The All Important Hand Bouquet

A wedding without beautiful flowers is as sad as a marriage without love. A bridal bouquet should do more than complement the bride's outfit. It should also be a statement in its own right.

In Singapore, the wedding bouquet is often 'thrown in' as part of the bridal package. The bride-to-be is made to choose from a small collection of 'standard arrangements' and more often than not, ends up walking down the aisle with the boring conventional hybrid tea rose which has been used to death in the '90s.

To navigate around this: Ask the person at the bridal salon if you could exchange the value of the flowers for add-on embellishments to your gown - additional lace, longer train, etc. Then knock on the door of professional florists to discuss your wedding bouquet needs. Let the florist know exactly what kind of flowers you want in your bouquet, and also give her a back-up list just in case the flowers you want are not in season. Do your research beforehand, so that your expectations could be managed. This could save you a lot of frustration if you set your heart on one type of flower only to find it is out of season during the period you are getting married. The good news is that many flowers have a longer or even year-round season these days. This is due to imports from warmer climates, and commercial growers cultivating the flowers under glass, out of season. Nevertheless, always be an educated bride. Here's a quick reference guide:

More conventional flowers that should be available all year:
Roses
Orchids
Lilies
Gerberas
Anthuriums
Hydrangeas
Eustomas

Other seasonal blooms:

March - August





















Row 1: Sweet pea via Mooseys Country Garden, Daffodil via flower-garden-bulbs.com
Row 2: Hyacinth via Patty Hankins and Bill Lawrence, Peony by Crystal Eng

June - August





















Row 1: Poppy by Ian Britton
Row 2: Iris via Horticulture Update
Row 3: Calla Lily by John D Williams

September - November





















Row 1: Zinnia via Gardens Ablaze
Row 2: Dahlia via Salt and Pepper
Row 3: Ranunculus via Katie K Design

November - February
















Row 1: Forget-me-not via How Stuff Works
Row 2: Amaryllis via Flower Gardening Made Easy

Apart from the list of flowers, also discuss the type of arrangement you have in mind. Consider shape, proportion, and style. Calla lilies, for example, suit a clean-lined dress better than rotound roses. And dainty Amaryllis blossoms complement a refined, delicate gown. My 2 favourite styles are the beidermeier and the hand-tied.

Biedermeier: The shape of the beidermeier is also round. The biedermerier is quite unique because flowers of the same type is arranged in a circular pattern. Each ring will represent one type of flower.





















Via The Knot

Hand-Tied Style Bouquet: Made popular by Martha Stewart, these are sometimes called European hand-tied bouquets or Roundy Moundies, and when done properly, the stems spiral at the bottom and they can stand on their own. For bridal bouquets, however, the stems are usually bound with ribbons or twigs.
















Via Martha Stewart Weddings