At the beginning of the twentieth century, brides and bridesmaids carried such elaborate bouquets that the women practically needed a wheelbarrow to transport them down the aisle. Bouquets can be striking but never distracting; you want all eyes on the carrier, not on her bouquet. As an accessory, the bouquet should complement the dress as well as the size and shape of the wearer. Bridesmaids' bouquets need not be dwarf versions of the bride's, but can be mini works of art in themselves.Antique lace, organza, or wired ribbon wrapped around the stems finish a bouquet beautifully, but with some cost. One of our favorite looks is having each bridesmaid carry a different vibrantly colored bouquet finished with matching ribbon streamers.For years, people considered only one style of bouquet to be appropriate for formal weddings: all white roses, stephanotis, and lily of the valley. This idea is no longer the case. At even extremely formal ceremonies, brides now carry a variety of flowers, colors, and shapes.
- Biedermeier: Tightly composed concentric circles of individual colors, wired into a lace collar or other holder.
- Cascade or shower: Classic, elaborate shape with ivy and long-stemmed flowers that are wired or pulled out to droop gracefully in a waterfall effect.
- Composite: A flower constructed of hundreds of real petals wired together to look like one enormous flower.
- Crescent: Composed of one full flower and a flowering stem, often orchids, wired together to form a slender handle that you can hold in one hand. Designed as either a full crescent, a half circle with a central flower and blossoms emanating from two sides, or as a semicrescent, which has only one trailing stem.
- Nosegays: Round bouquets (16 or 18 inches in diameter) composed of flowers, greenery, and occasionally sprigs of herbs, all wired or tied together.
- Posies: Smaller versions of nosegays. Ribbons and silk flowers are often integrated into them.
- Presentation: The pageant bouquet — long-stemmed flowers cradled in your arms.
- Tossing: A bouquet used for tossing so you can save the actual wedding bouquet for posterity. No need to duplicate the original; the tossing bouquet can be entirely different.
- Tussy mussy: From the Victorian era, a posy in a small metal hand-held vase. Some have attached ring chains for easy carrying.
Mothers, stepmothers, fathers' girlfriends, and others
Say "corsage" and many women think "blue hair," not to mention pinholes in their fancy silk frock. Alternatives exist, including tussy mussies (ornate Victorian bouquet holders), flowers pinned to a handbag, or a floral bracelet, much like a mini garland — not to be confused with wrist corsages, which can be as dowdy as the pinned version. Some florists now use magnets to hold corsages in place on a dress. Ask your florist for this option if a pinned-on corsage is a must-have.
Grooms, ushers, stepfathers, mothers' boyfriends, and others
No longer the standard-issue white senior-prom carnation, the groom's boutonniere may be the same as one of the flowers in the bride's bouquet — as if plucked from there. The ones he chooses for his ushers and other gentlemen he wants to honor should reflect his personal style and be appropriate for their outfits. These flowers should neither brown around the edges nor wilt in the heat and should be hardy enough to withstand hours of hugs.
A few replacements for trite lapel pins:
- Cornflowers
- Acorns
- Vibrant-colored roses set with a sprig of herbs
- Berries backed by a galax leaf
- Variegated ivy, fern, and pine
- A stem of hydrangea
Also, having the stems wrapped with spiffy ribbon in an unexpected color or design can turn a mundane boutonniere into something dapper.
Order extra boutonnieres because they're relatively inexpensive and one or two may not survive ham-fisted attempts at pinning or may get crushed by well-wishers. Besides, it's good to have extras for any forgotten menfolk.
Little touches for little people
When dealing with flower children (or any children, for that matter), keep accessories in proportion to the child's size. You don't want your flower girl to look like an ungainly flowering plant moving down the aisle. Some simple floral alternatives to the traditional flower basket include
- Circlet: A ribbon or twig band accented with blossoms and worn on girls' heads.
- Garland: Birch vines covered with smilax and flowers and carried in tandem by two or three very young children. This arrangement looks adorable and also keeps them together.
- Hoop: Made of vine strung with flowers and carried like a tambourine.
- Pomander: A Styrofoam ball, covered in lace and tulle and trimmed with floral heads, which hangs on the wrist
Wedding Word #1: Rustic
Flower Idea: Thistle
Technically a green, this simple, honest and sturdy stem gives your day a back roads, woodsy, cowgirl feel. The texture is rooted in nature and evokes an idyllic rural quality. Thistle is available in a range of colors from copper, red, orange, golden, lime green, and teal to metallic blue. Pick your color and make a rustic, down home statement to welcome your guests.
Wedding Word 2: Casual
Flower Idea:Aster
On any given day someone can have this friendly flower hidden behind their back ready to surprise you or sitting on the kitchen table in a mason jar. If you don’t want your day to feel like you’ve made too much of a fuss, count on these mini daisies for that freshly plucked feeling. Asters are available in an array of colors including white, purple, lavender and pink.
Wedding Word 3: Intimate
Flower Idea: Gardenia
Get a little closer with sweet smelling, fragile blooms that make you want to lean in and snuggle up to their fragrance. Gardenia blooms are large with virtually no stem which makes them perfect for floating in a bowl with candles. They are also on the pricier side which makes them perfect for smaller, more intimate affairs when you are on a budget.
Wedding Word 4: Beachy
Flower Idea: Palmetto Fans
Are you thinking beach paradise surrounded by palm trees and coconuts for your wedding? Palm fronds are an underutilized green that create a beautiful canopy for your ceremony or the ultimate tropical umbrella centerpieces If beachy is one of your wedding words, don’t forget that palms just may be your ultimate signature wedding flower.
Wedding Word 5: Whimsical
Flower Idea: Fiddlehead Fern
If you want your wedding to feel as if you stepped right out of a storybook, consider the quirky, coiled fiddlehead fern. It makes everyone smile by popping out of your bouquet, his boutoneirre and even your centerpieces. These playful, nearly comical stems will liven up your day. And your guests will be surprised and delighted by a bloom they may not have seen before.
Wedding Word 6: Classic
Flower Idea: Rose
Classic doesn’t have to mean boring! The timeless rose comes in thousands of colors and varieties. Choose from Garden Roses, Spray Roses, Peony Roses and even Six Foot Tall Roses. Hundreds of color options ranging from solid to bicolor and variegated. With roses you achieve classic style and yet also have a chance to add your own exemplary flair.
Wedding Word 7: Modern
Flower Idea: Celosia
A deep golden-yellow, this wonderfully, almost weird flower boasts soft velvety frills atop a fan shape bloom. Celosia is as unique as it is dazzling and contemporary. Also available in dark red, orange and pink hues, you will definitely make a chic, swank, trendy and fashionable statement with this one-of-a-kind stem.
Wedding Word 8: Creative
Flower Idea: Iris
One of the only true blue flowers, Iris has delicate petals that open fully to expose striking yellow throats. This exceptionally colorful flower is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow. Seeking an artistic flower for your wedding? Then consider Iris, one of the most colorful flowers in existence. Color variations include white, yellow and purple.
Wedding Word 9: Romantic
Flower Idea: Peony
Poofy and frilly, no other blooms make your heart soar quite like puffy, girly peonies. Charming, lyrical, fanciful and chivalrous, splurging on the peony as your wedding day flower creates the quintessential romance you’ve dreamed of. There are many colors and varieties to choose from. And while they are a much more expensive bloom, none other says romance quite like a peony.
Wedding Word 10: Joyful
Flower Idea: Canterbury Bells
Campanulas, also known as Canterbury Bells, have a melodic shaped bloom with softly curling petals and a yellow pistol. This inspirational flower sets the joyful tone of bells ringing and typically receives a lot of praise from guests who may not have seen it before. With Campanulas as your signature flower, wedding bells will chime. Also available in white and purple.
Technically a green, this simple, honest and sturdy stem gives your day a back roads, woodsy, cowgirl feel. The texture is rooted in nature and evokes an idyllic rural quality. Thistle is available in a range of colors from copper, red, orange, golden, lime green, and teal to metallic blue. Pick your color and make a rustic, down home statement to welcome your guests.
Wedding Word 2: Casual
Flower Idea:Aster
On any given day someone can have this friendly flower hidden behind their back ready to surprise you or sitting on the kitchen table in a mason jar. If you don’t want your day to feel like you’ve made too much of a fuss, count on these mini daisies for that freshly plucked feeling. Asters are available in an array of colors including white, purple, lavender and pink.
Wedding Word 3: Intimate
Flower Idea: Gardenia
Get a little closer with sweet smelling, fragile blooms that make you want to lean in and snuggle up to their fragrance. Gardenia blooms are large with virtually no stem which makes them perfect for floating in a bowl with candles. They are also on the pricier side which makes them perfect for smaller, more intimate affairs when you are on a budget.
Wedding Word 4: Beachy
Flower Idea: Palmetto Fans
Are you thinking beach paradise surrounded by palm trees and coconuts for your wedding? Palm fronds are an underutilized green that create a beautiful canopy for your ceremony or the ultimate tropical umbrella centerpieces If beachy is one of your wedding words, don’t forget that palms just may be your ultimate signature wedding flower.
Wedding Word 5: Whimsical
Flower Idea: Fiddlehead Fern
If you want your wedding to feel as if you stepped right out of a storybook, consider the quirky, coiled fiddlehead fern. It makes everyone smile by popping out of your bouquet, his boutoneirre and even your centerpieces. These playful, nearly comical stems will liven up your day. And your guests will be surprised and delighted by a bloom they may not have seen before.
Wedding Word 6: Classic
Flower Idea: Rose
Classic doesn’t have to mean boring! The timeless rose comes in thousands of colors and varieties. Choose from Garden Roses, Spray Roses, Peony Roses and even Six Foot Tall Roses. Hundreds of color options ranging from solid to bicolor and variegated. With roses you achieve classic style and yet also have a chance to add your own exemplary flair.
Wedding Word 7: Modern
Flower Idea: Celosia
A deep golden-yellow, this wonderfully, almost weird flower boasts soft velvety frills atop a fan shape bloom. Celosia is as unique as it is dazzling and contemporary. Also available in dark red, orange and pink hues, you will definitely make a chic, swank, trendy and fashionable statement with this one-of-a-kind stem.
Wedding Word 8: Creative
Flower Idea: Iris
One of the only true blue flowers, Iris has delicate petals that open fully to expose striking yellow throats. This exceptionally colorful flower is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow. Seeking an artistic flower for your wedding? Then consider Iris, one of the most colorful flowers in existence. Color variations include white, yellow and purple.
Wedding Word 9: Romantic
Flower Idea: Peony
Poofy and frilly, no other blooms make your heart soar quite like puffy, girly peonies. Charming, lyrical, fanciful and chivalrous, splurging on the peony as your wedding day flower creates the quintessential romance you’ve dreamed of. There are many colors and varieties to choose from. And while they are a much more expensive bloom, none other says romance quite like a peony.
Wedding Word 10: Joyful
Flower Idea: Canterbury Bells
Campanulas, also known as Canterbury Bells, have a melodic shaped bloom with softly curling petals and a yellow pistol. This inspirational flower sets the joyful tone of bells ringing and typically receives a lot of praise from guests who may not have seen it before. With Campanulas as your signature flower, wedding bells will chime. Also available in white and purple.
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