Bridal Bouquets

Adding the Right Touch in Floral Arrangements

The bouquet is arguably the bride's most important accessory. The bouquet has evolved greatly over the years, reflecting the styles and beliefs of the current period. Today, brides can choose from a wide range of bouquets, which come in different styles and colours.
Flowers seem such a natural and omnipresent entity at weddings that it is sometimes easy to forget that they possess a special significance and have their own history. Bouquets are symbols of both the bride's fertility and sexuality. A full bouquet is thus considered an emblem of the bride's future fecundity and therefore is a promise of many children. While today's bouquets are composed of beautiful floral blossoms, early bridal bouquets were often comprised of herbs. Common herbs used included garlic, which was thought to ward off evil spirits; dill, which was thought to incite a bride's sexual energy; and sage, which would make the bride wise.
Today, however, flowers have come to dominate bridal bouquets. While artificial voile flowers were once the leading trend, fresh flowers are now considered the most stylish and the most beautiful for a bride to clutch. Flowers often used include roses, lilies and tulips.
Flowers are generally grouped together in a complimentary colour scheme. All-white bouquets are currently very popular for brides who want to add an elegant, yet understated accent to their wedding gowns. Although traditionally thought of as being linked to death, white flowers are now generally looked upon as being symbols of purity and fidelity. Eucharist lilies incorporated with white dendrobium blossoms look lovely when tied with a white satin ribbon. White irises add just the right touch of sophistication when stems are left long and when blossoms tied together with a simple hand-tied ribbon. Orchids also make a beautiful choice for brides who wish to have an all-white bouquet for their special day.
Red, pink and purple bouquets are absolutely marvelous and add a softening touch to any gown. Rossini roses look truly splendid when paired with Vivendi roses. Similarly, a mixture of Toscanini and Emma roses, along with pale pink spray roses, add a romantic accent to a bride's look. Canterbury bells, pink roses and deep green hydrangea leaves evoke the image of a quiet, yet affluent traditional English wedding. However, these hues can also be used to add a more dramatic effect. This can be achieved by pairing ruffled sweet pea, feathers and smoky quartz beads.
Bouquets created with yellow and orange flowers provide an exotic, tropical twist and are perfect for a summer wedding at the beach or for spicing up a winter ceremony. Mango and Treasure calla lilies look striking when tied together and accented with a red floral sequined band trim. Another unique look is a beautiful bouquet made of Mango mini calla lilies, hypercium berries, coral colour freesia and apricot dream lilies. While not very common today, the marigold made frequent appearances in bridal bouquets in the past because the flower loyally follows the sun's rays and closes in the absence of light. This characteristic made the marigold a symbol of enduring love and constancy.
Another approach to the bouquet is mixing flowers of various colours. Admixtures include golden orange French tulips, pink blossoms, green roses and pink-gold hypericum lilies. Another combination is a bouquet made up of sweet peas, white narcissus, arabicum, mint viburnum and blush and cream coloured roses. While today almost any complimentary colour scheme goes, a bouquet made up of solely red and white flowers is considered a huge no-no, as this combination is viewed as a harbinger of death.
Bouquet details courtesy of www.modernbride.com.

Publication Date: 2003-08-10
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3044