The history of bridal bouquets is much less sweet than you might expect. June was a popular time for weddings because, historically, it was close to the yearly bath that brides might enjoy – thus ensuring that they still smelled pretty good on their wedding day. In case a bride’s scent was unromantically ripe, you could always rely upon an abundance of fresh flowers in the spring and into summer, perfect for making a fragrant bouquet to mask the odour. How sweet. Then there is the tossing away of the bouquet. Locked in and awaiting your wedding night, there’s no time left to back out… or away.  

Now we retain the tradition of bouquets … for the romance and beauty of the blooms. Good thing, too, because they can be stunning.

              At our wedding we opted for a long-lasting, artistic and local alternative – paper flowers. Our center pieces had white hydrangeas from my mother’s garden and our bridal party carried hand-made paper bouquets, in an array of muted, complementary colours, with burlap ribbon and crystals – a perfect marriage of rough and delicate. We also love that they have lasted, and will continue to last, long past the day-of. It should also be noted that we liked the environmentally friendly aspect of forever blooms.  Our flowers were by Everblooms.  These photos were taken before the ceremony… And they look just as beautiful today as they did here. 

 Working with the artist, a local from Chatham, was a total pleasure.  Our bouquets were placed in vases on the head table for a splash of colour. Below.           

What flowers are capturing your imagination?