Choosing a bouquet to suit your wedding dress
Wedding bouquets and flowers are integral to any wedding – adding colour and setting the theme for the day. Traditionally flowers brought the bride good luck in her future life – so getting it right was, and still is, very important. But first, you need to decide on your wedding dress as this will influence your choice of flowers, the colour, style and overall shape of your bouquet.
When you meet your florist, you should take a photo of your dress and, if possible, a fabric sample. It is important the shape and size of the bouquet suits the silhouette of your dress and doesn’t hide any details. If you are having a coloured wedding dress, choosing the right colour flowers will be a bit more tricky but your florist will advise you.
I always give my brides ideas for their flowers as these are crucial to showing off the dress I have designed for them. Your body shape is always a consideration: if you are petite generally a smaller bouquet works well whereas tall brides would do well to choose a larger bouquet in proportion to their height.
The venue and theme of your wedding will also influence your choice of flowers – if you are having a church wedding you will want a more formal bouquet than if you are getting married in a country barn when a hand tied bunch would be more in keeping.
If you have your heart set on a particular flower it doesn’t matter what time of year you are getting married – if you are prepared to pay a good florist, this won’t be a problem. But it is lovely to reflect the time of year in your choice of flowers – and helps the budget. Here are some ideas for seasonal flowers:
Spring
Tulips come in a wide variety of types and colours.
Lilac in white or purple smells gorgeous or you could follow the Duchess of Cambridge with Lily of the Valley.
My mother also carried Lily of the Valley for her wedding in 1957.
This flower symbolises purity, happiness, luck and humility – and is so pretty.
Summer
There is a lot more choice in the summer but if you want to stand out from the crowd you could carry hand-tied sunflowers for a relaxed country wedding.
There are also peonies, phlox, daisies and roses, the most beloved wedding flower, a symbol of love, romance and beauty that comes in so many different varieties and colours and works in any bouquet.
Autumn
Chrysanthemums are autumn flowers that come in beautiful jewel colours but are often overlooked by brides.
These flowers are associated with wealth, abundance and truth – and are also very cost effective.
You could add hypericum berries to your bouquet and deep wine red roses to add drama and warmth.
Winter
For a dramatic simple look you could carry pillar box red or white amaryllis with the stems bound with ribbon.
Or the phalaenopsis orchid, a symbol of beauty, is popular in shades of deep magenta, pink and white.
Trailing ivy will add winter greenery.
Then there are the flowers for your hair. There is something romantic about a bride with fresh flowers in her hair – and not just for boho weddings.
Clusters of flowers make a beautiful addition to hair up styles. Or you could make a statement with one large bloom for example a peony, which stands for love, happiness and ambition.
Delicate flowers such as baby’s breath or daisies woven into a plait or fishtail braid make a simple hairstyle special.
But a floral crown is the ultimate choice for a boho bride, it can be large and colourful or soft and delicate – and always looks beautiful.
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