Let’s talk about how to properly hold your bridal bouquet throughout your wedding day. With all the hustle and bustle of activity you are going to experience, bouquet placement tends to be the last thing on your mind. As if you don’t have a million other things you are thinking about, right? However, when you look back at your wedding pictures & video it is important that your beautiful face is fully visible! And after paying a lot of money for that gorgeous floral bouquet you are holding & wedding dress (along with all the other elements), making sure it is all on full display will only enhance the entire post-wedding viewing experience!
When this blog post topic was requested, I knew right away that since I am not a florist, I needed to take advantage of the opportunity and enlist the help of a couple local professionals. It is important to me that you have the best and most accurate information possible! After learning what the three most commonly requested bouquet styles are, I asked three different florists to tackle the dos and don’ts of holding and presenting each style. And it was so much fun to get their responses back and even learn a little bit of new information for myself!
Christina Miller of Christina Rose Florals says asking how to hold your bouquet is a common question that she gets often. And she is happy to answer because floral designers have designed each and every bouquet with a very specific placement in mind. She says it is wise to practice or at least be aware of this placement before you’re walking down the aisle for the very first time. Christina Rose Florals specializes in bespoke, garden-style bouquets, so here are a few of her dos and don’ts regarding free-form, boho styled bouquets, so that your florals can look their very best on such a big day!
“DO hold the bouquet at your navel, just at your belly button. Your floral designer will have designed the bouquet with this placement in mind, so being aware of that is important. Always try to have a slight/soft and relaxed bend in your elbows. You don’t want to appear too stiff.
DON’T have a huge bend in your elbows where the bouquet then hits your chest, and you don’t want your arms extended all the way, as the bouquet will then sit below your waist (depending on arm length of course). Think loose, and ever so relaxed with a tall and elegant posture and your shoulders back.
DO tilt the “top” of your bouquet outwards, away from your body, so that all of the beautiful flowers are the first things your guests see rather than the stems. You would do this by aiming the stems towards your body. This hides the not-so-pretty stems and allows the actual florals to be the star of the show!
DO chat with your floral designer beforehand and decide if you would like your ribbon tied around the stems, or hanging down, and if you would like a loose bow vs simply tied in a knot and loosely trailing down. Your floral designer will most likely discuss the desired length because you want it to be comfortable while walking with zero risk of it causing you to trip.
I hope these tips will help you to feel more comfortable when walking down the aisle!”
If you would like to see more of Christina’s work or contact her for a personalized quote, click HERE for her website.
Emily McBride of McBride Floral Design is a wedding and event florist creating bouquets in a wide range of styles. She said one of the styles that can be the most challenging for brides to place correctly is the cascading style bouquet. This is because in order to properly display the blooms it can feel a bit unnatural to constantly twist your wrists in a forward motion. Here are a few of her dos and don’ts to ensure this very stylized bouquet shines as bright as you do walking down the aisle!
“When holding this style of bouquet, make sure the florals that are meant to be cascading are facing outward and pointing down for the world to see. Do hold toward the end of the cut stems and point those ends more towards your body. Do hold the bouquet at a sharper than normal downward angle, without dropping it of course, to ensure the important cascading effect that made you fall in love with this style is in full view of the cameras and guests.
Do have your wedding coordinator, photographer, and/or one of your bridesmaids make sure you are holding it correctly throughout the day, especially in photos and right before walking down the aisle.
Please do not hold this style of bouquet upright with the cut stems pointing towards the ground, this will make the bouquet look awkward, out of place, and like it wasn’t made by a professional.
Good luck and enjoy every moment of the day. It all goes by so fast!”
If you would like to see more of Emily’s work or contact her for a personalized quote, click HERE for her website.
Kira Barker of All in The Details Floral Design says incorrectly holding your bridal bouquet can actually detract from the overall bridal look by possibly hiding the beautiful detail work of your dress or even blocking your face as you walk down the aisle. As a floral designer, she finds it is important to offer a few tips to the brides she services that will help make the most impact and enhance their bridal look! With over 16 years of floral experience, Kira has had the opportunity to work with a large variety of flowers, colors, textures, & styles. To help make sure you are correctly holding your rounded, or compact, bridal bouquet, here are a few of her tips!
“Face: While a rounded bouquet is typically symmetrical, the floral designer still likely chose a front (the side that features the bouquet the best). If you’re there for delivery, she can show it to you, but if not, look for the back – this is typically where the ribbon on the stems is glued or pinned. That back side should be facing your body, so the best “face” of the bouquet is showing outward to the cameras and guests. If your bouquet has a broach, bow, pendant, or dangling ribbon, those should be on the front of the bouquet, also facing outward.
Angle: For photo purposes, tip the top of the bouquet slightly forward so that the flower blossoms are the central focus of the bouquet, rather than the side of the flowers and the stems. As a professional designer, I usually default to keeping the stems on the shorter side so that it is easier to tip the bouquet forward. If you prefer the look of longer stems but still want a rounded bouquet, let your designer know so she can bring the sides of the rounded bouquet down more, thus necessitating less tipping to feature the blossoms.
Position: You want all these things you have meticulously chosen to be part of your “bridal look” to work together, not fight against or block each other. So how you hold the bouquet makes a difference. Rounded bouquets should be held in the center front of your body. Have your elbows gently bent so that your hands are approximately at your navel. This will ensure that you’re not blocking your face or neckline and that both your smile and most of your dress bodice will be visible. If you’re holding your bouquet with both hands, put them around the bouquet with your fingers overlapping. If you’re holding the arm of your escort down the aisle, your other hand should still hold the bouquet centered on your torso at belly button level. Sometimes nerves or excitement causes brides to tighten up their arms and elbows and raise their shoulders- all these things will cause the top of the bouquet to move up, hiding your dress and possibly even your face. So, practice walking with your shoulders relaxed and your hands in front of your belly button. you can also think about it by keeping your forearms/wrists just above your hips.
Bonus tip – Flowers can be surprisingly heavy (I hear this a lot from clients). The best way to position your hands is near the top of the wrap- this will provide the best balance of the top-heavy bouquet so that your wrists don’t get tired. Also, just like you should relax your shoulders and arms, also relax your grip – you don’t need to hold tightly. Think of how you hold your fiancé’s hand – securely, but comfortably. That will do! Allow your flower holding posture to be a reminder to ease the tension in your body and really enjoy your day.
Remembering these tips will help maximize the presentation of your bouquet and enhance your photos on your wedding day. Congratulations!”
If you would like to see more of Kira’s work or contact her for a personalized quote, click HERE for her website.
I hope this article was helpful for all the brides-to-be out there and shows you just how important it is to 1. Hire professional vendors and 2. Be aware of even the smallest of details on your wedding day. If you would like to learn more about how I can help manage all those little details, please head over to my contact page and we can chat through the planning process!
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