There are so many different styles of bouquets, corsages and other flower arrangements. The different varieties of flowers and their colours are infinite, but not all are suitable for a wedding occasion.
Allow a reputable florist to guide you and narrow down what could be an overwhelming decision process.
While the symbol of purity is represented by white flowers and hence is often used as part of the bride’s bouquet, it is becoming more and more popular to choose different colours that match the overall theme of the wedding as well as the bride’s personality and the dresses. Colours can leave a great impact on the pale colours of the bride’s gown.
Evolving fashion has left us with many variations of the standard themes below. Generally, there are two types of bridal bouquet; one that is intended to be held in the hand just below the waist and the other is held across the arms. The second option allows any prominent detail of the dress to be seen if a hand-held bouquet were to cover it.
Also note that long dresses can take a larger bouquet than the knee length dress and in fact, single blooms are more popular with this second dress style.
Here are the basic bouquet designs:
The Cascade Bouquet
This bouquet is the most traditional and formal of all designs. The image is based on the waterfall effect that flowing downwards flowers make. There is a tendency to use white flowers blended with greenery and the effect is this cascade of loosely held flowers down the front of the bride’s gown. The traditional flowers used include white roses, lilies and stephanotis, which is a waxy fragrant flower.
The cascading bouquet is more suited to a dress that has full skirts and not to the shorter length dress. Also be careful to balance the bride’s frame. While the style is slimming it is not ideal for the small frame.
Round Cluster Bouquet (The Nosegay)
This style is round and smaller than the others. It is usually made up of a tight bundle of flowers and very little greenery. The flowers used are generally mixed, both in colour and variety. The name nosegay came from the 14th century when this style was used to hide odours.
Flowers include roses, gerberas, ranunculus, mini carnations, freesia, asters and monte casino. The nosegay draws the attention to the middle part of the body and as a result is not actually ideal for rather tall brides or those who have wide hips.
The Hand-tied or Loose-tied Bouquet
This design is slightly more informal and has become popular because it shows the stems of the flowers and greenery and has that garden casual feel.
The spring flowers are tied around the stems with ribbon or lace. The flowers used may include roses, scabiosa and sweet peas and the flowers can have movement, hence less formal.