Creating A Beach Wedding Bouquet: A Guide

Planning a beach wedding? One of the most important accessories for your big day is your bridal bouquet. While you could turn to a florist, creating your own bouquet is a great way to save money and add a personal touch.

There are many flowers to choose from for a beach wedding bouquet, from tropical flowers to classic roses. You could opt for a bouquet of orchids, anthuriums, or even a single oversized monstera leaf. If you're looking for something more unique, you could add a charm or a sentimental colour to your bouquet.

To make your own bouquet, you'll need a sharp pair of floral snips, ribbon or floral tape, and, of course, your chosen flowers. It's best to make the bouquet the day before the wedding, so the blooms are at their best. Simply assemble the bouquet, trimming and securing the stems, and you're ready to walk down the aisle!

Choosing flowers and colours

Consider your wedding dress and colour palette:

The bouquet should complement your wedding dress and colour scheme. Do you want complementary colours for a subtle, balanced look or contrasting colours for a bolder, more dramatic effect?

Decide on the style of your bouquet:

Are you going for a classic, tight bouquet or something more whimsical like a cascading garden-inspired arrangement? For a modern and simple design, use one to three varieties of flowers with little to no greenery, and choose florals with interesting textures. For a garden-style bouquet, mix five to seven varieties of florals and greenery, and select flowers with different textures and gestures.

Choose your flowers:

Some popular choices for beach weddings include:

• Succulents: These add a touch of untamed, rugged beauty and are available in various shapes and sizes.
• Peonies: Perfect for early summer beach weddings, peonies are exquisite flowers with delicate yet complex layering of petals that mirror the flow of a wedding gown and the waves of the sea.
• Hydrangeas: Available in seascape hues from seafoam green to cerulean blue, hydrangeas make a beautiful addition to any beach wedding bouquet.
• Calla lilies: Elegant and available in a range of colours, including ivory, blush, yellow, and sunset flame.
• Dahlias: Pom-pom, pincushion, and starlike blooms in hues from eggshell to chocolate make dahlias a versatile choice.
• Orchids: With their feminine allure and pearlescent shimmer, orchids bring a tropical touch to your bouquet.
• Eucalyptus: Fragrant eucalyptus adds a romantic touch with its fresh scent of crushed mint and lavender.
• Anthuriums: Curved into a perfect heart, anthuriums are memorable and glossy, native to South and Tropical America.
• Tropical foliage: Weaving in local foliage, such as ferns, jade vines, monstera, and sacred Ti leaf, adds a sense of place and culture to your bouquet.
• King proteas: These striking flowers symbolise diversity and courage and are sure to be a conversation starter at your beach wedding.

Don't forget the greenery:

In addition to flowers, consider adding some greenery to your bouquet. Popular choices include monstera leaves, banana leaves, Bird of Paradise leaves, palm fronds, and sword ferns.

Remember to choose flowers that are in season and consider buying them from a local grocery store or flower market to save costs.

Sourcing flowers

Determine Your Style

The style of your bouquet will depend on your personal preference and the overall theme of your wedding. Are you aiming for a classic, tight bouquet or something more whimsical like a cascading garden-inspired arrangement? If you're going for a modern and simple design, consider using fewer varieties of flowers (one to three types) with little to no greenery. In contrast, a garden-style bouquet calls for more variety (five to seven types) of flowers and greenery to create a natural, textured look.

Consider Your Wedding Dress and Colour Palette

Think about the style and colour of your wedding dress when choosing your flowers. Do you want your bouquet to complement or contrast your dress? Complementary colours can bring subtle balance, while contrasting colours add drama and make a bold statement.

Source Your Flowers

Now it's time to source your flowers! If you have access to a garden with blooming flowers, that could be a great place to start. Otherwise, local farms, grocery stores, and florists are excellent options for finding fresh flowers that align with your colour palette and theme. Don't be afraid to explore and ask around to find the best sources for the specific flowers you're looking for.

Know What's in Season

When planning a beach wedding, it's essential to consider the seasonality of the flowers you choose. Some flowers, like daffodils, peonies, lilacs, and tulips, are in season during spring, while chrysanthemums and dahlias are more abundant in the fall. Sourcing flowers that are in season can help ensure they are at their freshest and most vibrant for your special day.

Order in Bulk Online

If you're unable to find the flowers you want locally or prefer the convenience of online shopping, you can also order flowers in bulk from online florists or flower delivery services. This option may provide a wider variety of flowers to choose from and can be delivered straight to your door.

Remember, creating a beach wedding bouquet is a creative process, so feel free to experiment and have fun with it!

Timing and preparation

The key consideration when making your own beach wedding bouquet is timing. Ideally, you should make the bouquet the day before the wedding. If your wedding is on a Saturday, source your flowers on Thursday, create the bouquet on Friday, and add the ribbon on the day of the wedding. This will ensure that your blooms are at their best.

When it comes to flower selection, it's important to consider the style of your wedding dress and your colour palette. Decide whether you want complementary colours for a subtle balance or contrasting colours for added drama. If you're going for a modern and simple design, use one to three varieties of florals, very little to no greenery, and flowers with textural interest. For a garden-style bouquet, choose five to seven varieties of florals and greenery, and select flowers with different textural and gestural qualities.

Once you've decided on the style and types of blooms you want, you can source your flowers. If you have access to a garden, see what's blooming there. Otherwise, look at local farms, grocery stores, or order flowers in bulk online to get the floral varieties you want.

Before you start constructing your bouquet, prepare your flower stems and greenery. Remove all the leaves from the floral stems and the bottom halves of the greenery stems. Snip the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle and keep them in a bucket of water as you work. This is especially important if you're using tropical blooms in a dry climate, as you'll want to keep them vibrant until your big day.

Constructing the bouquet

Step 1: Choose your flowers and foliage

Select flowers and foliage that complement your wedding dress and colour palette. For a beach wedding, consider tropical flowers and foliage such as orchids, anthuriums, king proteas, monstera leaves, or bird of paradise flowers. You can also add interesting elements like seashells or starfish for a beachy touch.

Step 2: Prepare your flowers

Using sharp floral snips, remove all the leaves from the floral stems and the bottom halves of any greenery stems. Cut the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle and place them in a bucket of water to keep them fresh while you work. This preparation will help your bouquet look neat and last longer.

Step 3: Build the shape

Start building the shape and framework of your bouquet. Stand in front of a mirror to get a clear idea of how the bouquet will look from the front. Begin with a base of greenery or larger flowers, then add in your focal flowers. Continue adding smaller flowers and greenery, ensuring the bouquet is balanced and has the desired dimensions.

Step 4: Secure the stems

Once you are happy with your bouquet, trim the stems to the desired length and secure them with a rubber band. Make sure the rubber band is tight before adding floral tape to hide it.

Step 5: Finish with a ribbon

Finally, add a ribbon to your bouquet. You can either loop it around the stems for a classic look or let it cascade down for a more relaxed, beachy feel.

Remember, creating a bouquet is meant to be enjoyable, so don't stress too much over it. If you don't like how it turns out, you can always start over!

Adding unique touches

• Add a charm to your bouquet. This could be something vintage or new, and it could also be a way to honour a loved one who has passed.
• Include your birth flower or the birth flower of a loved one. Each month has a specific flower associated with it, so you can add a bloom that is unique to you.
• Use a sentimental colour. Adding a meaningful colour to your bouquet is a great way to make it special. Whether it is your favourite colour or your partner's, it will add a personal touch to your flowers.
• Add a special ribbon. A ribbon can be used to finish off the bouquet and add a unique touch. You could use a colourful ribbon or one with a special message or meaning.
• Include a special note. Adding a small, hidden note to your bouquet can be a unique way to include something personal. It could be a message to yourself, your partner, or a loved one.

Frequently asked questions