Flowers are one of the most important elements of your wedding day, and they can be difficult to choose. Consult our handy glossary before you visit your local florist so you’ll know what’s what:
BIEDERMEIER: A tightly arranged nosegay consisting of concentric circles of various colored flowers, one variety per ring. Best for: hip, modern weddings. ย
BOUTONNIERE: A single bloom, bud or small cluster of flowers attached to the left lapel of a suit or tuxedo jacket. Best for: grooms, male attendants, ushers, fathers and grandfathers.ย
CASCADE: A waterfall-like spill of blooms that cascades gracefully over the brideรขยยs hands. Modern cascades have a more compact, teardrop shape. Best for: large-scale, traditional and formal weddings. ย
COMPOSITE: A handmade creation in which different petals or buds are wired together on a single stem to create the illusion of a giant flower. Best for: artistic, creative weddings. ย
CORSAGE: A small cluster of blooms accented with ribbons, lace or doilies. Corsages come in pin-on, wrist and hand-held styles. Best for: mothers and grandmothers. ย
CRESCENT: Composed of one full flower and a flowering stem wired together. The flowers trail off on either side of the bouquet for form a crescent shape. A half-crescent bouquet has flowers trailing off of one side only. Best for: a unique look. ย
HAND-TIED BOUQUET: A dense bunch of blooms, usually assorted and tied with ribbon or raffia. Best for: casual weddings. ย
NOSEGAYS: Small round bouquets, normally made of densely-packed round flowers. Best for: most weddings or a classic look.ย
POMANDER: A bloom-covered ball suspended from the wrist by a ribbon. Best for: a romantic look, child attendants and brides who want to keep their hands free.ย ย
POSY: Similar to a nosegay but smaller, this arrangement usually contains ribbons or other extras. Best for: child attendants or alternatives to corsages.
PRESENTATION OR ARM BOUQUET: Also known as the pageant bouquet, this is a bunch of long-stemmed flowers cradled in the crook of the brideรขยยs arm. Best for: an old-fashioned look.
TOSS BOUQUET: A copy of the brideรขยยs bouquet made with less expensive flowers. Used solely for the traditional bouquet toss.
TUSSIE-MUSSIE: From the Victorian era, a tussie-mussie is a small nosegay carried in a small metallic, hand-held vase. The term also refers to the vase itself. Best for: elegant affairs.
