All About Flower Arrangements

Wedding bouquets come in a variety of shapes or styles. It can often be confusing to sort them all out, and tell your florist exactly what type of bouquet you are looking for. The below descriptions cover the most common styles as well as a few styles that are gaining in popularity. Each shape is explained, and common characteristics are included.

Arm Bouquet
A bouquet which is designed to be held in the crook of the arm. Consists of long-stemmed flowers, with long stemmed roses and calla lilies being the most popular. A loosely tied ribbon or bow is sometimes used to keep the bouquet together.

Cascade Bouquet
Also called a waterfall bouquet. This bouquet style is in the shape of a teardrop or a loose triangle. In general, it is slightly rounded at the top and falls to a point. This bouquet has become quite popular in recent years.

Freeform Bouquet
This bouquet often has no discernible shape. As the name implies, this style covers a looser bouquet that often has flowers or greenery coming out at various angles. Spray bouquets are an example of this style, as they generally "spray" in different directions.

Hand-tied Bouquet
Similar to an arm bouquet, with the main difference being the flowers and presentation. Sometimes, you will find roses, but you are just as likely to find other flowers. This bouquet is tied with a ribbon. The ribbon is occasionally decorated with notions such as pearl accents. It can be loosely tied or tightly tied, depending on the look you prefer.

Heart Bouquet
I rarely see these, but they consist of flowers making up two rounded tops and coming down to a point. They are housed in a round bouquet holder. The extra space is generally filled in with gypsum or baby’s breath. The effect is that of a heart shape. This type of bouquet gained a slight following in the eighties.

Nosegay Bouquet
In general, nosegays follow the same shape as a round bouquet. They are usually smaller, and sometimes include the addition of ribbon streamers. They are not as dense as a round bouquet, and may include more greenery. As a result of their smaller size, nosegay bouquets tend to show more trim from the bouquet holder as well. These bouquets are a popular choice for the smaller bridesmaid bouquets or for flower girl bouquets.

Oval Bouquet
This bouquet style is a bit of a hybrid. It mixes a cascade style bouquet with that of a round bouquet. The shape has a less strict form than a cascade bouquet, and is also more rounded. The rounded top comes down in size to a more rounded bottom than that of a cascade bouquet.

Round Bouquet
As the name suggests, this bouquet is circular in shape. It is filled with mostly florals, but can also contain greenery. This condensed bouquet holds a large number of flowers in a compact space. In general, the bouquet is held together in a round bouquet holder. The bouquet holder may or may not have a lace or netting trim surrounding it.

Single Stem
While this is a very simple and elegant look, it is not technically a bouquet as it consists of only one flower. It is only in the past few years that I have noticed a trend towards using only a single flower in place of a bouquet. By far, the calla lily seems the most popular. A long stemmed rose is occasionally used instead. This stem is used in the same manner as the arm bouquet, and is generally placed in the crook of one’s arm.