Being a former florist, I know how confusing and overwhelming choosing what flowers and styles of bouquets can be to brides who don't know one flower from another. Creating these pieces of artwork used to be my most favorite task as a florist, as I loved seeing the bride's face when they saw their bouquets for the first time. It was also so fun to introduce new types of flowers or design ideas to clients to help take off some stress of planning a wedding. Below are some of my favorite types of bridal bouquets, as well as different types of flowers that work best in a bouquet, but first let me give you a few pieces of advice when you're deciding on your bridal bouquet:
1) Some flowers are seasonal and your florist might not be able to get them from their supplier. Orchids were one of the most wanted types of flowers, but so hard to get. Flowers like roses, daisies, carnations, or my favorite alstroemeria lilies are much easier for a florist to get, with multiple color options.
2) Keep in mind is that you are normally paying per stem of flower and each type of flower has a different price. Roses are typically a more expensive flower, and carnations are on the lower end. So if you ask your florist to keep your bouquet at $100 maximum, but want 20 roses in it your going to have less of a chance to have your bouquet looking full because there won't be much money left to add filler, greens, or additional flowers.
3) Lastly, don't wait until a week before your wedding to order your flowers! I know that plans may change along the way of planning your wedding, but the most sure way to get what flowers and bouquet you want is to order and decide on details months in advance, much like any other aspect of your wedding. This ensures that your florist will have ample time to order your flowers and make sure his/her supplier will have them in stock when you need them.
Popular Wedding Flowers
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas can come in multiple colors including blue/purple, pink, white, and green. These flowers are beautiful in a bouquet by themselves (as pictured on the left) but also pair well with other flowers like tulips, roses, and stock.
Peonies
These flowers are big, beautiful, and perfect in making a bouquet look full when there's not many flowers in it. They come in multiple colors likes purple, coral, pink, red, white, and many more.
Roses
Roses are a classic bridal flower and always pair well with any other flowers or filler. They can also accommodate different styles of bouquet, giving the bouquet a more round, uniform look or even a wild, nature look as seen to the left.
Wildflowers
Wildflowers can include so many types of flowers. Some of the most popular wedding wildflowers include sunflowers, solidago, button mums, daises, and lilies. If you're not sure what flowers you want, but want a wildflower look, ask you florist to create a look based off of your colors.
Popular Bouquet Styles
Hand-Tied
Hand-tied bouquets don't have a uniform look. These are tasteful, but also look like you just went out and picked the flowers fresh from a field. The bottom of the stems are exposed and not always are tucked together.
Pageant
This style of bouquet is normally made to lay in your arm. As you can see from the picture, it also can incorporate a cascading style to add a more dramatic effect.
Cascading
This type of bouquet is very dramatic, elegant, and personal. Many types of flowers can be used to create this sweeping effect, including greenery and ribbon.
Composite
This style of bouquet is the most unique. A florist creates this by putting multiple flowers together in a way where the bouquet looks like one big flower.