Bridal Bouquets of the Past
a Designer’s look at the design styles that were being used in past decades. Looking in to the many techniques used and how they can be used in today’s Wedding Bouquet designs. Modern Wedding designs are fantastic and combine modern time saving techniques, learned over decades of practice and innovation. But many past techniques for assembling, bouquets to corsages, are lost to time. Hoping here to rediscover these techniques to pass on.
In order to understand how Bridal Bouquets became a standard at Weddings one needs to look at the past….
Flowers arranged for decoration can be traced back to ancient Egypt and the Old Kingdom of 2500 BC, depictions of vases filled with flowers adorn many tombs. You will find the sacred Lotus, Narcissus, Iris, Palms and herbs.
In the East, Chinese Buddhist monks hold flowers sacred, based on the principal that all Life is sacred-including the life of plants. Flowers are used throughout out their religious ceremonies and continue to this day. The Monks exported this philosophy with them in to the World.
a Designer’s look at the design styles that were being used in past decades. Looking in to the many techniques used and how they can be used in today’s Wedding Bouquet designs. Modern Wedding designs are fantastic and combine modern time saving techniques, learned over decades of practice and innovation. But many past techniques for assembling, bouquets to corsages, are lost to time. Hoping here to rediscover these techniques to pass on.
In order to understand how Bridal Bouquets became a standard at Weddings one needs to look at the past….
Flowers arranged for decoration can be traced back to ancient Egypt and the Old Kingdom of 2500 BC, depictions of vases filled with flowers adorn many tombs. You will find the sacred Lotus, Narcissus, Iris, Palms and herbs.
In the East, Chinese Buddhist monks hold flowers sacred, based on the principal that all Life is sacred-including the life of plants. Flowers are used throughout out their religious ceremonies and continue to this day. The Monks exported this philosophy with them in to the World.
The Greeks used carnations in celebrations as head wreaths about 2,000 years ago. In Japan, flowers are used sparingly in carefully designed arrangements called Ikebana, which they then exported to the World. It wasn’t until the Dutch, in the 18th century began having large display of flowers in the homes of the wealthy aristocracy from their extensive gardens, that floral arrangements were being used in Western cultures. Forward to the Victorian Age where Flowers were used in small Nosegays called a “Talking bouquet" or flower "Posey”, romantically called a “tussie mussy”. These carefully arranged bouquets were in a silver or tin cone shaped container with an attached chain for carrying, some were extremely elaborate. They were considered to be love notes between prospective sweethearts and lovers. During this time flowers, and their colors, were given romantic meanings or short quotes. White Chrysanthemum- Absolute truth and fidelity, Lily of the Valley- restored happiness, Violet- faithful until the end, Ivy- faithful messenger. As more varieties and colors of flowers expanded and commercial usage went up, this practice slowed down. |
Bridal Bouquets started out as these small, round Nosegays, the flower combinations due to the meanings not the visual and dramatic appeal of today’s Bridal Bouquets. They were limited, at the time, to the wealthy but the concept of the Bride with flowers on her Wedding Day quickly became a standard. Traditionally, to start, it was only the Bride who carried a bouquet of flowers, which she handed to Her Maid of Honor for the Ceremony Vows.
With the advent of floral foam in the 1950’s, styles like the crescent and cascade were easier to assemble and became increasingly popular. Every generation has put their stamp on the designs and styles of their Wedding flowers. Along with an increase in the variety of flowers, greens and other products used. It becomes a custom to look back at the designs of the past to draw inspiration for new and exciting combinations of past and present brought together in floral designs of Today.
There are so many things to learn from looking at the Wedding Past, new ideas to use and broaden the designing imagination. When planning a Wedding Theme that involves a bygone era, looking at the bouquet designs of that era is another visual designing tool to be used.
With the advent of floral foam in the 1950’s, styles like the crescent and cascade were easier to assemble and became increasingly popular. Every generation has put their stamp on the designs and styles of their Wedding flowers. Along with an increase in the variety of flowers, greens and other products used. It becomes a custom to look back at the designs of the past to draw inspiration for new and exciting combinations of past and present brought together in floral designs of Today.
There are so many things to learn from looking at the Wedding Past, new ideas to use and broaden the designing imagination. When planning a Wedding Theme that involves a bygone era, looking at the bouquet designs of that era is another visual designing tool to be used.
One of My favorite ideas from looking at Bouquets from the Past are the Streamers they used to create a larger and more dramatic looking Bouquet. Not the single bunch of ribbons hanging from the bottom of a Bouquet but multiple ribbons coming from from multiple places in the Bouquet. They cascade gracefully from the lower part of the Bouquet, drawing the eye down to see the dress and the impression of a fuller Bouquet. Streamers at one time were generally reserved for the Bride’s Bouquet only. In the Past many of the wider ribbons used were made from scraps of material or bits of lace left from making the Wedding Dress, hand sewn by the seamstress hired to make the dress. There would also have been imported ribbons, made from many different materials including rich silks and cottons. Along with imported hand made laces. The quality of these ribbons and laces were subject to the wealth of each Bride. White was the color standard, used in different widths for different styles of bouquets by the designers of the day. Today this practice of ribbon use is still used. Much of these ribbons and laces today are machine made of many different new and modern materials. |
A sweet design idea from the Past Bouquets is the addition of flowers and greens in to the many Streamers of the Bouquet. Tied in with “Love Knots” or small bows, these were well wishes added to the Bouquet for the Bride and Groom. The Streamers were used singly and in multiply groupings, extending from different areas of the Bouquet. Some designs were “woven” using an open weave design between the ribbons with the addition of flower buds and greens. Use any of these ideas not just for the Bridal Bouquet but as a design to enhance any Maid of Honor or Bridesmaids Bouquets. The Wider Ribbons, 3-4 inches up to 6 inches, were used on Presentation or Arm Held style Bouquets. Popular flowers for this were the Lily variety ilium longiflorium or Easter Lily, Calla Lilies and Roses. Even in the Presentation style, designers used multiple streamers to cascade from the top end of the bouquet to cascade from over the arm. Although, the wide ribbons were also used on Bridesmaids as finishing bows on the Bouquet handle. |
You can still see today, the practice of a ribbon wrap for the handle of Bouquets. In modern designs the ribbons are more colorful and are left long to flow from the Bouquet. Another forgotten practice is using material from the Wedding Dress to wrap the handle of the Bridal Bouquet. An idea that is finding popularity with Brides today who are looking for that extra touch in personalizing their Wedding flowers. Enhancing the design with pearls, rhinestone pieces as initials of the Bride or in brooches. One more Streamer knotting design is to tie the flower blossom to the end of each ribbon streamer, using several different lengths of ribbon. Find this idea in an inspired modern day Bridal Bouquet design of wired white miniature carnations in a Crescent-like style. With todays new adhesives made just for flowers, smaller blossoms can be glued on to the ribbons for a softer effect. Small wreaths of green tied to the longest streamers provide an eye catching unique design. Oversized Bouquets were the design rage of the past eras, hand tied together (remember floral foam was not used until 1950s) bursting with flowers and ribbons. In Today's world, there is a larger variety of flowers to be use in this design style, ribbons and greens. |