Defining Details: Wedding Flowers And Their Various Forms Explained
Going headfirst into wedding planning can make any lady's head feel dizzy. There is so much to decide, and so many details that each have their own extra options. One such detail is the wedding flowers. Wedding flowers take on numerous forms, and you have to decide what and how to wear them, decorate with them and present them. To unravel this bit of confusion, here are the various forms wedding flowers take, and why you might prefer one form over the next.
Bridal Bouquets
These are the long, extravagant and flowing bouquets that only brides are allowed to carry. (In truth, your bridesmaids could carry them, but then you would probably want something even more extravagant to denote that you are the bride.) You can make your bridal bouquet as fancy or as simple as you like, incorporate your wedding colors in the flowers or use ribbons and lace to add color to your bouquet. It is yours to keep or toss, if you participate in the traditional throwing of the bouquet.
Throwing Bouquet
This is an extra, smaller bouquet made just for the bride to toss. You get to keep the one you walked down the aisle with, and use this one in your bouquet tossing ceremony so that the lucky lady that catches it gets to keep it and you still get to keep your big one. You may also toss your big bouquet and ask for it back, but some brides feel that it is bad luck to do the ceremony this way.
Nosegays
Nosegays are from a time when people did not bathe or brush their teeth and they all smelled rather foul. However, nosegays have now become synonymous with easier-to-carry little wedding bouquets that you can carry, toss or decorate with. Brides that elope but still want flowers often carry a little nosegay with them instead of a traditional bridal bouquet.
Bridesmaids' Bouquets
Bridesmaids' bouquets are always smaller than the bride's. They are meant to decorate your "handmaidens" and your wedding processional without drawing attention away from you and your entrance. Some non-traditional bridesmaids' bouquets have recently become headpieces or hair pieces again, which might be an option for you if you do not want your standers to carry flowers.
Wrist Corsages
Wrist corsages are almost always worn by the mothers of the bride and groom. However, wrist corsages may also be worn by your bridesmaids or any particularly special person in attendance at your wedding, including the flower girl (if you have one). If you do not plan to have all of the sisters in your family and your groom's family act as standers, it is nice to give them a wrist corsage to acknowledge them as family.
Boutonnieres
All of the groomsmen, your groom and the fathers and male members of both families should have a boutonniere if they wear a suit to the wedding. These are generally tucked into the breast pocket of the suit or pinned to the lapel of the suit. Some brides forego the flowers for the men and opt for just a perfectly folded handkerchief in the wedding party's colors instead, so do not feel as though you have to have boutonnieres for the men if you do not want them or cannot afford them.
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