Floral bouquet trends – Then
As we all know, wedding flowers play a crucial role in weddings, be it to set the mood, act as a predictor for the next bride, or simply to decorate the venue. Naturally, something as old as time itself has a long and rich history for how it came to be.
Early 20th Century (1901 – 1920)
Three main styles were popularised in this era, namely: Sheaf, Cascade, and Composite. The sheaf style reemerged as a collection of blooms with long, full stems, constructed to fit in the crook of one’s arm.
Cascades were all the rage between 1910 – 1920, hugely differing in size with the posy sized bouquet in the era before.
The composite arrangement is a single giant bloom constructed by individual petals to resemble an oversized flower.
Mid – Late 20th Century (1940 – 1980)
Generally, extravagant bouquets became less common during and after World War 2. There were, however, two main styles brought into vogue by the English and Moroccan Royal Weddings. With the English in 1947 was the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, who had centrepieces with seasonal blossoms.
In 1956, the Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly popularised the Bible spray style, in which a white prayer book or a slim bible was adorned with a small bundle of flowers. Finally, in 1981, Diana and Prince Charles were wed with a remade tear-drop styled cascade bouquet.
Floral bouquet trends – Now
In the modern era, the emphasis of the floral arrangement, its colour, and blossom type depends heavily on the preferences of the couple to be wedded. For some, it ties in to the overall colour scheme of the wedding; the instagrammability factor, while for others it may be the scent that they are chasing after.
Garden Scheme
A trend that’s set to be noteworthy comprises of garden blooms (think sweet william – present in Kate Middleton’s bouquet, and sweet peas – in Meghan Markle’s bouquet) in pastel and rustic shades instead of the traditional classic whites.
Sustainability
People these days are all about sustainable living – recyclable bags, utensils, etcetera. Naturally, this spills over to the wedding trend as well. The main concept is “quality vs. quantity”, where a few statement/meaningful blooms are chosen over expensive and elaborate pieces. Wedding flowers tend to be repurposed throughout the wedding day, and the selection tend to favour seasonal/local flowers, which again cuts down on costs, prevents unnecessary waste, and helps local businesses.
Monochromatic/Minimalist
Thanks to the minimalistic bug that’s caught on, couples are appreciating all-white floral arrangements and neutral/pastel palettes. This allows room for textural details brought on by greenery (e.g. ferns, pampas grass, etc), ribbons, or even dried flowers!
