A Primer on Different Wedding Bouquet Shapes
One of the first questions I like to ask in a flower appointment is about what you LIKE. Tell me, what kind of bouquet shape are you drawn to? And if you’re one of those people who doesn’t know what they like yet, then consider this your primer on different wedding bouquet shapes.
So I’m totally biased, but I really think that your wedding flowers should be your favourite part of your wedding. Aside from your new husband or wife, that is… ;)
Flowers are an incredibly unique thing in that they are living, breathing art. No two flowers are ever the same - they grow and open up in many minuscule different ways - and so no two bouquets will ever come together in the same way. Your wedding bouquet is a perishable work of ART - I treat it that way, and I hope you will, too!
One of the first questions I like to ask in a flower appointment is about what you LIKE. Tell me, what kind of bouquet shape are you drawn to? And if you’re one of those people who doesn’t know what they like yet, then consider this your primer on different wedding bouquet shapes.
Classic, Round Handtied Bouquet
The classic, rounded bridal bouquet will always be a desired look. Full and sort of voluptuous (never thought I’d used that adjective to describe a bouquet!) , this bouquet shape is best suited to a bride wearing a classic ballgown with an elegant, romantic, timeless sense of style. The setback with this style is that a lot of the rounded bouquets you’ll see are VERY boring and can come across as super dated in style - but it doesn’t have to be that way! With a combination of ruffled blooms mixed with textured fillers, different sized and shaped flowers, and some space and movement between the layers of the bouquet, you can achieve a much more modern take on the classic, rounded bridal bouquet. It does NOT have to be a dome of roses that looks like a generic grocery store bouquet. Let’s elevate it.
Photos by Charmaine Mallari
Cascade or Teardrop Bouquet
The cascade bouquet has seen an uptick in popularity over the last few years, but these bouquets are designed VERY differently than they were in the 80s and 90s! We are not looking for that overly pointed shape and I do not design the bouquets in a plastic holder (which are filled with toxic floral foam, FYI). Instead, we started with a luscious combination of trailing greenery to create the teardrop shape, and then start layering in a combination of focal flowers, line flowers (to evoke that draping feel), and textured fillers to finish it off. The modern cascade bouquet is lush, full, and often oversized. Simply due to the number of stems needed to create the shape, these bouquets can get pretty heavy - just a warning!
Photos by Cynthia Bettencourt
Garden Style Bouquet
If you’ve been following my work for any time period at all, you’ll probably be able to tell really quickly that my personal favourite bouquet shape is a garden style design! Every single gardenesque arrangement is going to come together differently - sometimes they’re wider, sometimes we incorporate a lot of trailing greeneries, often I’ll create an asymmetrical shape. The goal is to create a lot of movement and depth between the flowers, placing each bloom on a different plane, so that the bouquet has an airy quality and feels more natural and freshly picked (though please don’t misunderstand: this design style is not as simple to create as it might look. It’s not simply shoving a bunch of draping greenery at the bottom of a rounded bouquet).
Photos by Charmaine Mallari
Modern Sheath or Arm Bouquet
It’s not often that I get a request for a sheath bouquet (also known as an arm bouquet or a pageant bouquet)! Jessica was having a mid-century modern inspired wedding and this shape was very current then so it was really fun for me to try my hand at this. The design has to be very intentional - a limited number of stems can fit, you need to incorporate some long, reaching stems to create the shape (here I used those gorgeous oncidium orchids and locally grown delphinium), and of course, I need to teach YOU how to hold it correctly! If this bouquet were held vertically, it literally looks like the worst DIY bouquet of all time. Held correctly, over the arm, and it feels somewhat dainty, light, and romantic.
Photo by Brittany Mahood
More to come from this gorgeous wedding soon!
Looking for a Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg?
2021 wedding dates are now booking! Whether it’s an intimate wedding for 30 or a celebration the likes of which have never been seen before, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!
2016 Wedding Flower Trends
As I’ve been busy meeting with and booking many brides with 2016 weddings, a number of trends have emerged. I have to say that I LOVE the direction that wedding flowers are moving. Winnipeg brides, you’re so awesome! These are some of the wedding flower trends for 2016 and 2017 weddings we’re seeing, and some of the things that I want to work with more, too!
Table Garlands:
Whether it’s all foliage, has neutral blooms tucked in here and there, or is a loosely placed strand of flowers, I am loving seeing so many brides incorporate garlands into their tables. A garland makes an EXCELLENT statement for a head table, by the way!
Brittany Mahood Photography
Local Flowers:
Luckily for me, I have access to a lovely local flower farm during the summer months (especially July and August) and this means that I get to play with the freshest blooms possible. It means a lot to me to be able to support a local farmer, who’s out living her dream under the sun, at the same time as I’m living mine. And, YAY for not having to kill our planet with crazy shipping of flowers from central America!
Holly Gilson Photography
More Colour!
I LOVE working with a wider colour palette, tucking in touches of pale sky blue, caramel, or raisin. If you are open to my help expanding on your hues, let me know and I will be ALL over that. In particular, I think we're going to start seeing a lot of different yellow tones.
Jeremy Hiebert Photography
Neutral Palettes:
On the other hand, a completely neutral palette of white and green is also very popular, especially among brides who are looking for a very organic, forest-y look. At these weddings, we’re doing a lot of mixed foliages and darker-toned greenery.
Victoria Anne Photography
Lush, Looser Bouquet Shapes:
Many of my brides are asking for a more interesting bouquet shape, which I am totally on board with. I love being able to place a flower so you can see the crazy way its stem grew, and allow the flowers to look a little more like how they grew naturally. I’m also seeing a lot of brides asking for a BIG bouquet, which I will never say no to!
Kat Willson Photography
Creative Flower Installations:
Several brides have requested a unique spotlight of hanging flowers in some way, to create a focal point over their head table or the dance floor. There are so many possibilities here—the only thing that limits us is exactly how we can attach those flowers to the ceiling of your venue.
Simply Rosie Photography
Personal Style:
Over and above all other trends, one major component to wedding flower planning that I have seen from each of my brides is their desire to have their style really show through in their floral designs (and wedding as a whole!). Gone are the days of everyone having the same bouquet but in different colours. My brides are looking for something unique, something that feels more like them. And I know from wedding planning experience that actually figuring out how to make that happen is tricky, so my best advice for you here is: log off of pinterest, and consider the things that you love in your every day life. Do have a subscription to a certain fashion magazine, or have an obsession with home decor? Pick through what it is that you love, and consider how that can be brought into your wedding.