Photo: Corey Torpie Photography
In between choosing your wedding bouquet flowers, colors, shape, and size, you're bound to run into a few questions. Whether you're figuring out your bridal bouquet or the ones for your bridesmaids, things can get thornier than a bed of roses! But have no fear — we found some common questions about this traditional wedding element, and made sure to get some etiquette expert-approved questions!
Any thoughts on creative ways to display the bridesmaid bouquets at the reception?
Here's a lovely suggestion that's also a cost-cutter: Use the attendants' bouquets as floral arrangements on the bridal table, placing them side by side at the top of each place setting, with the flower sides turned out facing the rest of the reception. It's a beautiful way to display the bouquets, which might otherwise be relegated to a side table or tucked away in a safe place. And they serve a dual purpose as a table decoration — one less floral cost.
I don't care for formal bouquets, and I don't want my attendants carrying them, either. Can I choose to carry something other than a bouquet, even if everything else about my wedding is traditional?
Neither the bride nor her attendants are restricted to carrying bouquets. They may walk down the aisle carrying a single long-stemmed flower (or two or three). They may wear flowers pinned to their dresses, wrist corsages, pomanders (blossom covered globes held by a loop of ribbon), flower- and ribbon-decorated fans, or flowers attached to a prayer book. Additions to bouquets may be potpourri or tiny bells that sweetly ring as the bridal party walks down the aisle.
Sort of weird question — how do you carry a bouquet? My bridesmaids and I are all wondering!
Not a weird question at all! It simply doesn't look right to have one attendant clutching her bouquet tightly at chest level while another has it dropped below her waist. Usually, a nosegay is held with two hands, centered just below the waist. An arm bouquet is rested along the lower half of one arm, with any sprays held in front. Attendants walking on the right side hold their arm bouquets on the right arm with the stems pointing downward to the left, and those on the left hold their flowers on the left arm with stems toward the right.
Experiment with loosely tied bouquets and single flowers — and make sure all the attendants are carrying the flowers the same way. Whatever you do, try not to press the bouquet against your gown, for it can get crushed and mark the gown with pollen.