How to Choose Flowers for Your Bridal Bouquet – 3 Factors to Consider

One of the things a bride looks forward to most is designing her floral bouquet. Either working with a florist or doing it on your own, you still need to decide which flowers to have in your wedding bouquet. After all, the bridal bouquet will be your most important accessory as you walk down the aisle. It makes it into a lot of photos and some brides even preserve their bridal bouquet afterwards.

The tradition of brides carrying flowers during their wedding dates back to ancient Greece. Women carried fragrant herbs and wildflowers to ward off evil spirits during the ceremony. Most of the flowers in their bouquet were also symbols of good luck, fertility, and joy. 

Today, many brides select their bouquet flowers based on their favorite color or flower and how the bridal bouquet fits in with the overall wedding decor. Others prefer to go with traditional wedding blooms and some brides go want flowers that carry meaning. With so many options, where do you start? To help you figure out which flowers are best for your bridal bouquet, the experts here at Conklyn’s Flowers, list 3 important factors you should consider when choosing flowers for your bridal bouquet.

Choosing Flowers for the Bridal Bouquet

First, ask yourself what type of flowers do you want in your bridal bouquet? Seasonal flowers, of course, are the most economic and affordable option, but ignoring that for the moment, really think about what you want. Do you want the traditional, popular wedding flowers, flowers of a particular color, or flowers with symbolic significance? We break down these three categories for you below.

Bouquet with Peonies and Roses

1. Traditional and Most Popular Wedding Flowers 

It’s no coincidence some flowers have a constant presence in many bridal bouquets…and it’s because they are pretty spectacular. The top seven most popular flowers in a bridal bouquet are:

Roses – Of course! The rose has long been and will likely continue to be one of the most popular wedding flowers. Coming in a wide array of colors, the shape, sweet fragrance, and overall loveliness of the rose is hard to match.

Tulips – Elegant and stunning, tulips add passion and old-world charm.

Calla Lilies – Graceful and sophisticated, Calla lilies grouped together on their own is striking as a bridal bouquet. They also blend well with other blooms.

Lily of the Valley – Classic, timeless, innocent yet luxurious, these dainty flowers are popular with British royalty. 

Hydrangeas – Lush and bountiful, hydrangeas come in an array of soft, romantic hues.

Peony – Considered by many as the quintessential wedding flower, many brides desire the lush, fluffy peony bloom in their bouquet. Its shades of pink, red,  cream, and yellow are divine. 

Ranunculus – Full of numerous crepe-paper thin petals swirled together into a tightly compacted bloom, the ranunculus brings texture and intrigue to bouquets.

Wedding bouquet in shades of dark pink

2. Flowers in Your Favorite Color

Monochromatic bridal bouquets are chic and trendy, and they are also absolutely stunning. A bridal bouquet composed of flowers of different shades of one color works great as part of an overall color scheme for your wedding as well as a singular work of art on its own. Showcasing a variety of flowers, shapes, and textures all in shades of the same color palette is a great way to include your favorite color and show some of your personality. 

Wedding bouquet with Dahlias and Roses

3. Flowers With Significant Symbolism

If you collect good luck charms and trinkets, then you’ll want to have flowers that bring good luck and wedded happiness to be in your bridal bouquet for sure! If you don’t necessarily believe in luck but fascinated by the cultural symbolism attached to certain flowers, then you’ll want to include some “good luck” florals in your bouquet. Luckily (ha!), there are plenty of beautiful flowers that symbolize good fortune, joy, and wedded bliss, such as:

Rose – Love, Enduring Passion, Joy, Desire

Peony – Romance, Happy Marriage, Prosperity

Baby’s Breath – Unity, Long-Lasting Love

Sunflower – Loyalty, Longevity, Happiness

Dahlia – Elegance, Everlasting Bond

Lilac – First Love, Tranquility, Passion

Ranunculus – Charm, Attraction

Daisy – Friendship, Motherhood, New Beginnings

Tulip – True Love

Orchid – Love, Beauty, Luxury

Stephanotis – Happy Marriage, Travel

So, when deciding what type of flowers you want in your bridal bouquet, think about what’s most important to you – that the bridal bouquet be full of stunning traditional wedding flowers, full of flowers in a similar color, or containing flowers that have significant meaning. Can you have all three of these things in your bouquet? Of course! That’s when you know you have the perfect bridal bouquet!