Spring Wedding Bouquets in Every Color

Pink: The most feminine of all colors, pink is a lovely choice for a spring bouquet. Lush pink peonies are a favorite flower of late spring brides. They combine wonderfully with fresh garden roses to make gorgeous bouquets. Ruffly pink sweet peas are a special blossom to include in a vintage inspired wedding, while vivid Stargazer lilies are great for a big showy arrangement. A simple hand-tied bouquet of tulips in shades ranging from ballet to rose to deep pink is a lovely classic style for a spring bride. Other pink choices include anemones, ranunculus, and delicate lily-of-the-valley.

Yellow: As cheerful and fresh as a sunny spring afternoon, there is something about yellow that is just perfect for a spring wedding. Many of the best loved spring blossoms come in wonderful lemon or sunshine shades, including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Papery ranunculus are also available in yellow, as are creamy garden roses. One of my favorite spring wedding planning ideas is to combine cheerful yellow blossoms with blue flowers in the bouquets for the bridesmaids.

Blue: More rare than other flower colors, blue is a highly sought after hue for floral arrangements. Spring is a bit early for blue hydrangeas, but you can get anemones, delphiniums, and hyacinths in shades of blue. Small muscari (also known as grape hyacinth) are one of the most intense naturally blue flowers available, and they work very well in mixed arrangements.

Purple: Purple has become a very popular color for weddings in recent years. Purple flowers can range from pale lilac to deep aubergine, and everything in between. Some lovely spring blossoms are available in shades of purple, including sweet peas, hyacinths, and tulips. Fragrant lilacs grow in the most marvelous shades of purple, of course, but the season for them is limited and they are quick to wilt out of water so they require care.

White: Of course many brides like the classic all white bouquet, and you can create a delightful springtime arrangement using white blossoms. The most classic of all blossoms is white lily-of-the-valley, which are available in May. Tie a small posy with a wide sage green satin ribbon for a heavenly little bouquet to carry with a lace gown. Other springtime favorites such as peonies, ranunculus, sweet peas, hyacinths, and tulips are also readily available in white.

Practical Wedding Planning Advice About Florists

A successful working relationship with your wedding florist starts with determining your flower budget. You have to know what you can spend before you start picking out bouquets and centerpieces. Also think about what you really want from a florist. While most brides hire a floral designer to do all of the wedding arrangements, some brides DIY some of their decorations and only hire a florist for specific things. For instance, you might want to make your own centerpieces, but have the florist create the bouquets and boutonierres.

It is helpful to know what role you want a florist to play in your wedding planning before you start meeting with them. You may find that some are very flexible about providing a la carte services, while the big name floral designers may want to have creative control over the entire event. It is also smart to have at least a general sense of your wedding decorating style in mind before signing a contract.  While most can certainly create beautiful arrangements in a wide range of styles, it helps to have a florist who “gets” your sense of style. A florist who specializes in formal, elaborate centerpieces might not be the best one to decorate your whimsical reception or rustic casual wedding.

Come to your initial interview with a florist prepared with color swatches, pictures of bouquets and centerpieces that you like, and photos of your wedding venue. Be sure to let them know if you have any special requests, as that can affect the quote they give you for their services. Perhaps you want to have crystals added to your bouquet to match your crystal bridal jewelry or you would like to carry the same variety of orchid that your mother did. At the same time, it pays to be open to suggestions from the florist. They are the professionals, after all, and if they are advising against choosing a specific out-of-season flower or recommend switching out one variety for another to trim costs, they probably have a very good reason.

Something else that will enhance your working relationship with your florist is to expect professionalism, but not unrealistic perfection. Flowers are natural things, after all, and each one is unique. It is always possible that your roses might come in looking more peach than apricot or that a certain flower is suddenly unavailable at the last minute due to a weather issue. As long as the florist delivers gorgeous arrangements in the generally agreed upon style and color, it’s all good.

The Essential Flowers for Your Wedding

There are a number of flowers that are needed for a wedding ceremony. Chief among them, of course, is the bride’s bouquet. For a wedding with attendants, bridesmaid bouquets are also a must. They can be identical or you can mix and match different flowers for each bouquet. As long as you pull in some of the colors from the bridesmaid jewelry and dresses, they will look very pretty. If budget allows, it is always nice to add some crystals or pearls to the center of the bridesmaid and bridal bouquet flowers.  Brides who will have a flower girl will also need a small bouquet or rose petals for tossing. A floral wreath is traditional for a flower girl, but not mandatory.

Next on the list are the flowers for the men in the wedding. You should plan to order boutonierres for the groom, groomsmen, ushers, fathers of the bride and groom, and grandfathers of the bride and groom. While you are at it, be sure to order flowers for the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom as well. Corsages are the traditional ornament for those special ladies. The trend right now favors wrist corsages over the type that pin to a dress. An update to this concept is to have the bride and groom’s mothers carry small posies of flowers and give the corsages only to the grandmothers.

For your ceremony venue you will need flowers for the altar area at the minimum. Jewish brides might choose to use flowers to decorate the chuppah, although it can be dressed entirely with a piece of fabric if you prefer. Flowers for the pews or aisle seats are a nice touch, if budget allows. Always ask the florist to transport the altar arrangements to the reception site so that you can reuse them. Optional flowers for the ceremony would include floral wreaths, garlands, and petals to line the aisle for an outdoor service. They are all lovely, but fine to omit if they are too costly.

The bulk of your floral costs will be in the centerpieces for the reception. You will need at least one per table, so if you had 100 guests sitting at round tables for 10, that would be 10 centerpieces. Considerably smaller floral arrangement can be used to dress up the cocktail hour space. Since the cocktail tables are generally quite small, a vase with just a few blossoms will be enough. Also plan on a small arrangement for the bar. Additional bouquets for the guest book and gift tables, escort card table, restroom, and entryway are beautiful, but not required. A great trick is to order extra empty vases and have the bridesmaid bouquets serve as the decorations for those extra tables.

Yellow Bouquets for Spring Weddings

For a formal spring wedding, you simply cannot go wrong with lush yellow garden roses. Yellow roses symbolize friendship and cheerfulness, which is a great theme for a wedding ceremony. The garden roses would be gorgeous in a large round nosegay shape, perhaps with a few white peonies mixed in. More natural floral arrangements are in style this year, so another lovely option is a loose bouquet of yellow roses with trailing ivy. Or use standard hybrid roses to create a striking composite bouquet, in which the petals are arranged to make the bouquet look like a single large flower. A ruff of green leaves will set off the yellow petals to perfection.

If you are more of a modern bride, a great choice for your yellow spring bouquets would be calla lilies. A chic presentation bouquet which is cradled along the bride’s arm would be fabulous with a sleek modern bridal gown and a birdcage veil. Round bouquets of mini calla lilies in yellow would be fantastic for the bridesmaids. The sunny hue of the flowers would be a great contrast against charcoal gray chiffon dresses worn with minimalist bridesmaid jewelry. A neat cuff of ribbon is the ideal bouquet handle wrap for mini calla arrangements.

Of course no flower says spring quite like daffodils, and they are a delightful choice for a spring wedding bouquet. Mini daffodils are particularly popular for hand-held floral arrangements. If you wish to add more color and variety, opt for an assortment of daffodils. They come in a great range of hues, like all yellow, white and yellow, orange and yellow, and orange and white. These would also be terrific bridesmaid bouquets. Break up the yellow by choosing bridesmaid dresses and jewelry in different color like blue, lavender, or spring green. Add a gingham or toile bow to the blossoms to complete the effect.

The classic bride will swoon for yellow tulips in her bouquet. Remember that there is more than one type of tulip available, as well, so you can choose from the classic Dutch tulip or a more fanciful parrot or French tulip. Although they can combine well with other flowers, there is something special about an all tulip arrangement. Try out one of the dramatic presentation bouquets with a long trailing white satin ribbon, or keep it simple with a neat nosegay of yellow tulips. You simply cannot go wrong with this elegant spring blossom.

Glamorous Winter Wedding Bouquets

Snowy white feathers are an amazing addition to a winter  bride’s bouquet. Fluffy and white, feathers are a great way to add glamor to your ceremony. They can be used in a variety of ways. One idea is to insert curly tendrils of feathers in amongst white flowers for a surprise bit of texture. For a more feather-intensive look, create a ruff of fluffy white feathers all the way around a nosegay of either red or white blossoms. If you really like the glamor and fun of feathers, consider eliminating the flowers altogether and carrying a bouquet created entirely from snow white feathers. It would be fantastic for a Winter Wonderland wedding.

Arm bouquets, also called presentation bouquets, are back in a big way for brides. A sleek bouquet of calla lilies would be a sophisticated arrangement for a winter bride to carry. White calla lilies are lovely, of course, but it would be great to choose a less expected color, such as purple or russet callas. Tie them up with a luxurious satin ribbon with a big bow and long streaming tails. A very wide ribbon, such as 3 or 4 inches, will add to the luxurious feeling of the bouquet. Gold or silver colored ribbon will make the whole effect ultra glamorous.

In the winter months, brides are especially drawn to the icy sparkle of crystal bridal jewelry sets. Play up the sparkle and glamor of crystals by incorporating them into your bouquet. There are many ways in which this can be done. When carrying an arrangement of round flowers such as roses, it looks fabulous to have the florist adorn the center of each blossom with a sparkling crystal. Another idea is to drape strands of shimmering crystals over the top of a large round nosegay – almost like crystal bridal jewelry sets for the flowers. More loosely arranged flowers look amazing with crystal teardrops suspended around the edge.

Another way to make a wedding bouquet more glamorous is to add silver accents to it. Curly grapevine dipped in silver glitter will look fantastic when interwoven with a mixed arrangement of flowers. Some florists will even dip the very edges of fresh flowers in a silver glitter; this technique works especially well with roses. This is one of those cases where a little goes a long way, so it would be nice to combine glitter edged roses with plain ones, as well as another type of blossom, such as white stephanotis with rhinestone tipped pins in their centers. Wrap it all up with a sheer metallic silver ribbon for a breathtaking winter bouquet.

Types of Wedding Bouquets

The nosegay is one of the most popular types of bouquets. This is the perfectly round arrangement of flowers, and is especially favored by brides who like roses. Nosegays can be comprised of a single variety of blossom or they can have a combination of blooms, as long as they work well together to create the signature round form of this very popular bouquet. Nosegays are sometimes embellished with ornaments to match the bridal and bridesmaid jewelry, such as pearl pins in flower centers or crystal brooches pinned to the handle wraps.

Handtied bouquets are another very popular option. They are often similar in size to nosegays, but will have a more natural form, rather than the perfectly symmetrical dome shape of the nosegay bouquet. They work beautifully with flowers ranging from traditional peonies, roses, and hydrangeas to casual wildflowers such as daisies and asters. The stems of handtied bouquets are left exposed, instead of being covered in an elaborate bouquet wrap. A simple bow made of a luxurious ribbon makes for a lovely embellishment on the flower stems.

Cascade bouquets fell out of favor for several years, but now they are back and better than ever. They got a bad reputation in the 1980s, when they were very structured and stiff looking, but modern cascade bouquets have all of the drama with none of the contrived look. The best cascade bouquets have a natural dripping effect, and are often made with large dramatic flowers like orchids and lilies. These bouquets are ideal for formal weddings and work wonderfully with both large ballgowns and dramatic, slinky sheath gowns. Trailing ribbons and flower streamers can be added to make the cascade look even longer and more fabulous.

A sweet alternative to a handheld bouquet is the pomander. This is a round ball of flowers which hangs from a ribbon. Pomanders are particularly popular for bridesmaids and flower girls, and should be made in proportion to the person carrying them. Red roses on wide white satin ribbons look stunning for holiday weddings. For a springtime wedding, small spray roses make sweet pomanders for attendants wearing pink dresses and pearl bridesmaid jewelry. For a more modern take on the pomander, try carnations in bright colors.

Orange Wedding Bouquets

One of the nice things about orange wedding flowers is that they come in a terrific variety, both in terms of depth of color and style. Let’s begin by exploring some wonderful options for orange spring wedding bouquets. Is your style sweet with a hint of vintage? Then try a romantic collection of ruffly sweet peas in a lush apricot color. The apricot hue combines marvelously with all shades of yellow flowers, as well. Tie it up with an antique moire ribbon for the perfect orange spring bouquet.

Summer wedding flowers tend to be on the bright side, and orange is one of the best colors to choose. For a casual affair, you can’t beat a simple round bouquet of orange and fuchsia gerbera daisies. A jaunty striped ribbon will be the ideal accent. If your style is more dramatic, choose a grand bouquet of bright orange tiger lilies. This would be a fabulous addition to an otherwise white wedding attire and jewelry look. Very sophisticated.

In the autumn, orange is one of the top colors. For a classic fall bouquet, try combining a variety of orange hues, from vivid to rusty. Many of the most poplar flowers of the season come in a shade of orange. You can create gorgeous bouquets by combining zinnias, mum, and dahlias. Add some unique character with textural accents such as hanging Chinese lantern pods, berries, and even dried vines. A rustic burlap wrap would look great for an informal wedding, or dress things up a bit with a rich chocolate brown velvet ribbon.

Typical winter wedding colors are red and white, but why not try an orange bouquet for something less expected? One of the prettiest winter wedding bouquets I ever saw was a classic nosegay of terra cotta roses accented with hypericum berries. Mango mini calla lilies would make a gorgeous sophisticated winter bouquet, as would exotic orange orchids arranged in a dramatic waterfall cascade. There are so many spectacular options for orange bridal bouquets that there is something to suit almost any bride’s taste.

Colorful Wedding Bouquets

Colorful wedding flowers can be a great way to inject personality and style into your wedding. Even a fairly formal wedding can benefit from a bit of color in the wedding bouquets. As long as the flowers which you select are sufficiently elegant, adding color will in no way detract from the formality of your ceremony. Roses are an excellent option, as they are both traditional and available in a beautiful array of colors. For an autumn wedding, bouquets with roses in fall shades of terra cotta, sunflower yellow, and rich red will strike the perfect mood. Extras like red hypericum berries and velvet ribbons will enhance the effect.

Colorful flowers are always fun for a summer wedding. Make your garden wedding romantic with pink and green bouquets for all the ladies in the wedding. Lush pink peonies and vivid green hydrangeas are a winning combination. Pink and green striped grosgrain ribbon bouquet wraps will up the preppy factor, or splurge on gorgeous watercolor painted ribbons with all of the flower colors for a bit of luxury.

It is really easy to come up with fantastic informal wedding bouquets in bright colors. Gerbera daisies in fuchsia, orange, and yellow are festive and cheerful on a hot summer day. Mixed wildflowers in shades of purple, yellow, pink, and orange will look like you gathered them yourself on the morning of the wedding. Spring brides can enjoy bouquets combining yellow mini daffodils, purple hyacinth, and white roses.

Exotic bouquets can also be colorful. The hottest trend going is to enhance your flowers with fanciful peacock feathers. Pull out some of the shades in the feathers for your flowers. Deep purple with dashes of gold and green flowers will look stunning with the peacock feathers. Tie it all up with a big gold bow. For the bridesmaids, echo the effect with a smaller number of feathers. You can take it one step further and choose bridesmaid jewelry gifts in some of the feather colors. A bridesmaid dress in a neutral but glamorous hue like gold would be the perfect backdrop for gifts of bridesmaid jewelry in an assortment of peacock colors. Really allow yourself to have fun and express yourself with colorful wedding bouquets.

Sophisticated Orange Wedding Bouquets

When planning wedding bouquets, naturally it all starts with the flowers. There are many flowers available in orange, and they will each create their own special mood. Do not think that the only orange flowers available will be autumnal mums or casual gerbera daisies; some of the most glamorous blossoms of all come in stunning shades of orange. To keep the effect really strong, consider creating bouquets entirely out orange flowers, perhaps with a few accents of a secondary color mixed in for more drama. Purple and lime green will create especially nice contrasts against the orange.

Nothing is more exotic and sophisticated than orchids. Gorgeous orange Vanda orchids look absolutely breathtaking wired into showy bouquets. These are the perfect flower for a bride with exquisite taste who wants something eyecatching and unique for her bouquet. If you love the idea of custom bridal jewelry (perhaps even bridal jewelry custom made with a touch of orange?), handcrafted letterpress invitations, and a couture bridal gown, you will adore marvelous Vanda orchids.

If you are looking for a really romantic orange flower for your wedding, think about ruffly parrot tulips. They make a gorgeous bouquet, one that is chic and upscale. At the same time, parrot tulips look like the type of flower that could be seen spilling out of a vase in an Old Masters painting. They are truly beautiful, and are a great bouquet option for any bride who like tulips, but wants to take them to the next level.

No discussion of wedding flowers would be complete without talking about lilies. One of the most popular wedding blossoms, big showy lilies add instant flair to a sophisticated bouquet. Especially dramatic are exotic Gloriosa lilies with their large petals. Ideal for Asian inspired bouquets and centerpieces, orange Gloriosa lilies have an unmatched glamor perfect for the bride who really wants something special for her wedding flowers.

Bouquets for Bridesmaids

Your bridesmaids’ bouquets are the largest accessory that they will carry, so it is important to choose wisely. There are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind when talking bouquets with your florist. One is that your bridesmaids’ bouquets should coordinate with their dresses, your wedding gown and bouquet, as well as the style or theme of your wedding. The biggest choices that you will make are: color, type of flower, size and shape of bouquets, and special accents like ribbons.

It used to be common for a bride to try to match the color of the bridesmaids’ flowers to their dresses as closely as possible. Although this is still done, many florists are getting away from the exact match, because the flowers will tend to blend in too much with the dresses. You can lose the visual impact of the blossoms in this way, especially in photographs.

A nice alternative is to select flowers in a color that will stand out against the bridesmaid dresses, and tie them with a ribbon that matches their dresses for continuity. The flowers can be another version of the same color, like hot pink peonies carried by bridesmaids in pale pink gowns, or go for a modern look with a strong contrast, like orange flowers with a deep purple dress. Sometimes brides will choose to have the bridesmaids carry a progression of colors in the same type of flower; for instance if your attendants were wearing butter yellow dresses, you could design bouquets in a range of purples from lilac to eggplant for a dramatic contrast.

It is very important that the style of flowers you choose for bridesmaid bouquets makes sense with their dresses. If your attendants were wearing long black sheaths and crystal bridesmaid jewelry sets for an evening wedding, you would not give them a bunch of daisies to carry down the aisle. On the other hand, an elegant bouquet of calla lilies would be perfect with such a chic bridesmaid ensemble. And the daisies have their place too; they would be charming with cotton voile bridesmaid dresses and simple sets of silver jewelry for a summer afternoon wedding in a park.

When in doubt, ask your florist to make you a few samples to view along with a sample of your own bridal bouquet. The wedding flowers are such a key decorative element at your ceremony that you want to make sure they all look gorgeous.