Think beyond the bouquet with these fun, fashion-forward ideas for donning blooms as accessories.
Think beyond the bouquet by wearing petals. Whether they're adorning you or your attendants, blooms as accessories will add unexpected flower power to your day. Here, fashion-forward looks created by Sarah Winward, a Utah-based floral designer.
For the bride, a basic birdcage veil gets an elegant makeover by way of petite blossoms attached to one side. Winward wired tuberoses, nerines, and campanulas to a comb, and then slid its teeth through the veil's netting. "Since the flowers are small, you can easily manipulate them to make any shape you want," she says.
The Details: Viktor & Rolf cocktail dress, $1,600; kleinfeldbridal.com. Gigi Burris veiling, $295; gigiburris.com.
Leis worn as necklaces and bracelets are always chic, no matter how far your wedding is from the Big Island. Deck out your bridesmaids by ordering premade leis and cutting to fit, or ask your florist to thread long-lasting, fragrant flowers onto monofilament so your friends will smell as sweet as they look.
Winward used (from left) hyacinths and nerines, but zinnias, marigolds, and jasmine could be other floral contenders. "This idea is so versatile," she says. "You could also hang a shorter strand from a lei to mimic the look of a pendant."
The Details: The Reformation "Constance" dresses, $328 each; thereformation.com.
Embrace your inner flower child with blossoms that cascade down long, loose hair. Winward strung individual hydrangea petals and porcelain-vine berries onto a length of gold thread, draped it around the crown of the bride's head, and then let the ends dangle freely (for security, add a few bobby pins). You'll get extra longevity from end-of-summer hydrangeas, when the blooms are hardier and less likely to wilt.
The Details: Sarah Seven "Frenchie" gown, $2,200; sarahseven.com.
Just two vines—these are angel and porcelain varieties—can provide a plethora of looks for your littlest attendants, whether as hair adornments or jewelry. "It's often easier to attach small sections of flowers or vines to a young girl's hair, rather than a full floral crown," says Winward, who did so with mini bobby pins. "It's lighter and more comfortable." For the necklaces, she wrapped vines around floral wire, made two loops at the end of the wires, and used a ribbon to fasten them at the back.
The Details: Paade "Long Green" dresses, $136 each; shanandtoad.com. "Sacre Bleu 1" chair rental, $85; rentpatina.com.
Unabashedly scene-stealing and impossibly stylish, a trailing floral shawl is a sure way to leave a lasting impression. Our version, composed mostly of snowberries with a few euphorbia leaves tucked in here and there, spans about six feet and is wired like a standard garland. Although you can use many types of flowers, foliage, and fruit (ivy, eucalyptus, and spirea to name a few), Winward advises staying away from dark berries or flowers with yellow pollen to keep your walk down the aisle a stain-free one.
The Details: Johanna Johnson "Avery" gown, $4,250; johannajohnson.com.
Up the drama (and the romance) with a headpiece that looks like it was taken straight from an Art Nouveau canvas. Start with an updo, like this loose chignon, that acts as an anchor for hairpins, and have your florist attach buds in a wreathlike shape. Big blooms, like the oversize roses above, can be heavy, so Winward pinned them one at a time to distribute the weight better. She also incorporated Juliet and quicksand roses, asclepias, and heuchera and nandina foliage.
The Details: Claire Pettibone "Alchemy" sheath, $6,500; kleinfeldbridal.com.
Styled by Naomi Demañana. Hair by Mitch Barry for Bryan Bantry Agency. Makeup by Carlo Longo using Chanel Rouge Allure at ba-reps.com
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