Selecting Your Bridal Bouquet

When selecting your bridal bouquet it is important that you keep in mind the overall style of your wedding. Aside from style there are a few other factors you should consider when selecting your bridal bouquet, such as your size, the length of your train, your color choices, the bridal attendants clothing, and of course your own tastes. We will discuss each of these individually.

Train

Generally the size of the bouquet should reflect the length of the train. If you are wearing a gown with a cathedral train and long veil you can select a larger bouquet for a good proportional look, but if you are wearing a simple dress with a small train or no train at all you may want to consider a small bouquet shape.

Bride's Size

A bouquet should be proportional in size to the person carrying it. If you are a very small person you don't want a bouquet so large that it overshadows you.

Wedding Styles

For each style different shapes of bouquets are more suitable, off course, many of these can be interchanged and your florist can easily turn a traditionally formal shaped arrangement into a contemporary arrangement by choosing different flowers or materials, but this short list should help you narrow things down a bit.

Formal

Round: simple, elegant often called a colonial bouquet.

Composite: the focal point is a large flower made of petals from other flowers.

Crescent: an arching bouquet.

Ballerina: made of tulle or net and a few flowers, common during WWII when flowers were expensive and scarce.

Contemporary

Biedermeier: a bouquet with a defined circular pattern

Freeform/Contemporary: no recognizable shape

Single Stem: often with a design element like a wrapped stem or streamers to give it more interest

Romantic

Cascade: also known as a teardrop, waterfall or fountain bouquet; this is a sophisticated look that can be made to look dense or wispy

Heart: a bouquet shape traditionally seen on Valentines Day, but it can also make a great wedding bouquet

Wreath or Hoop: large ring decorated with intertwined foliage and flowers; a great symbol for eternity or love without end

Vintage/Southern Style

Round: Round: simple, elegant often called a colonial bouquet.

Oval: a combination of a cascade and round bouquet

Fan: flowers are attached to a fan

Garden Setting

Hand Tied: a smaller round shaped bouquet, often also called clutch bouquets, the stems are exposed and the arrangement is simple making it fit in perfectly with a garden setting

Arm: also called presentation or pageant bouquets, long stemmed flowers are tied with a ribbon and held in the bend of the elbow.

Pomander: a ball or cone covered with flowers and hung from a loop of ribbon

Basket: a grouping of flowers arranged in a shallow basket

Informal

Crescent: an arching bouquet that can be symmetrical or asymmetrical

Wrist: similar to a corsage it allows a bride to have the use of both hands, but still maintain the look of having a bouquet.