We’ve been bombarded with images of the ‘traditional’ wedding our whole lives, it’s part of our culture, so when it comes to planning your own, it’s very natural to feel a bit torn between wanting to stick to tradition while also wanting your own personality to shine through.
An important part of the ceremony is the wedding bouquet; anyone who played ‘weddings’ as a child did the classic walk down the aisle holding a bunch of something in front of them, and it’s been around a long time. The Ancient Greeks and Romans carried herbs and spices to keep evil spirits away, and small bunches of flowers to symbolise things such as new beginnings, fertility and loyalty. And of course, fragrant flowers and herbs distracted everyone from the happy couple’s terrible body odour…
Hopefully, that’s not an issue these days, but the tradition has stuck and while an elegant bunch of white roses is lovely, do you really want your wedding photos to look like everyone else’s? We spoke to The Insurance Emporium who have been providing specialist wedding insurance for many years, so they’ve seen it all when it comes to weddings, and they talked to us about how it’s perfectly possible to honour those traditions in a way that still makes the day feel like your own.
Here are some of their suggestions for alternatives to the traditional bouquet.
Season’s Greetings
Depending on when you get married you can choose a bouquet that reflects the season:
Autumn – you could have a bouquet of wheat, maybe with some dried herbs. You could even go full-on harvest festival and incorporate some tiny pumpkins or dried fruit.
Winter – put some pinecones in with a couple of white roses and some evergreen leaves, you could even spray the leaves white (or gold if you’re having a festive wedding).
Spring – a lavender bouquet, wrapped in a neutral ribbon still gives off bouquet vibes but with a difference, it will also have an amazing smell, great for calming those big day nerves.
Summer – a bunch of gypsophila (baby’s breath), or dried hydrangeas is really simple but effective, as is a bunch of wildflowers (bearing in mind there are rules around picking flowers) or a bouquet made from raw cotton.
Paper Flowers
There are no rules that say you even have to have flowers in your bouquet, there are lots of different materials you could use; buttons, for example, or shells for a beach wedding. Flowers made from felt look lovely, or you could give strong boho vibes with different sized feathers.
Maybe you want your bouquet to reflect your hobbies or interests; different sized/coloured balls of yarn for a knitting enthusiast, or paper flowers made from the pages of a favourite book.
Who says you even have to have a bouquet? You could wear a flower shawl, or crown, have a huge flower lapel decoration or carry a hoop wound with ribbon and trailing flowers/ferns.
Eat Your Greens
Stick with us for this one, you could take eating your greens to a whole new level and carry a whole broccoli down the aisle, decorated with the odd white rose, wrapped in a silk ribbon. Or how about a cauliflower or some artichokes, dotted with some radishes? We’re pretty certain this counts as at least two of your five-a-day.
Go Over to the Dark Side
If you still want a traditional bouquet but with a twist, you don’t have to have the traditional pale pastel bouquet, you can choose dark colours for a more striking, unusual look. You could have dark roses and dark feathers, dark dahlias, black petunias or tulips and black cabbage roses bound in dark, velvet ribbon.
The beauty of the modern wedding is that anything goes, and when you want to express your individual style, a unique bouquet is a great idea. At a time when more of us are having to deal with a smaller budget and are more aware of our carbon footprint and the environmental impact of using flowers that are either not in season or available in the UK, choosing a unique bouquet ticks all the boxes.
When you’re planning your big day, the last thing you want to think about is anything going wrong, but the fact is that unexpected things do happen and wedding insurance might be able to give you peace of mind should something not go to plan.
The Insurance Emporium has six policy types to choose from that you can then tweak, depending on your needs. Flowers are covered, of course, as are wedding outfits, cars, photographs and gifts. Take a look at their website to find out more or give them a ring for a free no-strings quote by calling their friendly team on 03300 243 121.
The Insurance Emporium offers a variety of cover levels, so please check the policy cover suits your needs before purchasing. For your protection, please ensure you read the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and policy wording, for information on policy exclusions and limitations.
Lifestyle Policy Limited is an appointed representative of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited. The Insurance Emporium is a trading name of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited (registered in England and Wales no: 294940), which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority no: 202748.