By Sara Randazzo
April 28, 2017 10:37 a.m. ET
67 COMMENTS
Wedding bouquets are going wild and free.
For some brides, long gone are the days of tightly wrapped, ball-shaped bunches of roses or calla lilies that get joyfully thrown over one’s shoulder at wedding’s end to the delighted crowd.
Now, gigantic, earthy bridal arrangements are moving into the aisle, with some looking a bit more like assemblages of landscaping than traditional wedding décor. And these oversize bouquets definitely aren’t made for tossing.
“I would have knocked someone out,” said 24-year-old Chandler Banas at the thought of throwing her oversized arrangement of pink peonies and greenery at her Texas barn wedding last summer. Not wanting to chuck the tradition entirely, Ms. Banas had a more modest bouquet made expressly for the toss.
“The bigger, the bolder, the more dramatic the flowers, people just stop in their tracks and say wow,” said Jen Fariello, a wedding photographer based in Charlottesville, Va.
Wedding planners, florists and photographers say brides are increasingly looking for that showstopper moment and see flowers as a way to stand out. The practice has also bloomed as couples incorporate more locally sourced products throughout weddings, which in florals can mean wildflower blooms as well as branches, vines, succulents and even local fruits and vegetables.
