Why you should duck, instead of leap for the bridal bouquet

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- At the next wedding you attend, you might duck instead of leap for the bridal bouquet. A new twist to the traditional bridal bouquet is the brooch bouquet…a bouquet made of jewelry. The brooch bouquet is a more lasting memento of a bride’s wonderful day, and very much in keeping with today’s modern bride’s taste as nosegays have been more popular than the cascade bouquet, but with a vintage touch.

Brides assemble a collection of family jewelry which includes vintage brooches, lockets, and pendants, and have them affixed to a form. The finished effect is a jeweled bouquet of loving mementos.

The bouquet can also consist of multi-colored brooches to resemble a spring bouquet, or color-coordinated to match the attendants’ dresses. For an added touch of whimsy, butterfly or bumble bee figurals can be added to a floral brooch bouquet. It can also be embellished with silk flowers, greenery, and satin ribbons. Assembling the bouquet so that it looks beautiful and aesthetic requires some talent. A florist will have the necessary materials and the skill to put it together.

Brides can later remove the jewelry from the wedding bouquet and give to future daughters, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters as a loving memento and a lasting treasure. What a wonderful way for a bride to share her memorable day by sharing her bouquet. Some brides even provide their attendants with brooch bouquets as is the tradition to bestow attendants with a gift, and the mothers and grandmothers given vintage brooches instead of corsages, to perpetuate the vintage theme. Even rosebud brooches can be opted instead for boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen. The cake topper can even be a smaller version of the bride’s bouquet.

The number of brooches will determine the price of the bouquet, but expect to pay a minimum of $15 per flower pin, and two to three times for vintage brooches. A fully adorned brooch bouquet will probably exceed a floral bouquet, but certainly a better value for its ability to weather the test of time. Since the bouquet is a gift to the bride from the groom, a wise bride will check to see what the groom’s budget will allow.

If it is the bride’s intention to share the brooches with future generations, it would also be wise to select brooches in the best condition possible as they will increase in value. Proper storage would also be essential.

The following recommendations were provided by Molly Garza, a Jewel Collect online email member.

“Store in a dust-free container, preferably a paper-wrapped hat box, not a cardboard box as cardboard has acidity,” said Garza. “Wrap the bouquet in a cloth towel, not plastic. Moisture trapped in plastic would hasten the bouquet’s demise. And most importantly, do not store with desiccant packets! Those are the little packets in shoe boxes that remove the moisture from shoes. Desiccant packets will cloud rhinestones, and literally melt older vintage materials like celluloid.”

The only foreseeable problem with this alternative is the tradition of tossing the bouquet. It would be advisable to have the florist make a lighter weight floral version for the ceremonial bouquet toss. Area antique malls have a wide selection of vintage floral pins and antique brooches for a brooch bouquet. Check with area florists to see if they will be willing to accommodate the bride’s request to have a brooch bouquet assembled instead of the traditional floral bouquet.