Manolo for the Brides

When I was small, grape hyacinths were my absolute favorite flower. They grew in abundance in our neighborhood, and I routinely found myself in trouble for picking them in neighbors’ yards. As tiny as grape hyacinth blossoms are, I never really considered how they might be used in wedding flowers like bridal bouquets and reception centerpiece arrangements. Until, that is, I came across a beautiful photo of a grape hyacinth and paperwhite bouquet created by Flowers by Paula Cosgrove in the hands of a bride.

Pretty sweet, yeah? I love the delicacy of the flowers in the bouquet, and especially how they contrast with the thickness of the base of the bouquet. I was inspired to look for more grape hyacinths being used in weddings and, while there’s not much out there in terms of photographs from real weddings (since it’s not the most popular choice), I did find some imagines that you may find inspirational.

What do we have here? Have a look (in a clockwise direction):

1. Grape hyacinths in a recycled clementine container from Real Simple – this would be such an easy DIY centerpiece at a semi-rustic wedding!
2. Grape hyacinth invites from The Botanical Concept
3. A bouquet of naught but grape hyacinth In Style Weddings
4. A bright and colorful grape hyacinth centerpiece in tin from BHG
5. Grape hyacinth boutonnieres by Belle Fleur of New York
6. And grape hyacinth wedding favors laid out on table settings

Brides who are bored with the usual bouquets and boutonnieres and reception table centerpieces should think large and loose with lots of unusual greenery and even berries (as opposed to structured bunches of roses or daises). For inspiration, I looked to the Brooklyn-based full-service floral design studio Saipua. They’re happy to venture outside of the five boroughs for weddings, provided brides and grooms are willing to order packages totaling at least $6,000. Worth it? Maybe, depending on how much you like flowers.

Unfortunately, Saipua doesn’t ship as they prefer to think of themselves as full-service florists. For that price, they better be. Those of us who are already married and those who can’t justify devoting that much of a wedding budget to florals can at least look and drool and find inspiration in their bigger, bushier bouquets. Note: There’s plenty of sweet bridal bouquet porn under the cut!

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I’m a bit of a sucker for Lily of the Valley. It was Christian Dior’s favorite flower, you know, and I’m fond of classics. Of late, though, Lily of the Valley doesn’t get used as often as its distant cousin the cala lily. Not for me. I’ve frankly never cared much for calas. Part of it may be the association in my mind with funerals. When I was a girl, calas were for mourning, not celebration.

But sweet, simple, pretty lily of the valley always struck me as a most cheerful flower. They are far better suited in general to a less formal setting, at least by themselves, but when combined with other flowers that stand more on their own dignity, they can be quite charming as a filler:
as you can see here.

But what about lily of the valley on its own? Take a look below the cut and see.
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Everywhere I look lately I’m seeing carnations being used in weddings… more and more often, carnations are appearing in ceremony decor, reception table centerpieces, bridal bouquets, and elsewhere. Truth be told, once upon a time I might have been surprised. Carnations, to me, were the flowers one finds in the cheap corsage the senior prom date purchases minutes before picking up his date or the bouquet hastily bought at the gas station to apologize for some misdeed. But done right, carnations in weddings are beautiful and shockingly elegant.

Far from being just a filler flower, carnations have the most impact when used as the sole bloom in a wedding arrangement. Because of the way their petals are formed, carnations are best used in a big bunch, like in these carnation wedding topiaries from PD Bloom. But that’s not all!

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Over the past few seasons, the color combination of chocolate brown and Tiffany, robin’s egg, or baby blue has reigned supreme. Now, though, it seems folks are ready for a change. The hot new color combo according to the gurus is purple and red.

This colorway can wind up looking like you’re getting married in the middle of a meeting of the Red Hat Society:
but it doesn’t have to. Don’t believe me? Take a look after the cut and see the possibilities.
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Much like the gray and yellow wedding palette, the red and gray wedding palette is sophisticated and elegant. But the red (unlike the yellow) adds something of a maturity. I’d choose gray and yellow for an afternoon wedding, especially one taking place out of doors, while I’d choose red and gray for an evening wedding, one that might be a little more upscale.

I like this color combo more than I like red and black, because red and black can be a little jarring if too much is used alongside white. The gray tones the whole thing down a bit without sacrificing any of the visual interest or drama. Particularly if you’ve chosen a deeper shade of gray.

These beautiful red and gray wedding invitations from Peculiar Pair Press were inspired by the copper facade of the new DeYoung museum in San Francisco, which is where (I think) the reception might have been taking place. It’s a creative idea — if you’re having custom invitations designed, why not incorporate some element of your wedding venue into the final product?

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I wear a lot of black and gravitate toward darker colors, but I’m still of the opinion that if you’re going to choose a bright color palette — for daily wear or a wedding color scheme — then go all the way! You can’t get much brighter than a cerise combined with a lime, a scheme that comes with the added benefit of beautiful contrast AND the ability to make whites pop like crazy. Take a look at Lauren and Jim’s pink and green wedding, which featured gorgeous flowers by the talented Krista Jon and was photographed by Greg Wyatt.

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I can’t get enough of these awesome alternative bridal bouquets crafted by Design Whimsy. Each is custom made for the bride (or bridesmaid) who will carry it in the wedding, and almost all are made with far more ribbons, feathers, and brooches than flowers, if in fact they include any flowers at all! Check these out:

I love them and wish I’d known about them when I was getting married. I made my own bridal bouquet and was extremely proud of the results of my efforts, but I’d have been equally happy letting someone else do the work. The prices on these vary quite a bit due to differing materials costs, but from what I can tell they’re generally reasonably priced. All in all, they’re a neat alternative to traditional floral bridal bouquets.

Like what you see? You can view a lot more Design Whimsy creations here!