The bride used to carry a bouquet of herbs to ward off evil spirits. And she used to toss it as she made her exit from the church to distract people who would try and rip off parts of her dress, since it was considered good luck to have something belonging to the bride.
Things have surely changed since then, but the tradition of carrying a bridal bouquet has survived.
Every bride should “wear” a bridal bouquet. Yes, wear, because the bridal bouquet is in fact part of the wedding dress and should perfectly match it, as well as complement the bride’s figure. The bridal bouquet is something very personal and tells so much about a bride. It also adds a special touch to wedding pictures.
Types of bridal bouquet
There are many different types of wedding bouquets.
The round bouquet, which can be more or less compact, usually made of a single type of flower, like roses or peonies, for more formal and traditional weddings.
The cascade bouquet with flowers and greenery for a wedding in grand style.
The hand-tied bouquet, flowing and more casual, with a just picked flowers look, for a more informal, rustic wedding.
And finally, the super trendy ring or hoop bouquet, made of a metal ring decorated with flowers and greenery for the modern bride planning a creative wedding.
Flowers and colours for the bridal bouquet
A bridal bouquet can be all flowers and this is usually going to be more expensive. Or a mix of flowers and greenery.
Peonies are always very popular, but remember they are only available in May and June. They can be substituted using large garden roses; not exactly the same, but the effect on your wedding bouquet will be quite similar.
Roses are always very popular, but you can try different flowers, such as hydrangeas or ranunculus. Or you can have a unique bridal bouquet just made of white daisies for example. If you are planning a country-style wedding, you can opt for a more rustic bouquet incorporating country flowers, such as lavender, as well as aromatic herbs such as rosemary.
The bridal bouquet can be all white, maybe with a hint of blush or light pink for a traditional, more formal wedding, or incorporate flowers of different colours and greenery of different shades, especially for a more modern or country-style wedding.
The ribbon for the bridal bouquet
You’ll also need to pick the colour for the ribbon which will be tied around the stems. The ribbon for the wedding bouquet will usually be in satin and the same shade of the bridal dress. A good idea could be to use an extra piece of fabric from the wedding gown.
The ribbon can be tied around the stems of the bridal bouquet, leaving the end of the stems showing. Or it can be tied around all the stems, including the end. The first option is lovely and looks nicer to me; but you’ll need to pay attention not to stain the bridal dress with the green stems showing.
Have your wedding planner suggest you the best bridal bouquet and the flowers in season so you save some money. Dolce Vita Weddings will be happy to help, after more than 15 years of experience in assisting brides choosing their wedding flowers, which is surely one of the most important and most interesting parts of planning a wedding.