A guide to wedding bouquets, from flowers and colours to shapes and styles, with expert advice from Todich Floral Design to help you choose the bouquet that’s right for your style.
Seasons and colours
Discover which blooms will be in season when you marry. Tulips are available in winter, peonies in spring, hydrangeas in summer and sunflowers in autumn, and while many flowers are available all year round they will be more expensive out of season. Consider creating a bouquet from blooms of all one colour or a variety of complimentary or contrasting colours or shades. It’s not just the flowers to consider either, foliage and ribbons, crystals and gems will all make a bouquet look even more beautiful.
Bouquet styles
Classic round posy: The traditional round design includes small delicate flowers arranged tightly into a posy-style bouquet. The classic posy has always been one of the most popular choices because it is incredibly versatile and suits almost all wedding dress styles.
The posy looks particularly good against A-line gowns but will suit most gown shapes. Plus-size brides may prefer to go for a longer-line trailing cascading shower bouquet to draw the eye up and down, giving the illusion of taller, longer, narrower lines as a round posy will accentuate a rounder bridal gown shape.
Loose round: A more modern and relaxed version of the classic round posy, sometimes called the ‘organic hand tie’, it has proven to be very popular in recent trends. This bouquet style is more suited with the outdoors and garden themed weddings and suits all wedding dress styles.
This ‘elegantly messy’ style of bouquet is ideal against more rustic BoHo style gowns with free flowing, looser lines.
Pageant: Perhaps the most formal of designs, the flower stems are kept at a long length and tied loosely around the blooms. The bouquet is designed to rest on the bride’s arms with the flower heads resting just above her elbows.
This striking bouquet works well with all gowns and is particularly suited to long, flowing vintage style wedding dresses for its elegance, and also for plus-size gowns for its length.
Cascading / Shower: Also known as a spray, the cascading/shower bouquet is designed with an abundance of overflowing flowers which drape downwards in a loose style bouquet. The cascade design usually requires a lot of flowers for a full luscious look.
The cascading bouquet looks stunning with mermaid or fishtail gowns and with full skirts
Teardrop: The teardrop bouquet is very similar to the cascading/shower bouquet because it is also designed with a lot of flowers which flow downwards towards the floor, the difference is that the flowers are arranged to create an illusion of an elegant teardrop shape because they narrow at the tip of the bouquet.
As the teardrop is triangular in shape, it’s best to avoid with gowns that show off wide shoulders or wide hips.
Crescent: Designed to look symmetrical and is often preferred due to its natural style. The flowers flow over the brides hands and can vary in size depending on the bride’s height and dress style. The bouquet is generally compact in the middle and narrows down at the sides whilst tapering down towards the floor.
The crescent bouquet suits all dress styles and looks particularly good against an A-line gown.
Oval bouquet: This is a bouquet arranged into a tight posy style and is very similar to the round posy, but instead is of longer oval shape. It tends to look its best when made with two colour tones.
Suits all dress shapes, but looks stunning with ornate or ballgown-style gowns
Heart bouquet: This bouquet focuses more on the shape rather than the colour and flowers. The heart bouquet looks best with one striking colour and is a symbol of love and affection.
Similar to the teardrop style due to its triangular shape, it should be avoided by wide shoulder styles or wide hips.
Pomander: This style of bouquet has made a comeback into today’s modern trends. The flowers are arranged into a ball shape design and are individually placed into a foam oasis. The pomander works best with small delicate flowers. The bride can either hold the pomander with the looped ribbon, or alternatively it can rest over her arm. This is also a hugely popular style for flower girls and bridesmaids who would wear a little pomander with the ribbon around their wrist, keeping their hands free.
Suits all dress shapes and looks especially stunning with sleek A-line gowns, column and empire styles.
Bag bouquet: A modern design which is becoming a fashionable trend amongst brides, bag bouquets can be designed in a number of styles. The bag bouquet can look dainty and elegant and can be held like a normal handbag. Fresh flowers are normally arranged inside where they overflow at the opening of the bag as well as decoratively attached around the outside.
Suits all dress shapes but the size of the bag needs to compliment the size of the gown.
Fan bouquet: An elegant masterpiece which would be suited for a bride looking for something a little different and striking, especially in the photographs. Delicate fresh flowers are arranged within a fan and decorated with ribbon and pearls. After the wedding, the fan itself can be kept as a memento of the day.
Suits all dress shapes and looks best with simple-designed gowns, as this bouquet is a conversation piece in itself.
Find your wedding florist in the Directory and discover Todich Floral Design – the well-established florist based in the heart of London with an outstanding reputation in creating bespoke flower designs for weddings in and around the UK.
