Tips for Selecting the Perfect Bouquet

July 9, 2011 - PRLog -- “The flowers you carry down the aisle should be the perfect complement to your overall bridal look,” says Candice Benson MBC™, president and founder of The Finishing Touch.  “Next to your dress, this will be something that stands out in all of your photographs.  When considering your bouquet, spend some time thinking about the size, the colors and the type of flowers you would like to incorporate.”

Sue Narin, our in house florist has put together some tips to help you determine how to come up with the ideal bouquet.  She is an exceptional Manhattan based floral designer who works closely with the team to ensure that the florals are a cohesive part of the overall event.

The first thing to do before you meet with your florist is to look at photos of bridal bouquets online or in print to determine what you are attracted to in the following categories - color, style, size, flower types and accents.

Color:
Whether or not to include colors other than whites and ivories in the bride's bouquet is still a question for some brides. If a color is selected, it does need to be a color that will be complemented by the attendant’s dress color and/or bouquets. As a note, many photographers feel that the all white bouquets against a white or ivory gown do not provide enough contrast to capture well in all photographs.

Our bride Stacy chose warm Fall colors in her bouquet for her September 2008 wedding. Her bouquet popped in all of her pictures and it was absolutely gorgeous.  The bride received compliments on her floral throughout her event.

Style:
The most popular bouquet is still the hand-tied round bouquet. Other recent "art" style bouquets have been the scepter bouquet (very long stems bound together to form a long handle with a small, tight ball of flowers at the top) and long, single-garland, cascading style bouquets. The traditional cascade, with it's smaller cousin, the teardrop, are sometimes still used, as is the side-carry, or presentation-style (think ballerina post-performance bouquet).

Size:
Typically described by the diameter of the bouquet, current bridal bouquets run between 9 to 12 inches in diameter, with attendant bouquets about 7 to 10 inches.

Flower Types:
Brides certainly do not need to be flower experts - that's why they hire a professional floral designer! It is always helpful to take note of any identified flower types you see in photos that you like.

Accents:
These would include non-floral elements and artistic embellishments that add a flair of uniqueness to the bouquet. Organic choices include pods, vines, grass, branches and shells; non-organic would be crystals, beads, sequins, ribbons, etc.  There are many ways to get creative with your bouquet.