Wedding 101: How to Hold Your Bouquet
Posted by Jolene on Jun 11, 2008. Filed under Ceremony, Expert Advice, Flowers
Comments (13), Permalink
You would think the right way to hold a wedding bouquet would be obvious. “Uh, in two hands?” But no, it isn’t. I’ve endured countless clueless TV weddings, where the bride botched the bouquet thing. One of the more memorable flubs was the wedding of Karen Darling on ABC’s Dirty, Sexy, Money. This was like her 5th time down the aisle or something Elizabeth-Taylorish. This chick is super high-society (think Ivanka Trump), with the crème de la crème of wedding vendors in attendance (who should have done something with her hair!), along with a host of paparazzi.
What really rankled me was that this oh-so-experienced fictional bride (who had the nerve to wear white) carried her bouquet all wrong. I’d like to think her lack of attention to her most important accessory was a bit of directorial foreshadowing—by the time dessert was served, Karen Darling had said “I don’t anymore.” Well, “That’s TV,” I tell myself. “They don’t have the time to focus on details.” But you would think a major film hit, a film hit about weddings no less, would be able to get it right.
Sadly, that isn’t so. Last night, while my husband was deep into the NBA finals, I finally got a chance to pop in the DVD for 27 Dresses. Yes, it was adorable, funny, heartwarming, (predictable)… But to my shock and awe, in the grand finale, the moment we’ve all been waiting for…Jane walked down the aisle with her bouquet held chest-high, obscuring the bodice of her mother’s heirloom wedding gown over which she’d had such conniptions.
“No, Jane, No!” I yelled at the TV. Look, this gal had supposedly been to more weddings than, well, her fiancé who (spoiler alert) writes the wedding column for the local fictional newspaper. She should know how to hold her bouquet!
Which brings me to my point, oh brides-to-be. As you make your dramatic entrance down the wedding aisle, hold your bouquet just below your waist. Simple, elegant, and the best way to show off the décolletage on your Lazaro gown. This goes for bridesmaids, too, by the way.
Got it? Bouquets beneath your waist. Now let’s see how many future prime-time brides will follow my advice.
UPDATE: This just in from my Real Simple.com Weddings newsletter:
“In full-length shots, be sure that you and your bridesmaids hold your flowers below waist level. This creates a more flattering silhouette, ensures that the flowers don’t compete with faces or dress bodices, and lengthens arms, which makes them look leaner. In close-ups, hold the flowers above the waist, so they are captured in the frame.”
I hate to say I told you so, but if the white satin Grazia wedding pumps fit…!
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Comments
Hm, I wonder if I unwittingly held my bouquet too high at the last wedding I was in…
But I wonder, do second (or third, or fourth) time brides really avoid white nowadays? I figured anything goes!
Well, Lisa, you’re right—anything goes color-wise for the gown…except when you’re a well-known tramp, like that Karen Darling!
This never would have occured to me!
Holding your flowers at your chest is just a more natural position for your arms to be in. You have to really think about holding the bouquet lower.
I am tring to pair the queen of the night tulip(black looking flower)...with flowers that are red, which shouldnt be a probelm but what do i do to incorporate silver? are there any flowers that look silver? Also does anyone have any ideas about other things to do in the whole black silver red concept.Flowers
I haven’t really thought about this ... until now. Your tip really makes sense! I go to weddings on time so I could watch the bride walk down the aisle. Then I pretty much stare out into space or let my eyes wander among the other guests as I make my own criticisms on their dresses and tuxedos ... until the time comes when the groom gets to kiss his bride.
You’re right. Looking back, I never really had a chance to look at brides’ gowns as they were walking down the aisle because their bouquets were generally held high on their chests. Now I’m trying to recall how I held mine on my wedding day ...
Funny how simple things like this fail to come to mind at the exact right moment! Now I want to get married all over again! I just took a peek at some of our wedding photos. I was holding my bouquet chest-high! :( Too bad none of the photos of me walking down the aisle were able to capture the awesome beadwork of my gown.
Now I wanna rush out of the room to take a peek at my wedding photos. I think I was holding my bouquet too high then. I was so giddy, excited and nervous all at the same time that my poor bouquet had to go through much squeezing from me as I was walking down the aisle!
As nervous as I was while I was waiting for my turn to walk down the aisle, everything all turned to mush when the doors opened and I saw the people gathered there to watch my big moment unfold. I think the last thing on my mind then was my bouquet. I was too worried about tripping over my gown that I could hardly relax at all!
Hey, thanks, Jolene! A precious tidbit worth mentioning to friends and clients! :)
Hi Jolene! Funny how small things like these suddenly seem to matter-of-fact as you’re browsing through your wedding photos. I just realized that most of the brides I’ve photographed have indeed been holding their bouquets up to their chests while walking down the aisle. Most have been clutching, really, rather than holding. ;) Such a sensible tip to share with everyone. Thanks!
Do you have any tips for the father of the bride? ;) My brother is to be one soon and he is so nervous about walking down the aisle. I told him to just walk. After all, nobody will really look at him. All eyes will be on the bride. Right? ;)
Right! The best tip I have is to practice. Practice walking down the aisle to the music, and please take your time. Everyone will want to get a good, up-close look at the bride, her dress, her smile, etc. Also, tell him that his daughter needs him to be calm and supportive, even if he’s nervous. Dads have a way of rising to the occasion if their daughters need them!
Good luck, and thanks for visiting HereComesTheGuide.com!
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Jo, this is such a good tip. I didn’t even know about this! Thank goodness I do, now. That’s such a flub I’d commit, too.