To some it may seem crazy that even 18 month later, I can still remember what ingredients I put into a bridal bouquet. Mentally, I spend so much time on each of these artpieces that it makes it nearly impossible for me to forget.
Christina’s bouquet was extra special. She wanted a little touch that I’ll never forget. Loosely tucked into the backside of her bouquet were two tulilps. These tulips were each adorned with their own silk ribbon and were meant to be plucked out and presented as a gift to both the mother of the bride and the groom’s mother as Christina made her way down the aisle.
This was one of the sweetest gestures for one’s mom I’ve ever heard. And while I didn’t actually get to see the moment take place, I can still imagine mom wiping a tear from her eye and cherishing that tulip for the rest of it’s blooming life.
There’s a meaning behind each flower and while I don’t always get into the historical significance of each bloom, I do find it really interesting. Tulip represent perfect love. This type of love is an enduring love between family and partners. I made this choice untensionally, but love how perfect that symbolism is.
Beyond these extrodinary tulips, there where a bunch of other flowers in her bouquet as well, which made it so textural and luscious.
In building the bouquet, I used a couple different varieties of eucalyptus to create my base. I love the soft, blue green tones paired with pink. I seldom stick to only one variety of greens, so I also foraged some wild honeysuckle from my neightborhood. It was at the height of perfection and added leavy green texture along with it’s delicate, honey sweet frangrant blooms.
Foxglove was included next. It adds the perfect linear illusion and also an element of fun with it’s polka dotted little hoods. I had this flown in from California as Michigan’s wasn’t ready quite yet.
I started layering in some focal flowers, including ranunculus, quicksand roses and lilies. Lilies sometimes get a bad rap, but I really like them. They’re bold and showstopping. They transform throughout the day, opening more and more and making your bouquet so differnent from morning to night. I love that. And quicksand roses are my go-to’s, the perfect shade of beigy pink.
As I was layering these ingredients in, something was missing. It just wasn’t “wowing” me. Then I remembered I had two white peony blossoms left in my cooler. These flowers were from a photo shoot earlier that spring and nearly 3 weeks old. But sometimes peonies are magical in that they just seem to last forever. They were perfect.
A couple of clematis and draping tulips around the edge and Christina’s bouquet was complete.
Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography
You can see more from Tina and Chris’s Witt’s Inn Wedding here. I won’t be playing with any flowers this weekend, I’m off to other adventures. Happy Friday!!
