of bouquet can be quite heavy, so it's something to consider when choosing this style.
This style of bridal bouquet is full of personality; it can be romantic and whimsical with soft and delicate textural florals intertwined with very long, overflowing vines and greenery. You can also go minimalist by having flowers simply grouped to give a contemporary, architectural and trendy vibe.
The bouquet can look beautiful from all angles so it can be held in many different ways, making it perfect for any bridal outfit. However, it does add drama and looks stunning with a mermaid or trumpet cut as it draws the eye towards the beautiful line of the dress. The trick to pairing a perfect waterfall bouquet with your gown is to balance the fullness and silhouette of your dress.
The more traditional waterfall is sometimes referred to as a teardrop, as the flowers are arranged to create an illusion of an elegant teardrop shape because they narrow at the tip of the bouquet. As the teardrop is triangular in shape, it’s best to avoid pairing with gowns that show off wide shoulders or hips.
CRESCENT BOUQUET
A traditional, crescent-style bouquet is held front and centre, is sculptural in its nature and focuses around the central flower (the star of the show), with the other flowers following the shape of a crescent moon. A great pairing for this look is a jumpsuit or bridal suit.
This has increased in popularity in recent years and has been updated into a gentle, organic crescent using garden florals with vines, flowers and greenery cascading slightly on both sides. This bouquet shape suits most wedding dresses and looks particularly stylish against an A-line gown or an empire-line wedding dress. This design also complements the ballgown silhouette when designed larger, fuller and paired with large peonies or roses.
HAND-TIED BOUQUET
Hand-tied bouquets are a popular, timeless and classic choice and vary in size and design, from neat and compact to a nature-inspired organic aesthetic. They are designed with a mixture of pretty blooms and lush foliage arranged at various heights and feature an all-round design, technically a 360 degree view, although there is typically a distinguishable front and back to the floral creations. Hand-tied bouquets are the perfect pairing for any bridal outfit; if you want a classic look, choose it for your A-line wedding dress.
A posy hand-tied is a classic bouquet style, which today is usually created for bridesmaids; however this has also grown popular amongst brides in recent times. Another option is the delicate posy bouquet ( a smaller version of the hand-tied), which is understated and subtle in its nature and features mostly flowers. It looks particularly good against intricate, embellished, short hemline dresses such as the mini or tea-length.
Or perhaps you prefer the glam, compact, round hand-tied, like Charlotte? It’s all about the monochromatic shape for this bouquet, often showcasing a favourite flower such as a rose, to create a perfect dome, and generally consisting of one colour.
The trick to a perfect pairing of your bridal gown and flowers is harmony, balance and ensuring it reflects your wedding ambience. Sharing your bridal gown with your floral designer and having a floral expert on your team helps you create and celebrate your individuality and unique, personal style.
TOP TIPS
Don't hold your bouquet too high. It will hide you, your stunning dress and your dainty waist. Instead, carrying the flowers at hip height helps accentuate your figure and captures you at your best in your photographs.
Place your bouquet in water on your day;, by having a vase at the reception you will get to enjoy it for the days after your wedding.
Be unique: your flowers can be created into any shape you desire if you select the floral designer for you. Here at Jacqui O we have produced; everything from hearts to floral muffs and floral fans for our brides-to-be.
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