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Saturday, July 10, 2010

Bridal Bouquets 101

Surprisingly, there are a TON of different options when it comes to bouquets, whether it be in the way the flowers are arranged, how they are tied, or how they are trimmed. For a non-traditional look, go for something visually interesting, such as a pomander bouquet. These are especially good for flower girls because they are easy to hold by a ribbon. Check out the pictures below and see what style is right for you!

Types of Bouquets

The Posy Bouquet
This is your traditional round and small bouquet. 


The Nosegay Bouquet
Another traditionally small bouquet, often with more greenery and herbs than flowers. Usually used for bridesmaids or flower girls.

The Biedermeier Bouquet
The Biedermeier bouquet is comprised of concentric rings of flowers, which each ring consisting of a different type and color of flower than the next ring. This style originating in Switzerland in the 1800's, but is again gaining popularity due to its dramatic contrast.

Traditional Biedermeier

Modern Take on the Biedermeier

The Arm Sheaf or "Presentation" Bouquet
This bouquet is comprised of long stem flowers, such as calla lillies, and is held rested against the forearm. Perfect for a more modern wedding for someone craving a slightly different look. Also known as the pageant bouquet.



The Crescent Bouquet
A truly artistic bouquet, with greater flower density in the center and tapered off sides (even or asymetrical). This bouquet generally has a thin bunch of stems and looks best held beneath the waist. Orchid is a popular flower used in this arrangement.

Traditional Crescent

Asymmetric Crescent

The Cascading Bouquet
These large bouquets reached their peak in the roaring 1920s and became scarce as the US entered WWII. Apparently this is the most traditional and formal of the bouquets, and was sported by the late Princess Diana.

1920s bride

Princess Diana's lavish cascading bouquet

Modern day cascading bouquet
The Pomander Bouquet
Also known as the "kissing ball," the pomander bouquet is a flower covered styrofoam ball with a looped ribbon hanging from it. Great for flower girls!





Style your Bouquet!

Tie Breaker : Hand-tied vs. Wired

For an unstructured and relaxed look, go for hand-tied. However, for a more formal affair or nighttime wedding, wired is the standard. If you want a large bouquet but are concerned with the stem diameter and a comfortable hold - wired is the solution. What florists actually do is remove the stems of the flowers and weave a wire through the base of a flower. These wire stems are usually wrapped with ribbon or organza all the way down to disguise the wired look.

Hand-tied


Wired


The Power of Ribbon

Ribbon is the perfect medium for adding another dimension to your bouquet and has such effects as:

Giving a bouquet texture and a different look than most

Allowing the bride to feature a wedding color that isn't a natural flower color

Add a punch of color for a youthful feel

Add volume to a smaller bouquet

Honor family (i.e. using fabric from a mothers or grandmothers dress)

Giving a clean, polished look to less expensive flowers

Add color to an all-white bouquet
 

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