White-washed -- or NOT

Let's be frank. Since La dame aux camélias, a woman has only been as good as the flowers she bears. Maybe Camille is a bad example for all of the obvious reasons (she was a courtesan, she died of the consumption) and for a series of others. The point is, as much as a bride's dress, her choice of flowers are part and parcel of the success of her big day.

Recently, many brides we've seen have returned to the mores of the prima nocte, when it was customary for young girls to carry daisies and other exclusively white flowers on their wedding day, as an additional symbol of their already assumed purity. Despite our trademark boldness, we don't dislike the idea of an all-white bouquet, but we contend (strongly) that there is a right and a wrong way to go about it.

Presenting, then:

A Guide to White Bouquets
by: WB

DO keep it simple, and DO go all-white, when appropriate, for your bridesmaids. This bride got it:

Fine. We would have preferred seeing the bride holding a *different* bouquet from those that work so well for her girls (especially since most are dark-haired beauties wearing numbers that delightfully and appropriately contrast with their floral arrangements). Still, when the bouquet looks like this:

it's hard to disagree entirely with the decision.

This bride missed it:

The point of having white bouquets for your bridesmaids is to have them pop in some way. These don't. Simply put, it is purely unacceptable to put your girls in washed out beige if you intend on having them carry white bouquets. Un.acceptable. Especially when your centerpieces look like this:

why didn't you go this route for your girls? The white could have been distinctly yours, and everything would have looked so much nicer. What were you thinking, bride? Or were you even thinking at all?

DO enhance an all-white bouquet with a punch of colour. Next to nothing looks nicer, in the fall, than a rich, burnt orange comfortably commingled with a crisp full calla.

DO NOT mistake a variant of white for a punch of colour. Let's put it this way: if you were painting, and you had to add white to whatever colour was on your palette to produce the colour you intend to have stand out against white, reconsider that colour: it probably doesn't work.

DO favour a single-stem (or triple-stem) arrangement - callas work wonderfully - but DO NOT hold it stupidly or have it bound by what looks to be toilet paper. Again, this is your WEDDING, not the makeshift boudoir productions you put on as little girls in your mother's bedroom playing dress-up. Come on.

A few other variants you might like to consider when walking the [white] brick road:

The Rustic Bride

This is perfect for a simple, country girl with a penchant for the modest and the homegrown. Though it features a single type of flower, that flower is NOT a rose. Dare to be original, even when keeping it grassroots.

The Streamlined Bride

We like white roses. We do. It's okay to use a white rose in your bouquet, or even to use several. But *do* mix it up. Afraid of overdoing it? Fine. Choose one other flower - fresia works - and accentuate with a coloured ribbon or, in this case, a stunning neutral. Fresh. Contemporary. Edgy.

The Traditional Bride

Ah, so you love flowers! You can't get enough, but the idea of carrying the botanical gardens down the aisle (rightfully) frightens and apals you. There's a bouquet for you, too. Consider mixing a pair of whites with a pair of greens. It's still an all-white bouquet, but with a healthy hint of variety and vitality.

The Fashion-Forward Bride

You've seen the small, round bouquets. You've seen the bigger, oblong or cascading numbers. You've even seen the round bunches of things that seem to grow within a contrively controlled clime. You're bored with all of that. Try delicately tumbling white baby-orchids, and watch the company stare in awe and admiration at your elegant audacity.

Some approaches we suggest you avoid:

The Bride Who has Lost her Mind

You love Princess Diana and her engagement ring. We get it. You also love shopping at Ardène (and we agree that in a bind and when pressed for $5 costume jewelry, Ardène can be a great place to shop, indeed.) But honestly? This? Are you getting married at the Alan Memorial? At the Douglas? On this planet?

The Bride Who Read Too Many Bridal Magazines

Do you think the caged effect is avant-garde? Do you really think it even can be when combined with white roses and pukebaby's breathpuke?

The Bride who Was Too Cheap to Buy Anything Other than Homely Weeds

It is never okay to hold a bouquet composed entirely of filler (undesirable, too). Never.

So, what did we learn on the show tonight, WBers? It's okay to stay "traditional" and to opt for a white-on-white wedding. But do it with class, do it with panache, commit to it, and think outside the box - or the bunch.