Flowers specifically bridal bouquets would always be part of a wedding even though not all brides like to have their bouquet fresh. But, since this will definitely be a centerpiece in a bride’s attire, aside from the wedding gown of course, choosing the best possible bridal bouquet is quite difficult especially with the tons of ideas all over Pinterest!

Based from my personal experience, it took me months to really decide on how my bridal bouquet would be like. Thankfully, I was able to get expert advise from my florist/event stylist, who really know what he’s talking about. For starters, below is the checklist that I used when decided for my once-in-a-lifetime bridal bouquet!

1. Wedding Theme. This can be a good start to know what possible peg your bridal bouquet can look like. With thousands of bridal bouquet styles, knowing first what you are looking for can eliminate the unnecessary styles. If you have a fixed wedding theme in mind, it will be easier to visualize what your bridal bouquet would look like. For example, if your wedding theme is the trendy Rustic, it’s easier to tell that your bridal bouquet would have greens everywhere or that it’s definitely not arranged too tight.

2. Wedding Color Motif. This is definitely connected with #1. If you know your theme, you should very well know what colors you can play around so your bridal bouquet color won’t look messy, but instead it will look classy and very fresh on the eyes. Unless you’re the type of bride who’s adventurous, you can have yours a full rainbow color palette. Better have your wedding color palette ready. You don’t have to stick with the primary ones but knowing which shade would be nice to combine and would complement your overall look would really help.

3. Wedding Flower Season. Since we live in the Tropics, unfortunately not all wedding flower types is available so better connect it with your wedding month, the flowers that are in full bloom at that time and those flowers that would come cheap during your wedding season. Unless you have the monetary means and would care less about the rates of flowers, then it’s not a problem. But for those budget brides like myself, it is highly important to know at least what flowers are best for your wedding month that would come cheap or at a very affordable rate.

4. Wedding Gown Style. If you’re a detailed bride, you need to consider this as well. I remember having this talk with our florist and he told me that usually brides would care less if the style of their gown would match the style of their bouquet. Better, inquire with your florist about this and inform them first hand what style you will be having with your gown to incorporate the two.

5. Bride’s Height. This is connected with #4 since when we had a meeting with my florist, I informed him that I initially wanted to have a cascade style of flowers but he told me that with my height, I would look smaller, para akong makakain ako ng bulaklak at hindi makikita ang details ng gown ko. So instead he recommended a style that would flatter my height and the design of my gown without making my bouquet look too stiff (the reason why I didn’t get a round one.

6. Bridal Bouquet Style Preferences. The most basic ones are the posey, round, cascade, etc Although there a lot of styles you can still choose from but then try to consider the above before finalizing with “the one”. This link HERE is helpful to start with which lists 19 types of Bridal Bouquets.

7. Flower Type Preferences. This is mostly connected with #1, #2 and #3 since if you already have an idea with your color motif and wedding flower season it will be much easier for you to shortlist only those that will suit your wedding theme, color motif and flower season. This is helpful for budget brides especially when it comes to know which is okay for the pocket and which needs to be ordered overseas. But generally, you can have a great idea through Pinterest which offer lost of images and from this link HERE and HERE. Some would also consider meanings behind the flowers that they use so try to consider that as well.

When you’re done with it, be sure to make a visual Bridal Bouquet Moodboard/Pegs so it will be much easier for you to interpret to your florist about what you want.

8. Bridal Bouquet Accessories. When you have chosen your types of flowers and style, you also need to consider what accessories you want to come with it. Usually, florists would add ribbons and/or lace for the handle. Having a brooch, pearls, swarovski crystals and vintage decors/links would also add some glamour to your bouquet. And for those who have departed loved ones, having a memorial jewelry/pendant with photo is highly encouraged.

9. Budget for the Bridal Bouquet. This of course would be the most logical part of this whole checklist because you need to know if your bridal bouquet would fit your budget. On a normal range, bridal bouquets are usually part of a package when you inquire with a florist but if it’s being booked individually, it can cause from Php 5,000 and up. I even had the chance to inquire one known florist and the bridal bouquet alone would cost around Php 45,000! That was his 2015 rate!

10. Florist. There are a lot of great florists in the Philippines and before you book your florist be sure you already have a good idea how much you’re willing to pay for your bridal bouquet. You can get a good idea from our previous post HERE.