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Your Bridal Bouquet!

The Bridal Bouquet!

Flowers for your wedding are like adding icing to the cake...just something you can't do without!

Of all the wedding traditions the bridal bouquet is probably the one that has been around the longest. Flowers represent good luck as well as other messages...love, purity, loyalty, modesty, and true love;

depending on the color and type of flower used.

The first recorded use of wedding flowers can be attributed to the Greeks. Flowers and plants were bundled together to form a garland wreath and worn on the head. This was considered a gift of nature and therefore extremely appropriate for a wedding. Traditionally this was an honor given to the Greek bridesmaids.

The tradition of wedding flowers remains to this day. Bridesmaid may not be placing a wreath on your head on your special day but the meaning and appropriate nature of flowers is still the same.

I wore a circle of flowers...somewhat of a wreath...with a veil attached on my head at my first wedding.

Who knew the tradition went back so many years.

That was just my style back in 1978!!

I will pull a picture out from my archives and share it in a later blog.

In England, it was the tradition for the bride and her bridesmaids to proceed to the church together. They were led by a small girl who would sprinkle blossoms in their path to assure long life and happiness for the bride...

YOUR flower girl!

Also, the tradition of tossing the bouquet comes to us by way of England. Women used to try to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers so they could obtain some of her good luck. (Oh my...what drama!) To escape, the bride

would toss her bouquet and run away.

Today the bouquet is tossed to the single women with the hope that the one

who catches it will be the next to marry. At times this leads to a pushing shoving match between the single ladies to be the special winner of the bouquet...(Oh no, still drama!) It has become customary for the bride to purchase two bouquets...one for the ceremony and one to toss.

It may be fun to find out if anyone has every known a situation where that hope turned into reality

for the lucky bouquet winner. If you do, please post a comment on the story.

Once just a simple and small collection of flowers, the wedding bouquet has now evolved over time to the point where literally hundreds of dollars are now spent on beautifully designed and arranged ornate wedding bouquets.

The money spent on the flowers for your wedding is usually around 8% of your total budget. This amount would include flowers for the ceremony, bride's bouquet, maid-of-honor and bridesmaids bouquets,

corsages, boutonnieres, centerpieces, flower-girl basket.

But the bridal bouquet is one of the most important elements of the bride's attire and deserves special attention. There are so many styles, colors, scents, sizes, shapes of bouquets to choose. Bride's can make their bouquet a

special part of the wedding by selecting one that fits their style and personality. This is where the bride is

able to put their own special touch on their wedding.

The next part of the blog is going about the different types of bridal bouquet...there are A LOT...there are even more than are listed in the blog! With so many styles to choose from there are endless possibilities to make a lasting impression.

Cascade

Flowers, stems and leaves supported in a handheld carrying base. The resulting bouquet is a small train of flowers.

Beidermeier

Consists of an arrangement of different flowers that are normally two different colors.

The colors are lined to make a striped pattern and the stems are usually long.

Nosegay

A Victorian style of flowers in a cluster. The typical Nosegay has one color or type of flower.

Classic Hand-Tied

Haves a sleek style containing one color of flowers with the stems crossing at the top

and tied with a ribbon. The eclectric style contains different colors.

Composite

Made with many petals or buds bound together with wire or glue one a single stem,

its intention is to create the illustion of a single large flower.

Pomander

A ball covered in blooms hanging from a ribbon or for a different look pearls or crystals.

The Pomander could also be a sweet choice for the flower girl or a beautiful addition to your decorations.

Tussy-Mussy

(sometimes spelled Tussie-Mussie, Tussy-Mussie, Tussie-Mussy)

A nosegay bouquet in a small metal hand-held vase. Some have attached ring chains for easy carrying.

You will find some handmade ones today of materials other than metal.

The Tussy-Mussy Bouquet is also a great choice for the Mother's instead of the usual corsage.

Non-traditional

(Pin, Brooch, Button,Etc.)

Made of pins,brooches, buttons,etc. Brides often use heirloom pieces in the bouquet. It becomes an heirloom piece that can be kept in the family. It is a bouquet that will definitely add a special touch to your wedding. You can find many beautiful pictures and creative ideas for this type of bouquet.

One last image of a very non-traditional bouquet...made from succulants!

This goes to show...your wedding can be your way and fit whatever style you choose.

A traditional bride is the type of person who is close with family and has known exactly how they want your wedding to look since they were a little girl. If you are a traditional bride, you will opt for a bouquet in shades of white with bits of greenery. Choose flowers that compliment your color scheme and look for detailed arrangements.

A modern bride is one that likes to move with the times, but waits to see which fashions and trends will stick before you invest in them yourself. The most popular flowers for modern brides are ever versatile roses and stunningly elegant calla lilies. The wide color variety of both means that modern brides have no limits on their color palettes.

A trend-setting bride loves change and are willing to try anything and everything that's outside the box. Trend-setting brides will love the look of jewel accents like pearls and other faux gems in bouquets. Brooches pinned into the bride's bouquet is right up the trend-setter bride's alley.

When choosing a your wedding florist, several decisions should be made. You should already know the type of wedding and reception you have in planned and possibly their locations should already be booked. Also, already know the colors of your table linens at the reception and the colors that will be used for the bridal party. Sometimes flowers for the reception are included in your catering package. If they are, and this is acceptable to you,

you will only need to discuss the ceremony flowers with your florist.

You will want to comparison shop to get the best value and best quality for your money. Visit several wedding florists and describe what you would like for your wedding. Keep in mind that flowers are seasonal.

To save money, go with ones that are in season.

The best idea when choosing your flowers for your wedding is to find a local florist that is the area of your ceremony and reception. This will cut down on delivery fees and also the quicker your flowers

reach their destination the fresher they will be.

After you chose your florist, as with all aspects of your wedding, get everything in writing so there cannot be any misunderstandings about exactly what you want for your wedding.

I guess I need to add one little a bit of information about the flowers for your groom...after all it is his special day too!

Your grooms special flowers for the day is the boutonniere.Traditionally, the groom's boutonniere would include at least one flower of the bridal bouquet. This bloom is usually the primary flower of the bouquet. It may also include other elements for contrast such as ivy or a smaller complementary flower. The groom's boutonniere should be more lavish than the groomsmen's boutonniere.

When planning your wedding, pick the floral style that best suits you and your groom. While, others' opinions may be helpful, ultimately the decision is yours and will be remembered that way.

Whatever you do, do not settle for the cheapest price if the package doesn't feel right to you.

It is, after all, the most important day of your life?

It's Your Party! planners' bouquets...

Jane's