Brides Love Creative Floral Cascade Bouquets

In this season of opulent weddings, the return of the graceful cascade coincides with trend-savvy brides falling in love again with formal elegance.

Cascades are back!

Traditionally, cascades are bouquets whose descending line falls forward from the hand. They were originally called shower or waterfall bouquets as the flowers fell in a waterfall effect. This style was popular in the 1920s and 30s, revisited in the 60s and 80s and is very on-trend today. The floral terms cascade and cascading bouquet are often used interchangeably. A bridal bouquet can express a theme, indicate a style, or reflect the formality of wedding events. As floral designers, it is important that we create exceptional bouquets  personalized to the needs of our brides. [rev_slider alias="hitomi-bouquets"]

What makes a beautiful fresh flower bouquet?

• Fresh high-quality flowers
• Appropriate styling for its purpose
• A pleasing color harmony
• Excellent mechanics

Which characteristics of the bride should be considered?

• Height and body shape
• Personal style
• Dress lines and detail
• Favorite flowers
• Preference of color

Creative cascades

Hitomi Gilliam AIFD and Tomas De Bruyne hosted the EMC+ Intimate to Ultimate Bridal Decor Workshop in Atlanta in 2015. These trendsetting floral artists and their students created bouquets in current design styles during the workshop. They shared with us two photos from their fabulous cascading bouquet collection. When I asked about the inspiration for these designs, Hitomi replied, “These bouquets were created to be part of the 'Tropical Romance' look. All the flowers in the bouquets are tropical. The intent is to show that tropicals do not always result in a hard-edged look.” Why were tropicals chosen for the bouquets? “An appropriate mix of Anthurium, various types of orchids, tillandsia and tropical vines (such as Passion vine) in softer colors can result in amazingly romantic and exotic bouquets.” Hitomi continued. “For destination weddings in the tropics, these soft cascade bouquets of exotic flowers would really fit the bill.” The two bouquets were designed on OASIS Grande WEDDING BELLE® Bouquet Holder with Slant Handle .

Pay attention to detail

These stunning bouquets are perfectly proportioned. To keep the design in proportion, the length and width of your bouquet should be in scale with the height and overall body shape of the bride. While we love to take our bouquets to new lengths, a size that is too large for the bride can overwhelm or hide her dress. It is important to keep the cut and detail of a dress in mind when designing your bouquet so that the two compliment each other. The bouquet should enhance the lines of the dress without hiding the dressmaking details or ornamentation.

Mechanics are everything!

One of the first florist truisms I learned upon entering the industry over forty years ago was that ‘mechanics are everything’. I have heard that statement often repeated. This is especially true of cascading bouquets. The weight of flowers descending from the holder must be carefully balanced and the stems securely in place for the bouquet to remain intact. For this purpose, I cannot recommend OASIS FLORALOCK™ Plus Stem Adhesive strongly enough. To secure flower stems in the bouquet holder once the design is fully completed, insert the red straw into the foam, then press to spray the liquid adhesive into the foam in several places. Let dry. When the spray adhesive is absorbed into the foam, the flower stems are locked securely in place. Be certain the design is completed before adding Floralock. Making flower additions or moving stems is not possible once the adhesive sets and the foam is firm. A secure bouquet spares a bride the disappointment of watching her bouquet fall apart on her wedding day. The bride lives ‘happily ever after'. Well … we wish it were that simple! “Are you offering floral cascades to your brides?”