When I am designing the flowers for a wedding, I start with the bridal bouquet. These are the very best of all my available flowers. The bridal bouquet sets the tone of all the wedding flowers – is it free, loose, whimsical and garden-inspired? Is it more formal and structured, clean and neat? What colours are chosen? What delicate little details create the fluttery, magical romantic moments in the bouquet?

Creating a small but perfect design means every single bloom and colour, wisp and texture needs to be carefully considered. And that consideration is the thread that then runs through all the flowers for the bridal party, flowers for the ceremony room, for welcoming your guests and for the wonderful reception party. The florals create a cohesive mood, feel and vibe that will be remembered long after the party ends.

Delicate peach pink and yellow garden style wedding bouquet

For the same reason, I invite you to consider your bridal bouquet as the starting point for choosing your flowers. Most people do not have luxury flowers on a regular basis. Most people are unfamiliar with the names of flowers, or different colour combinations that complement your day and venue, or the words used to describe flower designs or arrangements. I’d love to help, so please just get in touch. Meanwhile, I’ll try to put as many ideas as I can into these pages to spark your creativity and inspiration.

The Classic Hand-Tied Bouquet

Simply structured and designed to showcase every beautiful flower, this is a perennial favourite for good reason. Carefully considered and designed, yet effortlesslesly chic, as though simply gathered from a romantic stroll in a beautiful English garden. The classic hand-tied bouquet has a rounded shape and natural, spiralled stems. The stems are then bound together with an elegant ribbon or length of silk, creating a simple yet sophisticated finish.

Peach and pink classic hand-tied wedding bouquet

Red and cream wedding bouquet with bronze foliage by Butterfly Road floral designer — Timeless style…

This style is beautiful, elegant and timeless. It is suited to every style of wedding from a natural woodland elopement, grand country house or chic city hotel.

The Garden-style Bouquet

A soft, garden-gathered design with lots of movement, texture and layers of flowers. Expect to find gorgeous garden roses tucked underneath a froth of cosmos and a few little stems of sweetpea or lavender to add whimsy and charm.

Choosing your style

This style oozes carefree elegance with little dancing flowers and scented garden peonies, roses or dahlias. Romantic, loose and a little wild. Just perfect.

The Posy Bouquet

For brides seeking a more compact and intimate bouquet, the posy style offers a perfect choice. A posy bouquet is a smaller, rounded arrangement characterised by its simplicity and grace. This style can include any flowers, colour or styles from a delightful posy of white flowers with texture and scent to a long-stemmed posy of glorious full roses. A smaller bouquet can be utterly enchanting and more couples are deliberately seeking petite flowers than ever before.

Garden posy by Butterfly Road floral design in pink tones — Thoughtful ideas…

A fun idea would be a single-variety posy bouquet for each bridesmaid made with only their favourite flower, or the same flowers but different colours for each bridesmaid.

The Cascading Bouquet

Cascading bouquets, also known as waterfall bouquets, add a touch of sophistication to the romantic garden style. This style features flowers that fall gracefully downwards, creating a waterfall effect. The cascading bouquet often includes statement flowers such as roses, anenomes, ranunculus or dahlias and flowing foliage. A cascading bouquet is a great way of having statement flowers without hiding the silhouette of the dress. For the most elegant style, every stem is wired which must be done on the morning of your wedding, making these a luxury option. A larger but similar cascade of flowers can be made in a hand-tied style, which still has the same statement style and flowing tendrils of foliage.

Cascading bouquet in pink and white shades — Bouquet tips…

I would definitely recommend speaking to your florist if your heart were set on a cascading bouquet for advice on the best choice of flowers for your season and time of wedding.

Choosing your wedding bouquet is a wonderful experience. No two bouquets will ever be the same, so any combination of flowers, colours and styles can be created for something unique to you and your wedding. Different shapes, styles and colours will perfectly reflect the season of your wedding and the joyful time you had planning your special day. The tones, textures and scents will make your bouquet a treasured memory. The bridal bouquet should be the perfect expression of you and your unique love story. It is a time-honoured tradition and creates something personal, natural and beautiful to ground your nerves on your magical, special day. You will always associate those flowers with the pure love, joy and excitement of your wedding day.