Advice for the Bridal Bouquet - 1910

Advice for the Bridal Bouquet - 1910

The wedding bouquet, once considered indispensable, is now often replaced by a prayer book bound in ivory, white silk, or perhaps a piece of the material from which the wedding gown is fashioned.

When the service is to be followed by the communion, as is often the case, the bride usually dispenses with the bouquet and carries the prayer book, and from this, she reads according to the service.

When the bouquet is carried, it should be enormous and tied with white ribbon, the ends of which fall far down upon the gown in front. Orange-blossoms are seldom made up into bouquets, lilies-of-the-valley, bride roses, orchids, white lilac, sweet peas, and chrysanthemums being the flowers most favored, or a combination of several of these is often employed.

Brides still prefer the shower bouquet, this pretty style is affected by many narrow satin ribbons falling from the bouquet, trailing down, and knotted with blossoms, making a shower all the way to the foot of the skirt. Bridesmaids at a recent wedding carried bunches of delicate ferns.

At another wedding, the bridesmaids carried armfuls of long-stemmed pink roses tied with broad pink satin ribbons. When bouquets are carried the fashion is to hold them low down, far below the waistline, particularly the bride’s bouquet; while the bridesmaids may carry theirs on the arm if preferred. However, a sheaf of roses, or, at Easter weddings, of lilies, is often brought on the arm of the bride.

When roses are carried, the thorns are stripped from the stems which are often covered with tin foil. Bouquets for bride and bridesmaids are usually tied with knots of tulle—the bride’s white, the maids’ of a color to match their gowns.

Instead of a “shower bouquet,” it is also fashionable for a bride to carry a “sheaf” of lilies-of-the-valley or white orchids, or to carry on the right arm a bunch of long-stemmed bride roses. The flowers may be tied with white tulle or chiffon instead of ribbon if either is fancied.

A very charming idea which is now quite popular was carried out at a recent wedding when the bride’s bouquet was made in six separate parts tied together by a white satin ribbon.

When she was going away she threw the bouquet among her six bridesmaids, the ribbon winch bound the six separate bouquets together having been removed, and thus to each bridesmaid fell a share of the flowers.

In each part was hidden a coin, a ring, or a charm, showing that the coin would bring wealth, the ring a wedding, and the charm good luck. Often when there is no ring, and the bouquet is one mass of flowers, the bride tosses it among her maids, and, of the latter, she who is fortunate enough to secure it is looked upon by all those present as the one next to be wed.

Lilies-of-the-valley, white orchids, and gardenias or a combination of all three, with a spray of orange-blossoms besides, are often used in adorning a single wedding costume, while white lilacs and narcissus are no less popular for the bride whose taste runs to simplicity rather than display.

Of course, a wreath of orange blossoms resting on a pretty head is always appealing to the eye and will still be the accepted adornment of many brides who hold to old-fashioned fancies upon their wedding day.

The wedding bouquet may, however, be composed of a bride’s favorite flowers, whether they are white lilacs, rosebuds, apple blossoms, orchids, jasmines or any delicate white or almost white blossom. Greater latitude is now allowed in this regard than had been dreamed of until now.

 At a charming country wedding, the bride carried a bouquet composed entirely of apple-blossoms, maidenhair, and asparagus ferns. Her veil was also draped with apple-blossoms.

This wedding, however, was celebrated in the open, upon a broad lawn bordered with apple trees, on a beautiful June day. A temporary altar had been erected enclosed in a bower of apple-blossoms, and the effect was beautiful beyond description.

Clark, Jean Wilde, Ed., Weddings and Wedding Anniversaries: The Bride’s Bouquet, New York, The Butterick Publishing Company, 1910, p. 24-26.

Captions for Images of Bouquets

For the matron of honor are mignon, Mrs. Ward and small red roses, with violets and yellow streamers.
Many spring brides will carry shower bouquets of lilies-of-the-valley and white orchids.
Bridesmaid's bouquet of pink roses, asparagus fern, pink ribbon and chiffon.
New Ophelia roses, shading from shell pink to pale yellow, a paper frill and yellow streamers.
Shower bouquet of lilacs, lilies-of-the-valley and small orchids with white satin ribbons.
For the bridal luncheon, corsage bouquet favors of sunburst roses on ostrich-feather fan.

Image from Harper's Bazaar, April 1916, p. 136.

Note: We have edited this text to correct grammatical errors and improve word choice to clarify the article for today’s readers. Changes made are typically minor, and we often left passive text “as is.” Those who need to quote the article directly should verify any changes by reviewing the original material.

 

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