There’s a rich and varied history when it comes to the bridal bouquet, and flowers have played a key role in the overall bridal aesthetic since ancient Roman times – symbolizing fertility, new beginnings, luck, good fortune, fidelity, even warding off evil spirits!

In the 19th century, Queen Victoria carried a small cluster of flowers when she wed Prince Albert in 1840 – and as flower symbolism began to take shape, those meanings began to inform wedding floral designs: brides would choose blooms based on the meaning behind the flowers they chose.

Roses symbolize love, peonies represent good luck, happiness, and good fortune, and some cultures prefer to nix certain blooms for their adverse meaning in love and union. Throughout history, the wedding bouquet has become synonymous with love, romance & divine union, and holds sentimental value to the couple and their families.

The bouquet has become central in overall bridal aesthetics and has become one of the most important decisions that brides-to-be need to make. Many brides find their bridal bouquet as essential and integral as their wedding dress when it comes to creating their bridal look – and one to remember for years to come.

With the advent of Pinterest, Instagram, and Tik Tok, you may be overwhelmed with all of the beautiful, show-stopping designs out there! Depending on your personality and personal style, you may prefer a garden-style, free-flowing bouquet, a more tight & round style, or even a minimalist, chic, understated design. Whatever you prefer, the versatility and design of your wedding flowers are essential to the overall look and feel of your wedding.

We work 1:1 with each and every bride to create the wedding floral look that perfectly complements their own individual preferences, style, and aesthetic, offering our expert guidance on floral and greenery choices, sizing, and style that will work best for you.

Your bridal bouquet will be one of the most unique and special arrangements of all of your floral designs for the day, and we’re here to provide all of the information you may need to achieve your desired look: from sizing basics, to bouquet styles, to suggestions on how to best choose the style that suits you best!

Bridal Bouquets: What Style is Right for Me?

Hand-Tied Bouquet

Hand-tied bouquets are tied off by ribbons, and you can even use a piece of the bridal or bridesmaid dress to wrap the stems! The stems are left showing at the bottom for a “freshly-picked-flowers” feel. A hand-tied bouquet is typically a varied assortment of lush florals and textural greenery, and are designed to feel less constricted and “looser” than more traditional, round bridal bouquets.

Garden-Style Bouquet

For a more bespoke, meadow & wildflower-inspired look and feel, the garden-style bouquet is a perfect choice! A type of hand-tied bouquet with stems showing at the bottom, a garden-style bouquet mimics the natural movement and wild nature of a wildflower garden in full bloom. Beset with lush florals with many focal (the main focus floral) blooms, lots of textural mixed blooms, and mini bloom clusters to give dimension and shape, complete with textural greenery, the florist will look to follow the natural line and shape of each flower, giving the bouquet a more spontaneous, free-flowing feel. A garden-style bouquet is typically V-shaped or can be cascading (see below) – but be aware that they tend to be larger as they’re more loose and free-flowing.

Cascading Bouquet

Cascading bridal bouquets are just what they sound like: with a gorgeous cascade of trailing flowers and vines for a dreamy, whimsical, and truly romantic look. This bridal floral arrangement cascades downward like a waterfall, with wispy, long vines and textural greenery and blooms spilling forward and downward. This look is perfect for its fairytale, ethereal, garden-style qualities, and works well for formal ballroom and cathedral-style ceremonies. Be aware that they can be a dramatic, statement look and not to compete with a more intricate and detailed wedding dress.

Tight and Round Bouquet

Timeless, ultra-traditional, and elegant, the round bouquet style is a round, dome-shaped bouquet and is very flower-forward: either consisting of a single type of flower or a few variations of florals arranged in a perfect mound or dome shape. Stems are typically wrapped tightly with a silk ribbon or a cut piece of fabric from the dress. The round shape is perfect for a regal wedding ball gown or a more classic, formal wedding aesthetic. It’s important to note that round bouquets typically make the most impactful statement when they’re monochromatic or made of one type of flower. They also look best when kept to a moderate-to-small size.

Single-Stem Bouquet

Even a single stem with light greenery can make a major statement. A simple, elegant, yet impactful choice, a single stem bouquet is a single focal bloom using florals like garden roses, protea, hydrangea, peonies, lillies and any similar blooms to make a beautiful statement. The perfect bouquet option for brides who love a particular type of flower but want something that’s very different from a traditional bouquet.

Posy Bouquet

A posy bouquet can be thought of as the round bouquet’s more petite version. A posy bouquet is typically held in one hand, and is often given to mothers or grandmothers (replacing a corsage or pin-on) or even for bridesmaids for their walk down the aisle. Just like a round bouquet, an elegant posy bouquet is arranged into a round dome and is meant to be smaller so as to not overwhelm any gown or dress. These are perfect for more petite brides, bridesmaids, and of course, mother’s, grandmother’s, and even junior bridesmaids.

Nosegay Bouquet

A nosegay bouquet is very similar to a posy bouquet, yet it contains more greenery or without a fully “round” shape. While a posy is typically floral-forward or focused, a nosegay will be accented with greenery with the focus being on just a few florals. Just like a posy, a nosegay bouquet is small and hand-tied. Nosegay bouquets are typically given as a gift to bridesmaids for their walk down the aisle, but they also work well for more petite brides, or brides who want to opt for a smaller bouquet and keep the focus more on their gown.

Pageant-Style Bouquet

A newer take on a bridal bouquet is the Pageant bouquet style – which typically has longer stems and is designed to fit into the crook of a bride’s arm, rather than held in your hands like a traditional bouquet. A more alternative look, style, and feel, the long stems are truly out-of-the-box, incredibly lush, and definitely a statement bouquet (perfect for your luxe boho wedding!) While Pageant bouquets are certainly stunning in photos, they typically may be heavier and more cumbersome to hold and carry down the aisle.

Minimalist Bouquet

When your aesthetic falls along the ‘less is more’ category, wedding florals can perfectly reflect your look! Minimalist bouquets can take on many forms from smaller sizing, greenery or dried-only designs, simple floral and greenery combinations, to luxurious floral-only looks. You can also go mono-chromatic or monofloral – one color or shades of the same color, or one flower (in one color)! One of our favorites is a bouquet of lush reflexed white roses – ‘reflexed’ meaning that the petals are gently hand-peeled back for a more full and open look. Another gorgeous minimalist bouquet can be a simple bouquet of Calla Lillies for the ultimate modern look. For many more minimalist designs, check out this amazing article here.

Greenery-Only Bouquet

A new, modern twist on the classic bouquet is for nature-lovers, everywhere! The greenery-forward bouquet can offer just as much beauty, versatility, and design as bouquets with florals as there are endless greenery textures, styles, and shapes to play with. There are many directions to take a greenery bouquet from tropical foliage, to adding a boho touch with dried elements like pampas grass and fan palms, the greenery bouquet can be a less expensive – yet a just-as-impactful option – and is sure to stand out! For extensive greenery bouquet ideas, check out this article here!

Succulent or Tropical Focal Blooms Bouquet

A perfect marriage of a more modern, unique, and classic look is to craft a bouquet with tropical plant or floral elements like succulents, and larger, more exotic blooms like Proteas, Banksia, Artichokes, Anthuriums, Tropical Ginger, Bird of Paradise, and Ornamental Kales will further add dimension and mimic traditional florals in a truly unique & trendy way.

A note on Proteas: there are several types of Proteas to choose from, from the statement-making King Protea to the fun and whimsical look of the Pincushion Protea, to the smaller, more delicate Blushing Bride Protea, these will all be sure to give your bouquet a bespoke and statement look that is sure to make a lasting impression.

Hoop Bouquet

A more minimalist and modern twist on a bridal bouquet comes in the form of a hoop design. The hoop design is light, versatile, easy to hold, and a truly unique spin on a traditional bouquet. The bride opts to carry a light, circular hoop made of metal, bamboo, or wood where the bottom half or base is adorned with blooms, greenery, and/or dried elements. With the open center, the bridal and bridesmaids dresses can make a bigger impact as well! For more bridal hoop ideas, check out this amazing article here.

Bouquet Sizing – What’s the Right Size for Me?

Deciding on the size of your bouquet is a key component in creating the perfect bridal aesthetic you’re looking to achieve. Along with the style of the bouquet, the size should perfectly complement the dress you’re wearing – only to highlight and accent your style as you see fit.

Wedding bouquets can range from a smaller size of 6″-7″, up to 11″-12″ wide, as well as a length up to 18″-20″. One important thing to note is that most brides prefer their wedding bouquets to be larger than those of their bridal party. After all, this is YOUR day!

An “easy rule of thumb is the bigger the dress, the bigger the bouquet,” According to The Knot. Why do they say this? If you’re wearing a large, regal ball gown-style dress, and have a very small bouquet, the flowers can “get lost” amongst all the fabric. If you have a more patterned or detailed dress, for example, with lace, beading, or delicate embroidery, you might want to opt for a bouquet that is simpler than one that is super “busy” or oversized to compete for attention.

In order of size, Just Bloom’d Weddings offer:

How to Choose Your Bridal Bouquet Style & Size – Our Top Tips

In terms of style, colorway, and flowers, what makes your heart sing?

Do you get excited by anything in particular? Get inspired by your wedding colorway, your bridesmaid’s dress colors, and sentimental or meaningful blooms to you!

Identify 1-2 main focal flowers – the two biggest flowers of focus for your bouquet, and that can help inform what sizing and style may work best.

Consider your dress and how you best want to highlight and complement its innate style. Super ornate, detailed, or luxe dress? Opt for a smaller or more minimalist bouquet. An elegant, fairytale ballgown? Opt for a gorgeous garden-style, deluxe size, or cascading bouquet. Simple silk dress? Minimalist, petite, greenery, or hoop style can be a perfect match!

The pricing and budget for your wedding florals and bridal bouquet really depends on the size of your bridal party, how many and how elaborate or floral-forward you want your wedding to be, and ultimately the types of flowers you want to have.

On average, couples will spend around 10% of their total budget on flowers, so once you know how much you want to spend on your overall wedding, you can factor out your spending for any flower arrangements needed for the ceremony and reception, as well as your personal flowers: bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres from that. 

All in all, the design and sizing is completely up to your style, taste, dress style and overall desired spend. We can’t wait to work with you to create the bouquet of your wedding dreams!

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