While weddings are full of beautiful traditions, many wedding flower traditions are outdated and overly gendered. We're excited to work with more and more couples looking for inclusive options. We've compiled and linked some of our top suggestions by floral category.
Flowers for the Couple
We believe that everyone should get to enjoy an abundance of flowers on their wedding day - no matter their gender or attire. We're seeing new floral trends that work with dresses in all colors, suits, rompers, and everything in-between. We've compiled our favorite inspiration photos on our Inclusive Wedding Flower Pinterest board, and outlined a few of them below.
One or Two Bouquets
Regardless of attire, if both of you are excited about the idea of having your own bouquet, we're all for it! We've seen 2 matching bouquets, one larger bouquet and one smaller bouquet, and two entirely different bouquets to match your individual styles or outfits. If one of you is wearing a suit, and the other a white dress, consider choosing a bold color for the suit, and incorporating those colors into the flowers, like this spectacularly styled burnt orange suit and palette (event designed by the Wild Rumpus Collective, florals by Love Leigh Flowers). And of course, there's no reason you can't both share a bouquet for the purposes of photos. We love this wedding look with two suits in different colors, and flowers that complement both.
Flower Lapels & Shawls
We can't get enough of couple choosing to adorn themselves in florals, from large boutonnieres, to flower necklaces, to floral lapels and floral shawls. Talk to your florist about the mechanics they would plan to use to execute on these elaborate looks, in addition to how well they think the flowers would hold up to a long day in your expected weather conditions.
The Wedding Party
Along the same lines, there's no right or wrong way to incorporate flowers into your wedding party. Here are a few of our favorite ideas:
Skip the flowers entirely
Skipping florals entirely for your wedding party is becoming more common - both as a way to skirt around outdated traditions, but also to save money. A downside to this approach: holding flowers can sometimes make it easier for your wedding party members to keep their hands busy when walking down the aisle and standing by your side. The ability to hold something (if they can't put their hands in suit or pants pockets) can make them feel a little less awkward. Consider having your wedding party members walk down the aisle arm in arm, to help mitigate any of these awkward feelings. We love how simple and elegant this look is, here or here.
Flowers for everyone!
Consider having flowers for everyone in your wedding party, but allowing them to choose between a pin-on our bouquet. We love this sweet image from Thrive Flowers of both bridesmaids and bridesmen holding bouquets during the ceremony.
Options beyond bouquets include: wrist corsages, pin-on flowers, or flower baskets.
In Summary
The sky is the limit! When deciding on your florist, be sure to share your most creative ideas, and ask them to help craft a floral design plan that truly reflects who you are and how you'd like to feel on your wedding day. The right florist will make those dreams come true!
Photos by Jennifer Lind Schutsky