“Aren’t they smelly and don’t they ruin clothes?”

These are usually the major concerns with the lily and the remedies are simple and shouldn’t stop anyone from using this most amazing flower.

In answer to the first one, they don’t all smell. Depends on the type.

As for ruining clothes, the pollens should always be removed then no issue.

As a flower, it’s positive qualities far outweigh any potential downsides to them.

1. They come in the lovliest array of colours. Please don’t ask about blue

2. They are large bloomed so they’re very dramatic when used in large arrangements.

For the longest time, the predominant style for bouquet has been the hand-tied or round bouquet which I think was made most popular by Martha Stewart.

But as with all things, I can see that the preference for shape is slowly changing to the style famously carried by Princess Diana when she married Prince Charles.

The long flowing seemingly large and probably heavy bouquet known as the Cascade is coming back updated in a more streamlined and cleaner look.

Even a few years ago, I was hard pressed to remember being asked to make one, but now more and more clients are leaning toward the elegance that such a bouquet brings with it.

So, if you’re getting married in the next year or so, you may end up with one, but a few years ago you might never have considered it.

The possibilities are endless…It’s one of the many reasons why I love what I do.

I believe that every consideration for florals can be created to reflect the vision and style for the wedding day.

Naturally, one of the most focal and personal parts of the flowers are the bouquets especially bridal bouquet and they should be a visual stylistic reflection of the bride who carries the blooms.

This bouquet wrapped in variegated leaves were the perfect touch for Marlene who wanted a balance between classic elegance with a touch of a modern boldness.

Leaf Wrapped Wedding Bouquet | Floret.ca

There are many places to look for inspiration for a wedding bouquet and these days there’s no shortage of sources.

For me, one of the places that I love to start with is the wedding dress if it has already been decided.

The style, silhouette, the material, the colour, embellishments…the variations especially at this point in time are true endless.

All these elements of this dress can provide lots of ideas as to waht the bouquet could look like especially if you don’t already have a set idea.

It reminds me (and I’m going to date myself here) of the time when I read a story of how Sophie Rhys-Jones (who married Prince Edward in the early nineties) chose her bridal bouquet.

The florist felt inspired by the slightly flared sleeves of her wedding dress and suggested calla lilies to complement the style of the dress.

So while you don’t have to have the dress to begin the process, if you have chosen it already consider looking to it for your floral inspiration.

It’s been one of the most requested colours this season. Purple.

Always referred to as the colour associated with royalty, it’s a beautiful choice whether mixed with combination of its lighter mauve or lavendar counterpart or combined with other colours that are equally as dramatic as a rich purple can be.

Cream and Purple Wedding Bouquet | Floret.ca

I have a prediction.

After peonies, the next flower to garner the favour of brides will be … the dahlia.

For those of you who have yet to be introduced to this seasonal gem, they are to be found in the early summer to the middle of fall and they are absolutely gorgeous.

A few weeks I had the pleasure of using this beautiful bloom as the focal flower for Erin and Kevin’s wedding at the stunning Vaughan Estate at the Estates of Sunnbrook.

This glorious combination of stunning orange dahlias and lime green spider mums, poms and berries was carried thoughout the entire wedding from bouquets, to ceremony arrangements. 

The look was completed with matching centerpieces and a stunning candlescape for their sweetheart table which I’ll share in next week’s post.

Bouquet of Burnt Orange Dahlias And Roses | Floret.ca

Ceremony Flowers At Vaughan Estates | Sunnybrook Estates | Floret.ca