Useful Advice On Wedding Flower Arrangement And Bouquet Styles

The wedding flower arrangement and bouquet styles that brides choose are integral to the style of their wedding. The flowers, the colors, the containers, the style - they're all decisions that brides spend hours upon deciding. And no wonder!

Wedding flower arrangement and bouquet design is important to the overall look and feel of your day - and your own attire. Imagine a bride dressed in a stunning, formal gown with miles of lace train and pearl beaded embroidery - carrying a tiny nosegay of daisies and violets. It just somehow seems - off.

When you're choosing the wedding flower arrangement and bouquet styles for your wedding day, there are some things to keep in mind that will help you achieve a coordinated effect.

Pick flowers that are similar for your wedding flower arrangement and bouquet selections. If your bouquet features white stephanotis, for example, use stephanotis as an accent in the table arrangements, or as trailers in the church altar flowers.

Suit the wedding flower arrangement and bouquet types to the overall style of the wedding. A beautiful formal cascade bouquet style accents a formal gown with a train perfectly. A simple nosegay or a wrist corsage is perfect with a more simple gown. For a dramatic, sleek and chic modern wedding gown, choose an equally dramatic arm full of calla lilies.

Think the same way for the wedding flower arrangements. Baskets of wildflowers are the perfect grace note for a backyard garden wedding. For a formal black-and-white evening wedding, choose more dramatic table arrangements - maybe even add a dramatic note of color with a single, long-stemmed bird-of-paradise in a tall vase of greens.

Have the same florist design both your wedding flower arrangement and bouquet styles. That way you'll know that they coordinate. Even if you use completely different flowers in each, they can be tied together through color, through ribbons or other decoration, or even just through the basic shape and formality of the flower arrangement.

When you're talking to florists, it can be helpful to understand what the different styles of wedding bouquet look like. Here's a simple list with description of the basic types of wedding bouquets.

Cascade Style Wedding Bouquet

Large, tear-shaped arrangement with a graceful downward spill of flowers. Suited to full length dresses with trains and full skirts.

Nosegay Style Wedding Bouquet

A circular arrangement of flowers clustered tightly, usually with ribbons and a lace collar. Nosegay wedding bouquets suit any style of dress, but the smaller ones look best with simple dresses.

Arm Style Wedding Bouquet

Graceful crescent shape designed to be cradled in one arm. Some arm bouquets are simply a dozen or so long stemmed flowers that rest over the crook of one arm. They can be very dramatic with nearly any dress style.

Biedermeier Style Wedding Bouquet

Often a nosegay style, different types of flowers are arranged in concentric circles.

Hand-Tied Style Wedding Bouquet

A simple cluster of long stems, tied with a ribbon. It's particularly charming when the flowers are wildflowers.

Spray Style Wedding Bouquet

Sprays are generally non-equilateral triangular in shape, with a wide top tapering down to a narrower base.

Pomander Style Wedding Bouquet

An unusual but beautiful choice - a ball of flowers suspended from the wrist by decorative ribbons.