We’ve talked ribbons and wraps, so today I thought I’d share my top five favorite bouquets! They all have a few things in common: a loose, slightly wild, but also pretty aesthetic; a soft palette; and a composition of ruffly, fairly unusual flowers. Some of my favorite elements for bouquets are garden roses, peonies, clematis, dogwood, ranunculus, sweet peas, poppies, dahlias, camellias, gardenias, azaleas, lambs ear, and branching fruit like lady apples and blackberries. You’ll see most of them in these five bouquets!

This peachy beauty was featured on Once Wed and Wedding Chicks and is from the lovely wedding of Caroline Joy (bouquet by Lindy Floral and photo by Ryan Ray).

This ladylike bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings is by Michelle Rago (photo by Yunhee Kim).

Kate Holt of Flower Wild is the artist behind so many beautiful bouquets, including this one from Southern Weddings Magazine (photo by Jose Villa).

This beauty from Martha Stewart Weddings is by The Green Vase (photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy).

This final bouquet is also from a real wedding, and was arranged by KLF Floral (photo by Stephanie Wiliams).

Here’s a secret: one of these beautiful garden bouquets is serving as the inspiration for my bouquet… yes, THE bouquet! Which one do you think it is? Comment and let me know! :)

Since we discussed ribbon yesterday, I thought I’d share some of the prettiest bouquet wraps in my inspiration files today!

On the left is a pretty 150 mm (about 6 inch) silk georgette ribbon from Mokuba New York (tree peony and sweet pea bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings). On the right is one of my favorite ribbons ever, a printed beauty (garden rose, dahlia, and sweet pea bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings).

On the left is a 36 mm picot-edge satin ribbon from Mokuba New York (cymbidium and phalaenopsis bud, peony, and dogwood bouquet from Martha Stewart Weddings). On the right are pretty sheer ruffled ribbons (bouquet by Flowerwild and photo by Steve Steinhardt via Style Me Pretty).

On the left is one of the biggest, most beautiful bows I’ve ever seen (photo by Altura Studio via Style Me Pretty). On the right is a gorgeous striped grosgrain wrap (ranunculus, olive, and black ivy berry bouquet by Martha Stewart Weddings).

Tomorrow, I’ll share some of my favorite bouquets!

When I traveled into the city for New Year’s, my hostess was gracious enough to allow us a quick stop at M&J Trimming. And oh my, it might have been a quick trip, but it was amazing!! M&J Trimming is a ribbon and trim emporium that’s stocked floor to ceiling with every possible color, width, and material of ribbon a girl could imagine.

Oh, you’d like some blue ribbon? Here’s about 1/5 of their blue velvet ribbon stock:

On the left, a wall of pom poms and fringe, and on the right, some beautiful pink cotton ribbon.

Ladies, a tip: if you’re looking for the perfect glitzy sash to set off your wedding dress, consider making one instead. Just buy a beautiful rhinestone embellishment from a store like M&J and glue or sew it onto a wide satin or grosgrain ribbon. Custom, and so much less expensive than most of the ready-made options available!

Want to see the treasures I brought home? Here’s a little peek:

The thinner velvet ribbons are being set aside for a particular wedding project. The thicker velvet ribbons haven’t been designated yet, but they’ll be used for things like hanging wreaths and wrapping bridesmaid bouquets. And see that beautiful pleated ribbon? I think I’m going to save that for my bouquet :)

If you go:
M& Trimming is located on Sixth Avenue between 37th and 38th Streets in NYC. They’re open Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:30pm, but are closed on Saturdays and Sundays. You can find more information on their website here.

I am lucky enough to have four beautiful ladies standing beside me on my wedding day. Two are my sisters, and two are my future sisters :) Now that I know what I’m going to wear, I’ve been turning my attention to their attire. Yep, they’re all going to be wearing the same thing, and it’s likely going to be floor-length, chiffon, and slate gray… though that’s not 100% certain yet. I’d also like their dress to have a natural waist and a sweetheart neckline. We’re thinking a little something like this:

Credits: Jenny Yoo dress photo by Charlotte Jenks Lewis via Style Me Pretty; Jasmine Bridal dress photo by Virgil Bunao via Southern Weddings; lilac dress photo by A Bryan Photo

With the above inspiration in mind, I set out to find a few budget-conscious possibilities that fit my desired look. I waded through an abundance of options to find a few I thought were both stylish AND reasonably priced, then turned things over to the ladies. Together, we’ve since narrowed it down to three options. Here they are:

From left to right, that’s Bill Levkoff Style 193, Allure Bridal Style 1221, and Bill Levkoff Style 537!

My bridesmaids live in four different states (and I live in a fifth), so sadly, a group shopping trip is not in the cards. Instead, they’ll each visit a salon near them, try on the options, and then report back to the group. Hopefully we’ll have consensus at that point, and you can be sure I’ll check back in with our final pick! In the meantime, let us know in the comments which dress is your favorite!