Daniel Taylor Photography is so excited to be featured on the national floral design blog, Flower Factor blog at AboutFlowersBlog.com. This is from an inspiration wedding photography session we created in February, with Mandy Majerik of Hothouse Design Studio in Birmingham, Ala. Mandy also wrote the article on composite bouquets.
This Daniel Taylor Photography photo of a bouquet by Hothouse Design Studio is featured on the national floral blog Flower Factor at AboutFlowersBlog.com.
Composite Bridal Bouquets Make Comeback
by Mandy Majerik on April 25, 2011 at 10:33 am
Composite bouquets are the perfect option for brides who desire a vintage-style bouquet. Several flower blooms or even just a few petals are used to create beautiful, composite bouquets that are so very eye-catching going down the aisle and will look classic in photographs years to come.
During wedding consultations, I show composite bouquets. I want brides to see how beautifully it photographs and what an impact it makes in front of the camera.
Recently, I created a composite bouquet for a photo shoot. I took this opportunity to introduce a unique interpretation of this classic, vintage bouquet. I used one stem of green cymbidium orchids to create a composite orchid bouquet.
I tested this unique bridal bouquet at a recent bridal show in Birmingham, Ala. The response was incredible. Even in a Southern, traditional environment, brides are thirsty for something different – something unique!
I find the history of composite bouquets interesting. Popular in the 1940s and 1950s, they’re also known as malmaison roses, fantasy flowers, rose duchesse and most commonly, glamelias. Back then, they were created from gladioli petals or rose petals designed in concentric circles creating one large bloom. Glamelia was the common name derived from the final “flower” made of gladioli petals together resembling a camellia – hence the name.
Constance Spry, a famous mid 20th century British floral designer and educator, was known for her devotion for roses. It is claimed that Constance Spry perfected the malmaison rose bouquets regularly for women attending society gatherings. A fun fact: The first David Austin Garden Rose was named Constance after her!
Katherine Heigl, famous for her roles in the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy” and movie “27 Dresses,” carried a composite bouquet designed by Mark’s Garden in California, of white roses and pine in her 2007 winter wedding to singer Josh Kelley.
I find the composite bouquet to be one of the most comment-provoking bouquets in my portfolio. What do you think of it? Is this style of bouquet making a comeback?