There is nothing more special than the bridal bouquet, and it’s the centrepiece for all of our creations. We always start with the bouquet first, thinking about the look and feel of the day, the bridal dress and of course the bridesmaids dresses. From wild and free with whispy elements to trailing stems or focal points. It’s important to establish this first and weave the same elements throughout all of the other florals for the day . I just love the green danging trails of the amaranthus in the bouquet below which can then also be incorporated into a moongate or floral chandalier, or maybe trailing up a staircase.
Seasonality plays a big part of what we do so we will always recommend flowers and foliage in season, and work in harmony rather than fight against it on a cold December morning. Seasonal blooms always look best together, that’s how mother nature intended them to be. We use our flower field, my own garden at home and also other local British flower farmers for our blooms and other special elements. For us, using imported flowers is a last resort at the beginning of the season and tail end if there are not enough British Blooms available locally and over the winter months when there are no British flowers available. However we will still use our own British foliage and dried stems throughout the year. Locally grown means no air miles, no pesticides and best of all a wonderful scent. The stems are gnarly and twisted and the blooms all shapes and sizes. This is what makes each and every one of our bouquets unique and special.
We select the very best blooms up to 3 days beforehand and condition them to their peak bloom. For an organic lush feel we select a variety of stems with different features. From the smallest delicate blooms to give an airy feel such as orlaya grandiflora, to heavily blousy ruffled flowers such as peonies or ranunculus. Teeming these with a few whispy stems of jasmine and some poppy seed heads help to create a natural just picked from the garden look.
Bridal Bouquet Shapes
The shape and size of the bouquet is also very important. From a small posy of just a few stems right through to large and wild, with frothy grasses and eucalyptus billowing out. There are so many to chose from and its all very personal. Think about the shape of your dress, if you are petite or fuller figured and chose a size which will complement.
Heart shaped- This suits all brides and has a delicate heart shape
Wild & Free flowing - These can be made as big or small as needed and look great when oversized with pampas or wild flowing greenery and stray filler stems
Waterfall cascade - My favourite right now. Trailing down elegantly or a more wild look. These bouquets use more stems so tend to be heavier than other bouquets.
Skinny waterfall - Much lighter than a waterfall boquet and more delicate
Hoop - the most cost effective and lightest, these can look stunning with just a few flowers to give shape and form without carrying a large heavy bouquet
Compact - a neat ball of flowers without to many stray stems
Posy - from just a few stems, these are much smaller than all of the other bouquets and can be used for flower girls, maids and throw bouquets
We also use a variety of herbs in our bouquets ..... our favourites are rosemary, mint and clary sage. They add depth to the floral notes which are so important in a bouquet and will remind you of your special day for years to come. For that hand picked wild look we use flowers, grasses and greenery in all stages of life - from buds to berries and seedheads, such as poppy, nigella and scabious.
We generally cut our stems quite short so that the focal feature are the flowers not the long stems. This allows you to hold the bouquet close to the body in a very natural way. We finish our bouquets with ribbons, twine, string or anything else which complements your theme and deliver in water to ensure that your bouquet is as fresh as possible.
For a great look try coloured ribbons or a contrast to your dress for stand out appeal.
Bouquets should be kept in the water preferably in a cool room until you are ready to go. They should then be removed from the water and the ends dried with a towel to ensure you don’t get any water on the dresses.