Bouquet Sizes and Styles

There are many wedding bouquet styles it can be quite a confusing time for a bride to figure out which one is which and who has what. I have popped together a bit of a guide for you in regard to the shapes and sizes of each bouquet.

Round Bouquet

A round bouquet is a perfectly rounded bouquet in a half sphere shape.  These can be made with ribbon covered stems or natual stems Standard size is approx 25cm across and large size is approx 30cm across.

Teardrop Bouquet

A teardrop can come in many forms but the basic shape is still the same it is a round bouquet with a pointy bit at the bottom. A true teardrop will always have a specific point at the bottom of the bouquet. It may be a very long thin point or small but the theory is all the same it come to a true teardrop shaped point. A standard teardrop is approx 25x35cm, a large teardrop is approx 30x45cm.

Cascade Bouquet

A cascade and teardrop are often mixed up by brides as you have just read a teardrop will come to a point a cascade still is a round bouquet at the top but then the flowers will feather down giving a shower of flowers appearance and have no specific pointy end like a teardrop. Cascade bouquets are usually quite large showy bouquets. Cascade approx 30cm wide and 45cm long. A waterfall cascade is approx 25cm wide and 45cm long.

Pendant Bouquet

A pendant bouquet is a smaller version of a cascade bouquet A pendant bouquet will be approx 25cm across and 35 cm long.

TIP

Get a piece of floral wrapping paper and cut out the shape of the size bouquets you are thinking of and hold it up in front of you while in your wedding dress, this will give you a good idea of what the real thing will look like size wise.

Arm sheaf Bouquet

This is a style of bouquet that lays flat in your arms, it will generally have a front and a back where there is flat greenery or no flowers where you lay this into the crook of your elbow. The stems can be long or medium sort of length with this style bouquet. The length of this bouquet will vary depending on the size and type of flowers being used.

Upstanding Bouquet

This is similar to an arm sheaf however the flowers go all the way around the bouquet and you hold the bouquet straight up and down in front of you. The stems are a medium length.

Who Carries What?

Who carries what? Does a flower girl have to have a posy? What size flowers should my bridesmaids have?  Who has a buttonhole, and a corsage?  What is the difference between a buttonhole and a corsage? Do I have to have a particular size bouquet? The questions are endless and every wedding is a bit different there is no right or wrong but this will give you a bit of an idea of what commonly happens with the carrying of flowers on the big day.

Bride

A bride in most cases carries a bouquet of some description usually 25-30cm across or more or a larger sized bouquet. This is a general guide however in some cases brides choose smaller bouquets or a wrist corsage for more informal weddings.

Bridesmaids

A bridesmaid usually carries similar flowers to the bride but a smaller bouquet usually around 20cm, once again this is a general rule a bridesmaid can have smaller sized posies or upstanding bouquets or an arm sheaf. It is most common that a bridesmaid flowers will be similar or the same as the brides but smaller and quite often a different colour to the bride, for example the bride may have white and the bridesmaids with pink flowers using the same flowers or similar. Wrist corsages can also be an option.

Junior Bridesmaids

Junior bridesmaids are usually a young lady too old to be a flower girl but too young to be a bridesmaid. This person would usually carry something to match the bridesmaids flowers but slightly smaller. Wrist corsages could also be an option.

Throw away posy.

You will often find that a florist will throw this in if your order is over a certain amount. In most cases this will be a replica of the brides flowers in a smaller round bouquet. Do not expect the posy to be the same size as your flowers and do not expect that the throw posy to be made to match the bridesmaid flowers. If you need to pay for this item choose perhaps a junior bridesmaid posy or flower girl posy to keep the costs down to throw as this tradition rather than giving away your flowers. Keeping your wedding flowers is a nice memory particularly if they were artificial. If they were fresh you may want to try and dry them yourself or take them to someone to preserve depending on your location.

Flower Girls

Flower girls tend to carry many different and varied items on a wedding day, keep in mind the age of the little one as some children are very young and can become bored over a long wedding day so giving them something that can be a little bit fun or suited to their age would be a good idea.  Some ideas would be a posy, tin pail or bucket of flowers, wrist corsage, full basket of flowers, petal basket with flowers around the edge of the basket with rose petals to scatter (check with your venue some places do not allow rose petals or confetti and so on), fairy wands (looks great with some fairy wings), wreath, sheaf, handbag, parasol, teddy bears. The list goes on what a flower girl carries is up to your imagination and your florist’s skill to pull it off.

Buttonholes for the gents in the bridal party

A buttonhole is a small adornment of flowers generally for the groom and groomsmen to match the flowers that the bride and bridesmaid are carrying. Keep in mind that not all flowers are good for buttonholes as they may be too big so check with your florist for some ideas if you have large flowers like lilies as to what you can use.  In a lot of cases the colour that the bride or bridesmaid is carrying in her flowers is used for the buttonholes for the groom and the groomsmen, or they can be all the same for the groom and groomsmen.  Keep in mind your pageboy too or junior groomsmen may need a slightly smaller buttonhole and this would normally match the grooms flower and colours for his buttonhole.

Buttonholes and Corsages for mums and dads and other special people.

It is customary for the bride and groom to organize a gift of a buttonhole and or corsage for the mums, and dads, and perhaps even other special people around the place such as grandparents or uncles or aunties that are special or any other special people that you feel may need one such as an usher for example or just someone who means a lot to you.  In a lot of cases it is just the mums and dads. The thing to remember here is the flower’s and colours that you choose are the safest if you choose very neutral colours which are not likely to clash with the colours the ladies are going to be wearing on the day. It is up to you as to if you have matching flowers to the flowers in the bridal party or not.  There are no rules to say the buttonholes and corsages must match the bridal flowers. It is however quite important to have the partners such as the mums and the dads matching so for example if you have frangipani for a dad you would also have the frangipani for the mum that is the matching partner. In most cases a lady would have a shoulder corsage this is what most florists will quote you for if you would prefer the ladies to have wrist corsages you need to tell your florist as wrist corsages are usually a bit more expensive than a shoulder corsage. I am aware that in this day and age that there are a lot of mums and dads that are no longer together and may have moved on with new partners and so on, it is customary depending on the family dynamics to also give a buttonhole or corsage to the partner of your mother or father in these cases this is clearly a choice for the bride and groom. Always keep in mind the giving of a buttonhole or corsage is a sign of respect for the person you are giving it to.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How far before my wedding should I order my flowers? your flowers will take a minimum of 3-4 months to make from order date/payment date until they are finished, keeping in mind this is a minimum of two months please order your flowers with at least 4 month to spare if Australian customers and 5 months to spare for overseas customers.

SHOP OPEN NOW

Are you in Adelaide or coming to town soon ... come and see me at the times listed below. I look forward to seeing you very soon.

75 Walkerville Terrace, Walkerville SA

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 12pm - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday - by appointment only
Central Australian Standard time, outside these hours limited appointments only

What are the Sizes of the Bouquets? measurements are straight accross and length of bouquets if a tear design. Cascade 300x450-500mm, Pendant bouquet 250x350mm, Waterfall 250x450-500mm, Large Teardrop 300x450-500mm, Standard Teardrop 250x350mm, Large Round 300mm, Standard Round 250mm, Bridesmaid 200mm, Junior Bridesmaid 170mm, Flower girl 140mm.

HI Millie. I love Emmas flowers can you give me a quote for the same as what she had? Of course I can however I have done weddings for about 10 different Emma’s so I would need a rough idea which Emma’s flowers you are looking at, the names in the folders and in the galleries on the web-site are the real peoples names from each wedding. Often there will be names that will overlap and I will have more than one wedding with the same persons name I only use the first name of course.  If you can simply give me an indication of where you have seen a picture of flowers that you like or which folder or even cut and paste it in an e-mail to me that would be great so I can serve you a bit better. Thanks Millie.

Do you send your flowers to my state in Australia? This is my most common question and the answer is YES. I can send flowers to every part of Australia. This is particularly useful to the more remote areas of the outback as there may only be a local florist many km away. If you live in the next suburb or town or state it is all the same I send everywhere. The good thing for you is that I am in Adelaide so I am very central to all other states which keeps your costs down. The flowers are all artificial so they will last no worries when sent anywhere in Australia.

I am not in Australia can I still buy flowers from you? Yes you can, please request a catalogue like normal but be aware that the pricing is in Australian Dollar Amounts. I do not list pricing in your currency you will have to check this on your banks currency converter. If you look on your banks website you will probably find a money converter to tell you the pricing from AUD to your currency. You can pay by credit card only. Overseas orders must have a payment form filled in and posted or faxed back to me to place an order.

How are my flowers packaged? I spend a lot of time and effort making your flowers and I want them to reach you in good condition as much as you do so packaging is very high on my priority list. Everything I make is packaged in boxes. All flowers are wrapped in acid free paper to avoid any damage on their journey. I have never had any problems with packaging thus far, all flowers have arrived in perfect condition 100% of the time. I try to be environmental with my packaging using recycled boxes as much as possible this keeps costs down you and I, at times I am unable to find the right size box so I use purchased ones, I wear this cost however it is not as environmental.

I live in Adelaide can I come to your shop and have a look? we are open please come and see me

I want to leave some feedback for you on a forum is this ok with you to do? Sure but remember what ever you write on a forum is permanant it cannot be taken away, my business survives on word of mouth advertising and the best form of this is for a happy bride to tell other brides just where the best place is to get their flowers from. However as most of you know in the industry of retail or any other industry there is always one person that you cannot keep happy no matter how hard you try, I would not get 400 bookings for weddings a year unless I do a good job and have good skills but there is always someone who is still not happy, remember what you say good or bad on a forum is permanant and can do a lot of good or a heap of damage if you say something bad without the business being able to put their point of view across too. If you have an issue no matter how big or small come to me dont put it on a forum. Often it only makes the bride who has written it look bad in the end.

My wedding is in two weeks and I would really like to buy flowers from you, can you help? This will depend on a lot of things, ability to get stock in time, where you are if you are in a remote place or overseas it will not be possible due to postage times, if I am snowed in with work sometimes I cannot but contact me I want to help if I can it is better to ask than assume no.

What rights do I have if I change my mind about the flowers or the wedding is cancelled? If you are feel the flowers are faulty you need to inform me within three days of receiving the flowers to organize a exchange (excluding postage and handling), if you simply change your mind about the style of flowers or collection you have chosen or you have chosen to cancel your wedding (canceling your wedding is the same as changing your mind) or you get the flowers and the colours do not match/you have chosen wrong, you are not entitled to a refund or exchange. You need to let me know straight away before I have started making the flowers if you change your mind about the style or type of the flowers. If you choose that you want to make changes to the flowers (flower type, colour, style) from what has originally been ordered a fee of $35 per hour will be applicable to cover my costs in time and extra ribbon to re make flower arrangements on top of any extra flower costs. Within days of ordering your flowers they will be purchased from warehouses ready to be made changes are not available after your flowers are ordered unless you are prepared to pay for new flowers. If the flowers are damaged in transit you must also notify me within three days or not accept the delivery with the courier. I will rectify the problem on a case by case matter. Be aware that most of my business comes from word of mouth. If you are happy or not happy with your flowers or my service you are going to tell people which guarantees I will give you the best quality and service I possibly can. I do always try to e-mail pictures of the flowers to you where possible so that you have a good idea of what they look like before they are sent so you can say if you are not happy before they leave my workshop.

Do you do fresh flowers too? Sorry for any inconvenience but I no longer do any fresh flowers for local weddings any more. All quotes for flowers locally will be for artificial only.

How do you work out the delivery costs? I will be in-touch with each bride individually to work out the cost for your postage and handling. I use Australia Post to deliver my blooms anywhere in Australia and Overseas they charge different amounts for different areas. My business wears a certain amount of the cost for delivering your flowers however I do try to keep the costs low for your flowers so I do need you the client to cover most of the delivery and handling charges. Even with the delivery cost you will still pay less to get your flowers from me than your local florist as I work from home and don’t have the same overheads as a shop. You should expect to pay from around $25 to $35 in most cases, upper QLD, WA and NT possibly can be more. I do not make a profit from delivery I just charge the amount they will charge me. For Overseas Customers it does vary from country to country quite a bit I will let you know the postage costs.

What do I do if I forgot some-ones bouquet or buttonhole on my order? Just call me I can do extra buttonholes or corsages and put them in the post for you or if you have added a flower girl or bridesmaid at the last minute and need flowers I can help. I offer personalized service and any problem can be overcome. I’m just a phone call away.

I have noticed that the edges of Artificial Flowers fray sometimes why? Most Artificial flowers are made from fabric and as the shape of each petal is cut it is often and in most cases cut across the bias of the fabric. When this happens it causes fraying. It is possible that any artificial fabric flowers can have some fraying on the edges of the bias of the fabric. I try to choose flowers where this problem is lower but there is no way around it. It is very slight in most cases you have to look very close to see this happen and your guests would not notice this in your flowers. It is a part of Artificial flowers that is unavoidable. In a lot of cases these days flowers are heat sealed around the edge of the petals. Some florists cut around the edge of each petal to clear fraying, this can cause more damage than good.

Do you send out samples of the flowers? I am asked quite a lot to send out samples of flowers and it is a massive expense to the business to do this. I certainly don’t want to have to increase the cost of my bouquets to incorporate such costs. If I have spare flowers lying around I may be able to send samples however in quite a few cases I don’t have them just lying around. Often suppliers sell flowers by the box of a dozen or two dozen not just one stem at a time. I am aware that you would like to see the flowers in your hand and know the quality of the product before you commit to making a purchase. A lot of customers purchase a small item that they are likely to use in their wedding such as a flower girl posy or a corsage or buttonhole which gives you a low cost way of seeing how the flowers really look and still be able to use the flowers on the wedding day. I am more than happy to do this and I do try to send samples if I can. In some cases I may need to charge a small fee to send samples.

Can you make me a sample bouquet and email me some pictures so I can see what it will look like? This is a very common question and the answer is if I have the stock on hand and the time I can put something together to give you an idea of what something will look like. I cannot do this if I have to purchase flowers to make a bouquet. The reason if I were to do this I would be making around 30 or more bouquets per week so people can get an idea of what they look like. This would be a huge burden to the business to buy this many flowers per week to show customers. The same as when buying at a florist shop you may have to use your imagination a little as they are unlikely to make sample bouquets too. Please do not be offended if my answer is no to making a sample bouquet, if I have the flowers in stock I am more than happy to do this and e-mail you some photos.

Which way do I attach a Corsage? The ribbon should be facing up. A corsage is like a very small bunch of flowers and the flowers face down with the stem of the corsage up. Unlike a Buttonhole which goes around the other way.

How do I attach a buttonhole or corsage with the pin? The old fashioned way of making a corsage or buttonhole was to use Pearl Head pins to attach (This is still available if preferred) However you need to be a rocket scientist to get them to stay put or not stab yourself so I use brooch pins. They are even Nervous Groom proof. Ha Ha.

Will your flowers be ok to use with fish in my vases for the guests tables at my wedding? This is a really popular trend at the moment to have live fish in vases with flowers on the tables for a bit of added attraction for your guests. I do not recommend this at all due to the stress you are likely to put these little fish through.  More often in my experience the staff at your function center will be very distressed about the fish and your guests may also feel the same. Most artificial flowers have paint on the stems and so on which are not suitable to go in the water with fish. Fresh flowers too are often toxic and should not be put in the water with fish it will only cause terrible stress and probably a not very nice death for the poor fish. If you must have fish please put no flowers in the water with them just to be safe and make sure they have a good home to go to the next day. Purchasing pets is for life.

I would like to purchase some loose flowers rather than bouquets can you please tell me who your suppliers are so I can buy them too? I get this question or similar about 4-5 times per week either in phone calls or e-mails and I am terribly sorry, but for what I would think are obvious reasons I really cannot give out the names of my suppliers and importers. I have spent many years sourcing some of the best quality and unusual flowers from all over Australia and the world. I have quite literally spent hours and hours looking and hunting for this information. I have no problem with my competitors stocking the same flowers that I also sell but I am not likely to tell you who to get the flowers from I am sorry. I do not sell wholesale flowers anymore.

Hi you have just emailed me some pictures of my flowers that I have ordered from you. I love them but I have changed my mind I would prefer a different colour rose that what is in there now? I can make any changes you wish but you must understand a couple of things, firstly I have already paid for the stock that you originally ordered and now must purchase more stock for you so firstly you will need to pay for the additional flowers that I am purchasing for you also it takes time to remake the bouquet, an average bouquet takes around 2-3 hours to make so time will be charged at $35 per hour to make any changes to the bouquet from what you have originally ordered. If you want to change your mind this is ok but you really need to let me know before I have purchased your stock and started work on your flowers.

Can I have a bridesmaid bouquet made and posted to me and then decide? Yes you can but keep in mind that when ordering one item separate from the rest of your order there may be variances in the colour lots if ordered at different times or the look of the bouquet as everything is made by hand in my workshop, I try to make things look as close as possible but this is a risk that you will be taking.

I live in South Austraila can I pick up my flowers or have my Mum pick up the flowers instead of paying for delivery costs? Of course you can. Please keep in mind I work specific hours so I can organize with you a time and day that would suit both of us for collection rather than just normal 9-5 like a lot of shops...

Payment Options and NEW Deposit System Offer

Payment Options

Payments for flowers can be made by Credit Card, Direct Deposit, Money Order, Cheque and if local Cash.  Your payment is not considered placed until all moneys are received and fully cleared, if you are ordering at the end of a promotion options such as money order and cheque may no longer work as an option due to timeframes. If ordering via an order /payment form the payment details will be on the form.

NEW DEPOSIT PAY LATER OPTION
60% deposit now pay later offer. This offer is available for orders with a flower total $450 and over, if there is at least 4 months spare before your wedding only, no bonuses will apply, nothing free will come with your order you forgo this by taking up the deposit and pay later option. This offer does not apply with any discounted flowers ever. Once you have placed your order and paid a deposit brides often feel as they have not fully paid for their order they can make changes...no changes to that order are applicable. Flowers will be purchased for your order in the coming weeks if you change your mind you will need to pay for new flowers to be purchased and if you cancel you will be sent the unmade loose flowers that have been purchased for you up the the value of the 60% deposit, in most cases 60% does not cover the full cost of your flowers, your deposit is not refundable. If you need to order additional items a new order can be placed.

UPFRONT PAYMENT OPTION
Preferred - payment in full at the time of ordering as a bonus for paying up front ... if your flower total is over $450 and you have at least 4 months spare before your wedding you will receive free postage up to $50 and free throw posy gift with purchase.  (throw posy gift with purchase value $50 only, 15-17cm round with matching flowers from brides bouquet only.)

My Flower total is less than $450 and or less than 4 months before the wedding

Due to time restraints and minmum orders that I need to place with importers these weddings are expected to pay as an upfront purchase. Also due to lower cost wedding flower total and penalty for not ordering before the 4 month cut off no bonuses will apply, there is no free give aways with this option.

Monthly special, bundled blooms, package deals

these offers are discounted flowers, upfront payment applies in keeping with each offers rules, no bonuses will apply unless otherwise stated.

DISCOUNT OFFER

Free Throw Away Posy and Free postage offer

All orders placed over $450 and paid in full at the time of ordering (not including Postage and handling not including the cost of the throw posy in the $450) will receive a free throw away posy/spray to match the collection of wedding flowers that you have chosen. Throw away posy will match the brides flowers only.  Free Throw Away Posy/Spray offer is strictly not available with any other offer. Flowers to the value of $50 only. Free Throw Away Posy/Spray Offer Offer subject to change at weddingbunchesandblooms.com.au’s discresion. One throw posy only per wedding. Not available with installments offer, bundled blooms, package deals or deposit offer/s.

Monthly Special Offer

Offer Strictly not valid with any other offer. Available from this web site only, Monthly Special offers will not be listed in my catalogue. Offer valid for customer who orders and pays in the designated month of the offer listed on the web site. Order forms will only be sent out up until the last day of the designated month of that offer. A new offer will be listed on the first day of each month. Monthly specials offer is only available to orders with a minimum of 4 months from the end of the promotion to spare, orders with less timeframe than listed on the monthly specials page will have to pay full pricing for the collection. The old offer will be removed at the first day of the month being replaced with the new offer. Offer not available with installment system. Offer is available with delay delivery system. Offer subject to change at weddingunchesandblooms.com.au discression. Not available with deposit offer.

Package Deal Offer

Package deal offer page will have a number of packages that have already been made awaiting purchase. Each offer will have notes as to the likely hood of being able to make more items either at normal or package deal pricing.  There will be not changes made to the package deals what you see in the pictures are exactly what they look like as these are the actual flowers you would be buying.  If a bride contacts me to ask for the flowers I will pop them on hold while payment is being made and then once they are removed from the web-site they are fully sold. Payment must be made within three working days or the item will be placed back out for sale. Items can be removed and replaced on the page, you cannot request a package to be made the other collections and custom made flowers are still available for sale. Please see the q and a section on the package deals page for more info. Not available with deposit offer. Not available with installments offer, not available with any other discounts.

Bundled Blooms Offer

The Bundled blooms offer is a bundle of specific flowers that is available for purchase at a lower than normal price, there is a minimum order amount. You may order over this amount but if you are wanting to order less than this amount you must purchase the whole order at the normal collection pricing. This promotion will be advertised in upcoming issues of the free catalogue cd. Please see Q and A section on the bundled blooms page for full details. Not available with deposit offer.

If you would like more information or a quote for the flowers you are looking for, if you would like a catalogue posted out or you have any questions please contact me on the details below.

75 Waklerville Tce, Walkerville SA 5081

E-mail   weddingbunches@optusnet.com.au

Weekdays 9am-3pm ACST SHOP Phone/Fax/Answering Machine 08 83 444 222 (from time to time I will be out please leave a message on the machine it takes a while to kick in)

From 3.30pm -5.30pm ACST call my mobile 0413 033 099 (if I have not answered this number I am either driving, in a meeting or it is after hours please leave a message at the shop landline number, note it takes a while to kick in or e-mail me so I can get back to you as soon as I get your message...)

Postal address PO BOX 348, Walkerville SA 5081

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