Contemporary
wedding flowers - A Handful of Posies
Wedding
Flowers may seem an insignificant detail to any wedding for those who have
never planned one. Wedding flowers not only decorate the place an
individual chooses to marry, but her wedding party and the reception hall.
The theme of the wedding will determine the flowers a bride chooses.
There are many flowers to choose from, often the bride will choose her
favorite colors and flowers. The bouquet is the mort important arrangement
the bride will choose. History has shown us many types of arrangements
and several of the earlier arrangements are becoming contemporary again.
Two such arrangements are the Posy and the Biedermeier.
The Posy
had its first appearance during the Victorian era when flowers were sent
as messages to lovers. The flowers had their own meanings, so the
bridal flowers were chosen with regard to their traditional import.
Today brides choose their flowers based on color and personal appeal rather
than historical meanings. Though the Posy fell from use it has been most
popular in the last few years. The Posy is created by two methods:
the natural stems and the fully wired. The fully wired method has
the florist removing the stems and replacing them with wires to construct
a lighter bouquet. The natural stems create a more informal bouquet.
A third new style has begun to appear with the use of ribbon or lace to
combine the two styles. The ribbon was once used as a decorative
tool and now is becoming more important to keep the bouquet together.
The Biedermeier
is another variation using the Posy. This arrangement is carefully
concentric circles of colored flowers, creating rings with each ring containing
only one type of flower. It is a tightly structured arrangement with
a geometric symmetry. Most add lemon or orange peels to the bouquet
for added fragrance. Again this arrangement was first established
around the 1800’s, but has been brought back.
Along
with the bouquet choosing the other flowers is important. These flowers
will generally be the color theme of the wedding. These flowers are
often in arrangements around the room. If the wedding is held in
a Church the flowers will also be along the pews. Today the budget
of the wedding will in part determine the wedding flowers. Often
in today’s wedding the brides choose to use imitation flowers for the pews
and round the reception hall with a few tabletop displays for ambience
and fragrance. While the flowers are an important factor for the
pleasing quality of the pictures it is important for the bride to choose
the flowers she enjoys. Other contemporary arrangements use the Shower
Bouquets.
The Shower
Bouquets replaced the Posy. Occasionally this bouquet was so large
that it would conceal the bride. ‘Lovers’ Knots’ were incorporated
into the design leaving a trail of ribbon streaming from the bouquet.
This flower arrangement has since lost some of its size and is now most
popular as a teardrop, trail, and cascade. The cascade is the most
contemporary of this flower arrangement. It has a waterfall shaped
dimension. It gives a more elegant look to the arrangement than the
teardrop or trail.
The colors
of the bouquet are just as important as the arrangement a bride chooses.
The arrangement of flowers should compliment the dress, not over state
the dress. Whether the dress is contemporary or vintage the shower
bouquet is known for complimenting both.
Choosing
a florist is as much a part of the process as finding a baker for the wedding
cake. Searching online for designs to take to your local florist
is just one way to find the perfect arrangement for your bridal bouquet
as well as your other flowers. Though posies are used in most bouquets
the more contemporary have begun to choose any type of flower. Roses
are of course a popular flower to have as the bouquet or in the buttonhole
of the groom and his entourage. Other arrangements are the bridesmaids
flower baskets rather than a traditional bouquet of flowers.
The flower
baskets are no longer just for flower girls to shower the floor with petals.
The bridesmaids are now beginning to carry basket arrangements of their
own. These arrangements consist of the chosen colors in a less formal
arrangement. Not only are the bridesmaid’s flowers changing, often
flowers are being placed in the hair. These hair ornaments may be
a simple side flower or a circle of flowers to be place on the tops of
the heads. The bride may even choose a flower arrangement for her
hair with the veil interwoven.
With all
of the choices available it is a hard decision to make on what type of
bouquet to have at a wedding. The flowers may not be as important
as the vows, but they lend to the picturesque day with a lovely fragrance
and beautiful array.
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