Your bridal bouquet is so much more than a floral arrangement. The fragrant focal point of your bridal ensemble; the starting point from which the styling of your wedding unfolds; a source of scent which will evoke memories of your wedding for years to come; a symbolic accessory enriched with personal significance - whatever your bouquet means to you, it's sure to be a key feature of your wedding day.
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Whether it's clusters of creamy roses, delicate bells of lily of the valley, big blousy peonies or whimsical wild flowers, a clearly defined vision of a bouquet may have been central to your daydreams long before the proposal. If not - and you don't know your chrysanthemum from your carnation - then there's a lot to consider: what shape, what size, what colours and, indeed, what flowers should you choose?
That's where Wed steps in. We've enlisted the expertise of the region's finest florists to share their top tips on choosing a bouquet to cherish.
Wedding Flowers in Cornwall
PETAL POINTERS
Seasonality. Before you get carried away with visions of your dream bouquet, first consider the seasonality of flowers. "Peonies in May and June will look fabulous; they are in season and will be the best of their type; off-season blooms can be sourced but are usually disappointing, dehydrated and small," advises Laura Hingston (laurahingstonflowers.com).
Still fancying an out-of-season bloom? Be flexible and open your mind to the beauty and scent of close alternatives. "If you wanted a peony let me show you a dahlia and how that can become a wow piece. You only like roses? Well let me show you hellebores in season," affirms Laura. And, for inspiration, maybe look a little closer to home. "I always like brides to fall in love with the gardens around them. Grandma's roses could spill out of a bouquet far better than one from a wrap of 20 sterile, uniform blooms from abroad that have little or no scent!" adds Laura.
Wheal Sara Flowers (Ben Photography)
Of course, seasonal flowers come with a pocket-friendly bonus. "Using flowers that are in season will certainly help keep the cost down," advises Emma Hewlett (emmahewlett.co.uk).
Dress. Chosen your wedding dress? Take along a photo to the consultation with your florist, as features from the shape to the fabric can provide inspiration for your bouquet. "It's important to consider the size, shape and style of your dress - and yourself. You want your bouquet to be proportionate to your size otherwise it will feel too big or too small," advises Kate Bainbridge from Simply Flowers (simplyflowersdevon.com). "Is the bride tall or petite? A tall bride would look wrong with a tiny bouquet and vice versa," comments Joanna Game (joannagameflowers.com).
The shape of your dress may even determine the shape of your bouquet. "Hand-tied bouquets work with most dress styles but shower/teardrop bouquets look stunning against a fuller dress," says Kate Bainbridge. Anna Sawle (weddingflowersincornwall.co.uk) agrees: "I would recommend a shower or trailing bouquet for an A-line, full-skirted dress as this draws your eye down to see the whole dress and gives you the wow factor."
Rafflesia Wedding Flowers
Beyond the shape, the finer details of style can be coordinated to beautiful effect. "If you have a vintage lace dress, choose delicate country style flowers for softness and romance to tie in with the era of the dress either hand-tied or a traditional shower," advises Lizi Newbury from Wheal Sara Flowers. "If you choose a more modern clean crisp line dress, then a modern styled bouquet such as an A-line will suit perfectly." She adds: "If your dress has lots of detail around your waistline keep your bouquet simple and small."
"If the dress is quite plain the flowers can sing a little louder and if it has lots of detail I think the bouquet can be quite simple. I like it when there is a link between the bouquet and dress - eg - lace and Lilly of the valley or calla Lillie's and furls of fabric. It's good if they echo each other and are friends!" comments George Mackay.
Wedding Flowers in Cornwall
You might even take the fabric or length of your dress as your floristry cue. "For frilly, floaty dresses, I recommend soft flowers like peonies, ranunculus, lisianthus or sweet peas," says Anna Sawle. "For lace dresses, I recommend delicate lily of the valley to enhance the embroidery and tea-length dresses look amazing with pomanders or flower handbags." Kat Thomas of The Paper Florist adds: "Drawing on elements from the dress and incorporating beads and jewels to the bouquet can have a lovely effect."
Colour is also key. "Look at the whole picture; your bridal bouquet is there to complement your dress and yourself," says Anna Sawle. "If your dress is a soft oyster, go for colours that will tone well like champagnes, soft peaches and apricots." Remember to take a swatch of your wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses to your consultation.
Scent. Scent is perhaps the most evocative of all our senses in stirring memories - and your wedding flowers have a key role in scenting these starry-eyed moments. "I really love to use scented flowers in a bouquet where possible. I feel this is the best place to put scent as it is really noticed," says Joanna.
However, be aware of overpowering the senses with strong scents. "Lilies are lovely but filling a room full of them can be really overpowering. If you're really keen on using strong scented flowers, consider just using them to complement others." says Emma. You might even use herbs in your bouquet. "There's nothing like the fresh smell of mint or rosemary as you walk down the aisle to meet your groom."
Comfort. Remember you're going to be holding your bouquet for a long time. The comfort factor is key, so avoid anything that might be awkward to carry. "It's worth considering the way in which the bouquet is made. Hand-tied bouquets are very popular but they can be quite heavy due to the amount of flowers used in them - a wired bouquet (like Kate Middleton's) would be much lighter to carry," says Kate.
BESPOKE BLOOMS
Bring a personal touch to your precious petals with these fabulous ideas...
Something borrowed. "You may wish to fix plant-dyed silk with your grandma's hatpin or brooch. I've been asked to include photographs, floral loves of dear relatives, blooms from mum's garden or other little keepsakes," says Laura. "Is there a special piece of jewellery you would like to incorporate in your bouquet? Brooches look great pinned to the flower stems of a hand-tied bridal bouquet," comments Emma.
Granny's garden. "Brides with memories of their grandparents' gardens full of gorgeous scented sweet peas and hydrangeas may like to include them in their bouquets," suggests Anna. "Use any flowers that have a personal meaning i.e flowers from your childhood or memories of a love one such as your granddad, I have a lot of brides that tell me that certain flowers remind them of there Dad/Grandad/Nan growing them in there garden when they were young," says Lizi.
Dearly departed. "One of our brides had lost her dad and we were able to tie a small silver framed picture of him into her bouquet so only she could see it. It was her special and private way of having him walk her down the aisle," comments Laura.
Love handle. "We've had hand embroidered and beaded covers made to wrap around the bouquet handle," says Laura. "These can be fairly simple to extremely elaborate but add a very unique aspect to the bouquet."
What's in a name? Incorporate flowers or plants with a significant name. "Perhaps your daughter is called Ivy or Rose, for example. Or you might use the same flowers as your grandmother did on her wedding day," says George Mackay.
Fine Finish. Personalise your bouquet with special trimmings - maybe some lace from your dress or even your mother's dress tied around the stems," says Emma.
Paper pretty. "My bouquets ca be personalised via the printing of the paper," says Kat. Thomas of The Paper Florist. "Couples have sent me pages of their favourite books, which become timeless and lasting mementos of their shared interests and relationship. I've been sent copies of poems which mean something to them as a couple and also been asked for the wedding date to be printed on to the paper."
Letter love. "Initials can be created on the handle in pear pins which is a very cute idea!" says Kate Bainbridge.
Special petal. "I like to put a flower in the bride's bouquet which is only in that bouquet to make it really special. I also like to link the bride's bouquet and the grooms buttonhole," says Joanna.
BRIDESMAIDS IN BLOOM
Ensure your bridesmaid bouquets stylishly echo your bridal bouquet with these chic ideas...
Staple Photography
Shady ladies. Create a floral colour palette that works to complement the bridal party. Use a hint of the bridesmaid dress colour in your bouquet (if possible)," says Emma. "Don't try and match bridesmaid flowers with their dress colours as they will just get lost in photographs; think lighter or darker shades." Laura adds: "You might opt for a different style bouquet for each of the bridesmaids, but still using the palette of flowers from the bridal bouquet."
Flower power. "If you're not opting for colour, then consider using similar blooms to tie floral ideas together," suggests Laura. "Design the bridal bouquet with several different flowers and pick out a single flower for each bridesmaid bouquet. When you are all together, will they link perfectly," says Anna.
Top trimmings. "Look at the trimmings of your bouquets. It's easy to go for a simple ivory ribbon around the stems, but try and be more creative, picking ribbons, laces and trimmings to fit in with your style or theme," says Emma.
Emma Hewlett
WHY I LOVED MY BOUQUET
Two writers share their thoughts on their bridal bouquets...
"Before becoming a bride, my flower knowledge was practically non-existent - I knew what I liked but had no clue what the names or varieties were, so you could say choosing my bouquet was, er, interesting! Thankfully my florist was incredible at picking my brains and really getting to the crux of what I wanted... which happened to be a selection of entrancing but terrifyingly delicate bearded irises combined with a smattering of apricot roses, which I loved. For the bridesmaids we had a little more fun by switching out the roses for some bright orange gerberas that had a real 'kapow' effect, and worked perfectly with their purple tea-length dresses. When I look back at my wedding photos there are many things I probably would change but I still admire how gorgeous the bouquets were. I also love the Irish tradition of leaving the bridal bouquet on the family grave, as a nod to those who could not be with us... it still brings a tear to my eye." Aine Carlin
Wedding Flowers in Cornwall
"It's always been my dream to have my own flower shop one day. I love flowers; they calm me and make me incredibly happy so, for our wedding day, flowers played an intrinsic part in setting the tone of our celebration. Colourful was a given; we didn't really have a colour scheme - just 'things we love' and we love colour, but perhaps most important was seasonality. I wanted UK grown, seasonal flowers so there was no question of where we got married and in which season: my bouquet said it all - it took on its own identity in that sense and made a real statement. And it just so happened to be really beautiful too!" Sarah Christopher from Juno & Joy.
Rafflesia Wedding Flowers
TOSSING THE BOUQUET
The tradition of tossing the bouquet is an English one, which stems from the days when women would try to rip pieces from the bride's dress and flowers in the hope it would pass on good luck. We asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter their thoughts on this tradition...
"I threw my bouquet. It was a lot of fun seeing the boys looking nervous and the catch was incredible!" Jessica Hughes
"I had a fake bouquet so I could keep it. Looking at my photos you would never know." Sarah May
Rafflesia Wedding Flowers
"Have two bouquets! Keep one and throw the other (but obviously don't carry two at the same time)." Nat Haydon
"My bouquet will be going on my great-grandparents' grave in the churchyard. I know they would love to see all of us getting married." Laura Hancock
"I'll be throwing my bridesmaid's bouquet and keeping my bouquet to make a wedding memory capsule Christmas ornament, which is a bauble filled with the dried petals so it's special every year when I hang it up." Joanna Poole
Rafflesia Wedding Flowers
"I threw mine! Out of all the ladies, my 12-year-old daughter caught it!" Cassie Charlton
"We took my bouquet and all wedding flowers to our grandparents' graves and to my great granny's nursing home! Brightened the place up a bit!" Amy Vercoe Long
Wedding Flowers in Cornwall (Ben Selway)
words Rebecca Matthews
illustrations Maria Taylor Illustrations
Copyright Wed magazine 2014
