F
lowers are blooming in all sorts of sweet ways at today's trendiest
weddings. Hand-tied bouquets are a hot trend right now, according
to Peter Del Bene, owner of Mamaroneck Flowers. Many brides,
instead of opting for flowers in a holder, are instead choosing a natural
looking, hand-picked bouquet of premium flowers.
"The flowers are natural clusters with the stems exposed," says Del Bene.
"We can also wrap the stems of the flowers in the fabric that the dresses are
made from. Say the bridal party is wearing sage green dresses. We take the
extra fabric and wrap the stems of the bouqets in this."
These hand-tied bouquets are meant to look as if you'd just grabbed a
handful of flowers and wrapped them in ribbon, says Dean Andreades,
owner of Forever in Bloom in Mt. Kisco. "Before, the trend was for everything
to be in bouquet holders," he says. "The shape of the bouquet was different,
like a teardrop or a waterfall, something with more of a hanging
type of look. Now we are getting away from tradition a little more. Flowers
are a more personal interpretation of a bride's sense of style."
For fall weddings, mini calla lilies are very popular, as well as all types of
roses, even in unusual colors like vibrant orange, Del Bene says.
Hydrangeas, sweet peas and peonies continue to be popular, Andreades
says. But while white was once the color of bouquet carried by nearly all
brides, today brides want a bit more color in their bouquet.
"It's not uncommon for a bride to carry dark red roses as a bouquet,"
Andreades says. "Many brides are looking for a special look."
Brides want their wedding flowers to have a personal touch, says Suzy
Bales, author of "Garden Parties" (Clarkson Potter, $27.50). "Many young
brides are throwing tradition out the window because they want color, they
want their favorite flowers and they want to be individual," she says. "And
they have more choices, now that you can have flowers flown in from anywhere.
You can get long stemmed roses from Holland year round. You can
get peonies from New Zealand in the fall if you want to have flowers flown
in."
Grooms don't carry a bouquet but they get to wear flowers instead - in
the form of a boutonniere. And these days, grooms are opting for a combination
boutonniere, says Del Bene. "It usually consists of a primary
flower, such as a rose, with a touch of another bloom, maybe a delphinium,"
he explains. "Some grooms are choosing a single mini calla lily as a boutonniere."
Above all, experts say, when choosing flowers it makes the most sense to
go with the flowers you love the most. "There are always fads in wedding
flowers," Bales says. "There are the traditional ones, like lilies of the valley,
and there are old favorites that never go out of favor. The important thing
is for the bride to carry her favorite flower."
