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Wedding bouquets are one of the images that first come to mind when thinking of wedding days.

Particularly brides holding bridal bouquets.

From there, everything appears to have been touched by that look, as if a feeling of marital bliss has extended outward and transformed everything and everyone.

Which is the ideal effect of any floral theme!

So let’s get started by checking out the array of stunning wedding bouquets this world has to offer!

Cascade

Also known as the Waterfall bouquet and often made up using a combination of clematis, freesia and orchids, there is a literal cascade of flowers flowing down from the arrangement. Wedding gowns and accessories that work here are usually quite simplistic. Although very traditional, it’s a staple of many of today’s rustic wedding themed weddings.

Posy

Often composed using dahlias, peonies and tulips, this compact bouquet is a classic. Small enough not to compete with your dress, it can actually keep attention focused on an extravagant dress design. Arranged in an attractive circular fashion with a domed shape and tied with a ribbon, it’s beautiful and effective.

Shield-Shaped

Deceptively simple, these highly complex bridal bouquets can be carried in one hand and modestly allow the bride’s dress to keep most of the attention. Shield-Shaped is trendy and very elegant, with each stem and sprig individually hand-wired to perfection. Often combining bluebells, snowdrops and stephanotis, it looks stunning from all angles.

Biedermeier

Named after a German style of interior decorating and popular since the 1800’s, this formal bridal bouquet is made up of a dense cluster of blooms, with each ring consisting of a single flower type or color. Dramatic versions can boast over four layers of different flowers, often featuring gerberas and pink and red roses.

Glamelia

Also known as the Composite bouquet, this stunning creation is composed of hundreds of real petals, all wired together to become one enormous flower. Strictly not a DIY project, the Glamelia is graceful, sophisticated, and complements elegant and simple dresses equally. Popular compositions often include camellias, lilies, and white roses.

Arm-Sheath

Dramatic and effective, this long-stemmed, vertically-shaped bouquet is also known as the Presentation or Pageant bouquet. Designed to be carried in the crook of the bride’s arm, it often combines greenery, calla lilies, sunflowers, orchids and irises. And it’s a natural complement to a tall bride in a streamlined or simple dress.

Hand-Tied

Many wedding bouquets use wire to create their look, so the hand-tied bouquet looks like an explosion of natural beauty by comparison. It includes a varied selection of flowers and greenery and is tied using vine, ribbon, or fabric. Unsurprisingly, it’s wildly popular for a rustic wedding theme or bohemian wedding theme.

Nosegay

Popular for bridesmaids in a smaller style, while the bride carries the larger version, the nosegay resembles the posy in its densely packed cluster. However, it’s distinguished by its use of greenery. Mothers of the bride and groom sometimes receive small nosegays with colors designed to match their dresses, rather than the wedding colors.

The Meaning of Flowers

Wedding flowers are an integral part of wedding themes. From season, to wedding colors, to wedding bouquets, to the wedding venue itself — each element should form a cohesive unit in order to represent you and your soulmate.

For example, if a red rose wedding bouquet is a passion (or represents passion for you!), you need to think about how that look fits your general wedding theme vision. If you fall in love with hydrangea wedding bouquets, or white wedding flowers, you need to think about how each look affects the overall vision and feel of your wedding theme.

Of course, the meaning of your wedding flowers also plays a part.

Before taking a deep dive into a list of various flowers and their meanings, let’s take a lingering look at a royal example.

On April 29, 2011, in London, England, Catherine Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey to be married to Prince William.

Unlike the enormous, cascading arrangement Princess Diana carried on her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, this bride carried a modest, shield-shaped bouquet, wired for structure, and containing seasonal blooms filled with personal meaning:

Lily of the Valley — Symbolic of trustworthiness; but is often said to represent the return of happiness. Possibly for Kate, this meant the return of trust, after some delicate early moments.

Sweet William — Often considered to be a symbol of gallantry, we can understand Kate’s desire to carry this flower, particularly when combining the meaning with the name!

Hyacinth — The Language of Flowers tells us the hyacinth symbolizes sport or play; but others consider it to represent the constancy of love. We’ll give Kate kudos for the latter.

Myrtle — Symbolic of love and marriage, every royal bride since Queen Victoria has carried a sprig of myrtle in her wedding bouquet — and all have taken it from Victoria’s royal garden, which recently opened to the public.

Ivy — Another symbol of marriage, ivy is also regarded as representing affection, fidelity, and friendship.

Impressed? So are we!

So let’s take a look at some more wedding flowers and their general meanings. Note: Flower meanings can depend on color, too, so keep in mind the below is an overview guide.

Which in the list below inspires you?

Rose — Love, joy, and beauty, dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. The rose also represents sympathy and sorrow, as well as the keeping of secrets.

Dahlia — Change, lasting bonds and commitments, grace under pressure, inner strength, and uniqueness. Dahlias enjoyed high popularity in 2017.

Tulip — Enduring love and undying passion, combined with prosperity, indulgence and royalty!

Lily — Purity (white), prosperity (pink), honor, and devotion. In some cultures the lily is considered to have to ability to relieve heartache and bring luck.

Daisy — True love, new beginnings, and purity. Daisies also pair well with almost all other flower types.

Daffodil — New beginnings, rebirth, and the coming of spring. It also represents creativity, inspiration, renewal, and forgiveness.

Hydrangea — Heartfelt and honest emotions, gratitude, and the development of deeper understanding between two people.

Carnation — Love, fascination, and distinction. Possibly one of the oldest cultivated flowers in the world, the carnation enjoys a rich history of symbolism, and are known as flowers of the gods.

Sunflower — Adoration, loyalty, longevity, and lasting happiness. Rich in meaning across cultures, the sunflower also symbolizes power and strength in the vibrant orange and red varieties.

Honeysuckle — Devotion, the bonds of love, sweet disposition, and happiness. Poet Robert Frost wrote of honeysuckle in his sensual poem “To Earthward” as a symbol of intense love.

Purple Iris — Royalty, faith, wisdom, hope, and valor. Named after the Greek goddess Iris, it also symbolizes power and inspired the fleur-de-lis, the national symbol of France.

Peony — Beauty, riches, romance, and honor. The official emblem of China, its Chinese name translated is “most beautiful.” It also represents bashfulness to some, particularly in white or pale pink colors.

Planning for Perfection

Apart from the basics, like deciding on a budget for your wedding flowers, a good starting point is to consider the season of your wedding date. Aside from the natural attributes seasonality provides, budget considerations also come into the equation.

Out-of-season flowers can come with a higher price tag.

Here’s a list of flowers by season:

Spring

• Anemone
• Bells of Ireland
• Casa Blanca Lily
• Daffodil
• Daisies
• Delphinium
• Hyacinth

• Hydrangea
• Lilac
• Lily of the Valley
• Orchid
• Peonies
• Ranunculus

• Snapdragon
• Stargazer Lily
• Sweetpea
• Tulips
• Viburnum
• Wax Flower

Summer

• Alstroemeria
• Bells of Ireland
• Chrysanthemum
• English Lavender
• Forget-Me-Nots

• Freesia
• Gerbera
• Hydrangea
• Iris
• Larkspur

• Liatris
• Orchid lily
• Snapdragons
• Sunflowers

Fall

• Amaryllis
• Aster
• Chrysanthemum

• Dahlia
• Freesia

• Statice
• Zinnia

Winter

• Amaryllis
• Anemone
• Bells of Ireland
• Cosmos
• Forget-Me-Not

• Gardenia
• Holly
• Jasmine
• Poinsettia

• Ranunculus
• Sweetpea
• Stargazer Lily
• Tulip

Year Round

• Baby’s Breath
• Bachelor’s Button
• Calla Lily
• Carnations
• Delphinium

• Eucalyptus
• Gardenia
• Gladiolus
• Heather
• Lily of the Valley

• Orchid
• Protea
• Rose
• Scabiosa

There are no hard and fast rules. This is your day and the look you choose represents you and your soul mate. Either a concrete wedding theme or using the beauty of the season, are both solid approaches and can have stunning results.

But what about the logistics?!

Here’s a brief list of needs for your wedding flowers.

• Bridal bouquet
• Bridesmaid bouquets
• Ceremony flowers
• Reception flowers
• Corsages
• Boutonnieres
• Additional Decor

Beauty, Budgets, and Balance

The list above could spark a desire to have your wedding flowers in abundance in every conceivable area. It’s one thing to imagine an empty space overflowing with beautifully designed arrangements and various centerpieces, another to view the effect of this abundance of beauty and hard spending with those now empty spaces packed with guests.

Spending less could entice a higher level of awe and admiration.

Think about the areas where magical moments will take place. Obviously, the whole “I do” area is one to concentrate on!

• The framing of the first dance.
• Your bridal bouquet, boutonnieres or other wearables.
• Then think about centerpieces, placed for maximum effect in the right places.

A series of jaw-dropping statement pieces or an overlooked surplus?

So keeping budget in mind, steering toward seasonal wedding flowers as part of your general wedding theme, then designing your overall floral look based on smart use of space, can work wonders.

However, if your florist recommends flowers in a certain area, pay attention. We’ll bounce back to that in a moment.

Another way to create an interesting variety, while thinking of your budget, is to mix and match long, low centerpieces with, for example, elevated bouquets.

Clusters of single blooms can look amazing by virtue of creating an eye-catching contrast. Greenery is also extremely popular today and highly effective at creating contrasts and drawing attention to particular designs.

Now everything is being noticed and appreciated.

Success!

From your big day wedding theme ideas to the bridal bouquet, all sorts of mixing and matching can combine your budget and vision for amazing outcomes. With that in mind, let’s do a general breakdown that you could talk to your florist about:

Luxury:
Garden Roses, Vanda Orchids, Peonies, Tropical flowers like Protea and Anthurium, Colored Hydrangea (except light blue), Calla Lilies, Stephanotis.

Premium:
Cymbidium Orchids, Dendrobium Orchids, Dahlias, Spray Roses, Standard Roses, Ranunculus, White & light blue hydrangea, Dusty Miller, Anemones, Exotic Foliage, Italian Pittosporum and Italian Ruscus.

Standard:
Stock, Lemon leaf,  Sunflowers, Gerbera Daisy, Delphinium, Spider Mum, Larkspur, Eucalyptus, Israeli Ruscus.

Economical:
Accent Flowers like Waxflower or Baby’s Breath, Iris, Alstroemeria, Carnations, Leather fern.

Words of Wedding Wisdom

Every bride hears words of wisdom about all sorts of interesting areas of life. So we’ll offer some of our own.

Only ours involves your florist and you!

If you have a perfect vision of how your big day should look, listen carefully to what your florist thinks about it. You want your big day to be as dreamlike as possible. But attempting to drag your vision into the real world against professional advice could lead to huge disappointment.

For example, your florist could take one look at your wedding venue and know that the vision you’ve created won’t work, at least not in the way you’re envisioning it. Pay attention and you’ll win.

Professional florists have real world experience in the vision business.

Listen carefully to their responses. The chances are that whatever they suggest will work for you on your big day, during the season in which it takes place, and in your chosen wedding venue.

There’s a difference between a vision and an unforgettable reality tailored around you.

Your day, your way — yes!

Still, words of wisdom embraced bring their own rewards.

The most important thing to remember is that you’ve already found your soulmate —and that’s the hardest part!

So, Congratulations!

Originally published on Lovingly website May 25, 2018

In the hugely successful aftermath of our unconventional Mother’s Day contest, Joe Vega, Lovingly’s co-founder and managing partner, told all the curious people from the press:

“These stories came pouring in and the love came pouring out! We were stunned by the quality and diversity of the entries. Frankly, the sheer power of the feelings involved was overwhelming!”

Truer words were never spoken. We are humbled that so many entrants from across the US and Canada trusted Lovingly with their heartfelt stories of support, inspiration, and unconditional love.

And we’re honored to celebrate the impact our five amazing winners have had on those around them with the gift of a beautiful handcrafted bouquet.

Here, then, are the winners.

A Single Mom’s Success Story

Storyteller: Vince McLaughlin | Winner: Catherine Kearney

Bouquet lovingly handcrafted and hand-delivered by Westdale Florists, Hamilton, Ontario.

From the age of 10 (I’m now 32), my mom did everything she could for us to put food on our table and a roof over our heads, and she made sure we got to school every day with a lunch.

It was never easy and times were tough, but she always made me see that there was a light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Now, over twenty years later, an honors graduate, married, with a fulfilling career and a home, I would like to give her back a small token of my appreciation.

You can never quite tell your mom how much she means to you over a lifetime.

But flowers will certainly help!

We couldn’t agree more! And we bet Catherine loved hearing her son’s heartfelt words of appreciation just as much as she loved her bouquet.

Happy ending extra!

Vince contacted Lovingly to let us know how it went. Here’s a clip of what he told us:

“It went fantastically well and I can’t thank you guys enough for all that you did. She couldn’t read the message at work as she knew she would lose it. All her friends read it for her and they all teared up — so that is a victory!”

Delivering a Gift From Heaven

Storyteller: Brittany Montgomery | Winner: Katherine Harrison

Bouquet lovingly handcrafted and hand-delivered by Flowers Unlimited II, Country Club Hills, Illinois.

My mom, Katherine, deserves to win this bouquet because she is the strongest, kindest, most selfless and loving person I know.

She never left my side after my daughter went into respiratory failure on three separate occasions. She held my hand through three months of not knowing what was wrong with my daughter.

She left her job of 36 years to become her full-time caregiver. She also lost her husband and best friend, my father, last year, after being married 34 years.

My father ALWAYS had flowers delivered to her every Mother’s Day, just to see the reaction on her face. She told me it never got old, and she was always surprised!

This bouquet of flowers would be a special gift from heaven from my dad to my mom.

Any mother, especially one like mine, deserves to have a special reminder that our loved ones are still with us, even though not physically.

She needs this, because it’s the little things that matter most.

We were all so touched by Brittany’s story that we knew Katherine had to win a gorgeous bouquet. And the smile on Katherine’s face when she received it is the biggest gift of all.

The Brand New Mom Who Won

Storyteller: Justine Yingling | Winner: Emily Spiering

Bouquet lovingly handcrafted and hand-delivered by Blooms Floral and Gifts, Ashland, Nebraska.

Emily is my daughter, and she became a mother just 18 hours ago.

She has gone through the entire pregnancy by herself, not ever asking for help, and now she has a beautiful daughter of her own!

I think she needs something that says she is very much loved, and we will support her the best we can!

We can’t think of a better way to celebrate Emily and her sweet new baby girl. We had to pass around the tissues at the Lovingly office when we saw these photos of Emily receiving her gift!

Happy ending extra!

Our Blooms Floral and Gifts partner contacted Lovingly to report: “She was completely shocked!”

An American Mom’s Warm Welcome

Storyteller: Sera Paek | Winner: Kathleen Hatfield

Bouquet lovingly handcrafted and hand-delivered by Sweetgrass Flowers, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

I am an international student from Korea. When I first came to the United States in 2011, Kathleen became my MOM from Charleston.

Ever since we met, she has been always taking care of me and thinking of me all the time, and that makes me smile and feel loved.

I am graduating from college this May and will probably go back to Korea, and I have been thinking about how to express how thankful I feel and how much I love her.

It’s also her birthday on May 7th, which is perfect timing to express my mind!

We wish we all had a Kathleen in our lives! We loved this story about Kathleen’s thoughtfulness and support, and can only imagine what an amazing difference it must have made for an international student learning to navigate a brand-new country.

It’s Love, So Who’s Counting?

Storyteller: Kristen Mol | Winner: Theresa Jaspers

Bouquet lovingly handcrafted and hand-delivered by From the Heart Florist, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

I have been so blessed with the most amazing and selfless mom!

She is, hands down, the best mom, who will do anything for her five kids, 19 (soon to be 20) grandkids, and husband of almost 40 years!

She’s always looking to help out, which makes life with our little ones that much easier. She takes the laundry off our hands, makes meals, bakes, babysits, and so much more.

She always goes the extra mile to make sure we know how much she cares.

Grandchildren are always welcomed with hugs, snacks of all kinds, and oh so many books.

My mom is a rock in our family and we love her so very, very much!

Twenty grandkids – wow! We think if anyone deserves a beautiful handcrafted bouquet, it’s Theresa!

Happy ending extra!

Kristen contacted Lovingly to let us know how it went. This is an edited clip of what she told us:

“Thank you so much! She loves her flowers! She was very surprised!”

Our From the Heart Florist partner also contacted Lovingly to report:  “She was taken completely by surprise! She loved the flowers!”

And one more happy ending extra!

We’d like to thank all our entrants, any one of which could have easily won.

This was really tough!

We asked so many people to get so personal — and as you have seen, they did.

So we thought we’d join in and share our story of how this contest came about.

It breaks down like this.

Lovingly’s story request for its Mother’s Day 2018 contest read:

She may be your mom, your grandma, your caregiver, or a member of your community who has earned the title ‘mom’ in your heart through her unconditional love and devotion.

At this point, our question was: Would anybody respond to such a strange contest?

We decided to send our love call out across North America.

We’d pick out 5 winners, all of whom would receive an original bouquet, handcrafted and hand-delivered by a talented local florist.

Suddenly, the size of the ask for those florists began to dawn on us.

Would Lovingly Partner florists support us?

Would they be willing to handcraft and hand-deliver the winning bouquets if called upon?

How deep do Lovingly relationships with partners really go?

Everything depended on this question. Or rather the answer.

They said YES!

And we shouldn’t have worried. This is what local florists do, after all: celebrate moments, convey sentiments, and make connections between loved ones.

That’s why they’re hometown heroes we’re proud to call partners.

So with that, we were set. And excited to start celebrating the unconditional love of Moms everywhere!

In the end, we were touched, humbled, and so grateful to have a small part in the beautiful relationships and stories that were shared with us.

Thank you, Moms!