Bloom Service

Guest Blogger: Susan Schneider, Executive Editor

For me, flowers are the best part of a wedding—bouquets and table arrangements are, quite simply, works of art that are all the more beautiful for being transitory. Even more than that, I believe that the flowers we love express our inner selves and that these blooms are our counterpart in nature. Amidst the lush garden of available choices, how do you find your wedding flowers?

Try this visualization exercise: Close your eyes and let the image of a flower float into view. Don’t try to force it; let the image come to you. The flower you see—whether it be a shy, pretty violet, a gorgeous full-blown rose, an exotic orchid or a fragrant wildflower—is your flower. Perhaps it’s a bloom from a childhood garden or from your own backyard or even from a tropical island that you visited years ago. Whatever the flower may be, imagine building your bridal bouquet around it. Does it feel right to you?

For more inspiration, here are a couple of examples from a gorgeous new book from Watson-Guptill that recently crossed my desk:

Bouquet Chic: Wedding Flowers for More than 100 Romantic Looks
Photography by Jim Henkens

This cheerful hand-tied gathering of spidery gerbera daisies has a feathery soft texture that’s just right for an outdoor spring wedding. Self-adhesive Austrian crystals (in flower centers) are available at specialty florist supply stores or you can buy faux crystals at a crafts store and glue them on.

For a bouquet with a tropical feeling, vibrant cattleya orchids, imported from Thailand, brighten this clutch of Milva roses and delphinium blossoms. The bouquet is trimmed with double-faced satin and capriccio ribbon.

Posted by Susan at 10:21 a.m.