Bridal Bouquet: A guide to choosing the right flowers for your big day
Your bridal bouquet is a once in a lifetime accessory. With endless combinations of colours and arrangements to choose from, find out what factors you should consider when picking out your dream bouquet.
You’ve got the dress, you’ve got the shoes, you’ve got the hair down to a pat… but wait, something’s missing! Surely you’re not going to walk down the aisle without that all-important bridal bouquet right?
Flowers are a wedding day essential and one of the most important boxes to tick off your wedding day checklist. The floral masterpiece you walk down the aisle with should suit you in every way as they will set the tone and style for the big day.
With modern-day brides doing away with the traditional all-white arrangements and getting creative with their florets, the pressure is on to come up with a bridal bouquet that is not just a complementary accessory but a work of art that reflects your sense of style and jives with the overall theme of the wedding.
It’s not for nothing that the Victorians believed flowers were the language of love –and your bouquet better be the Sonnet 116 of it all!
To ease your load, we’ve compiled a list of factors you should take into consideration when deciding on the dream bouquet you should go with.
FIND INSPIRATION
Choosing a bridal bouquet can be overwhelming but it’s important to start somewhere or you’ll never get going. Flip through bridal magazines or gardening books that focus on flowers to get your creative juices flowing. A trip to the local florist, nursery or even places like Gardens by the Bay or the Botanical Gardens could spark off an idea for your floral masterpiece.
CHOOSING A FLORIST
Picking a florist is not something you can leave for the last minute. Once you’ve got a firm idea of what you want in a bridal bouquet, it’s time to get the floral experts to materialize your dreams right down to the last petal. Even if you have no clue about what you want, it’s important to pick a florist immediately so you can bounce ideas off each other and get a professional second opinion.
If you have a trusted florist that’s been doing all the bridal bouquets in your family –great. If you don’t, make it a point to meet several candidates and check out their floral portfolios to get a feel of their bouquet style and what they’re capable of achieving.
CONSIDER YOUR WEDDING DRESS
The wedding dress is the main star and centrepiece of the show and all other props –flowers, veil, jewellery, surrounding décor, should serve to complement the gown and not detract from it. So before you set out to choose you bridal bouquet, make sure you’ve got your bridal gown sorted first.
Is it princess cut? Lacy and bouffant? A full blown ball gown? This is important because the size of your bridal bouquet should correspond to the cut of your dress. A small wreath of baby’s breath will have no impact against your poufy gown and likewise, you don’t want an overwhelming floral collection to drown out your frame.
COLOUR IS KEY
A quick trip to the florist will certainly leave you overwhelmed with the variety of colours to choose from. Narrow down your choices according to the shades that will suit your dress and the symbolism you want to represent with your bouquet: for instance, red signifies passion and deep love, while white is a symbol of purity, commitment and unity. Check out colour swatches and test them out against your gown before making a commitment.
SEASONALITY
So you finally know what flowers you want to walk down the aisle with but are they available all year-round or are they seasonal flowers? Sure you can import flowers, but they’re going to cost more and everyone knows the best-looking blooms are those that are in season.
Another thing to consider is the weather. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, it’s important to check if your flowers can withstand the heat or you’ll find yourself clutching a bouquet of wilted blooms at the altar. Gardenias are known for their susceptibility to wilt under heat but orchids on the other hand are the gladiators of the floral world.
Karen George
