Choosing Wedding Bouquets

Choosing the wedding bouquet can be difficult if you aren’t familiar with floral design. Nevertheless, this is one decision that can be made stress-free by answering a few very simple questions.

 Color:

Many brides like to highlight their chosen color palette by incorporating their wedding colors in the bouquets. If you already know which colors you plan to use on the wedding, that can make the colors of the bouquet stress-free. For those who don’t know their colors or want to do something a little different, consider these three options.

• Tone on Tone- this type of bouquet takes a single color, such as purple, and uses a variety of flowers with different shades of the color. A tone on tone bouquet can be subtle and sophisticated, without going overboard on variety
• Complimentary Colors- Consider building the palette of the bouquet as you would choose shades of colors for painting a room or assembling an outfit. Choose between 2-4 colors that look good with one another, such as white, peach, pale yellow, and pale green.
• Clear Contrast: A bold choice, clear contrast bouquets typically use several colors that stand out next to each other, such as white, blue and dark green, bright pink and dark red, or dark yellow, spring green, and white.

Shape: 

Bouquets come in several different shapes that can also contribute to the formality and style of the wedding. The most common shapes include:

Hand Tied:

Hand tied bouquets usually are shaped into rounds or allowed to be organic and free form. They are often tied midway down the stem with ribbon or lace, creating a natural, casual look.

Cascade:

Cascade bouquets form an upside-down teardrop shape, which may be tight or loose near the bottom. Generally considered more formal, these bouquets can be a great way to showcase large flowers or those that grow in long cascades of blossoms.

Round:

While round bouquets look similar to hand tied, the stems are bound into a bouquet holder, making a uniform, controlled round shape.

Pomander:

Unique and whimsical, a pomander is carried like a purse, and is usually comprised of flowers with strong stems, that will not easily come dislodged from the bouquet. Roses are especially popular for pomanders.

It is absolutely possible to make your own bouquets, often at a significantly reduced price. Contact a wholesale flower store in your area and ask about “public hours” where anyone can come to the store. At the store, they may be able to advise you about what flowers can be ordered or are usually in stock, making it simple to create an order for pick-up 24-48 hours before the wedding. Hand-tied bouquets are often the least expensive and easiest to make, since they only require the flowers, floral wire, and ribbon.