Wedding Trends: Alternatives to Traditional Floral Bridal Bouquets

There are a variety of reasons why a bride planning a wedding would choose not to use the traditional wedding bouquet, which is usually an arrangement of fresh flowers. Aside from the money spent on using a florist to design a bouquet, using one crafted out of fresh flowers can be costly, particularly if the bouquet is to be used for longer than one day. Brides who have portraits made prior to the ceremony run the risk of carrying a wilted bouquet down the aisle unless they have purchased two bouquets. Because flowers die, they are also not ideal for sentimental people who would like to preserve items used on the wedding day. Some brides elect to use bouquets that don't contain fresh flowers simply out of taste preferences. As you will see, there are some very interesting options out there that are just as beautiful as anything a florist can create.

A bouquet fashioned out of buttons matching the ceremony's color theme is a trend growing in popularity. The addition of lace and/or felt embellishments can give the bouquet a vintage feel, as shown in this button bouquet made by Etsy seller Jillian's Harvest. Button bouquets can even be made for gothic themed ceremonies, such as in this purple and black bouquet from Folksy seller Jamball. RBK Creations can custom-make a button bouquet to match the bride's theme and color choices.

A clever alternative to using a bouquet of real flowers is to carry a bouquet created of fake flowers. I don't mean the cheap-looking cloth flowers like you might find at your local "dollar store," either. There are a number of flower look-a-likes that are just as classy as real flowers, but they don't have to be discarded after the ceremony because they're wilting. Why not try origami flowers? The styles and colors of paper available give the bride countless options. One of the more unique origami bouquets I found was this one made from vintage National Geographic magazines made by Whether Paperworks on Etsy. Crafty brides can even try making their own origami bouquet, using these instructions from Instructables or by watching Joost Langeveld's YouTube video tutorial here. Stylish bouquets can also be created from silk flowers, dressed up with feathers and faux gemstones as seen here at Silk Wedding Designs' website. A jeweled bird or butterfly could easily be added to a silk flower bouquet for spring weddings.

Many brides are steering clear of floral bouquets altogether and moving in the direction of wire or crystal beaded bouquets. Refinerii's bouquets, made from salvaged metals accented with pearl beads or crystals will add a unique, industrial accent to a ceremony. Crystal bouquets, especially those featuring Swarovski or Czech crystals, are also being used as alternatives to fresh flower bouquets. This crystal hand-tied bouquet from Porcelain Roses is on the expensive-side, but is likely to become a family heirloom. These types of bouquets can be customized by use of silver or gold wire and incorporating crystals that match the wedding's color scheme. In line with the recycled metals theme, Studio del Fiore designer Lisa Martin can create a one-of-a-kind bouquet out of vintage brooches and other jewelry, if you have those types of pieces lying around.

Cost, the short lifespan of fresh flowers, personal taste, and the desire to make a unique statement are all reasons why a bride would choose to steer clear of living bouquets. Using floral copycats, button bouquets, origami flowers, and metal bouquets are several suggestions for a bride looking for an alternative to the traditional bouquet. These unique bouquets are available at a variety of shops online, as any Google search will show you. Another advantage of these types of bouquets are that some can be created by a crafty bride (or a bride with crafty friends), keeping costs down even further.

Sources:
Etsy
Folksy
Instructables
Porcelain Roses
Silk Wedding Designs
Studio del Fiore
YouTube