Rules for building a perfect bouquet
Spoiler alert...there are none.
The first couple of times I set up the flower cart in a market setting, I put up a big chalkboard sign that said "BUILD YOUR OWN BOUQUET [or we can help you]". My intention was for it to indicate that customers could take flowers from the cart themselves, that I wanted the cart to be an interactive experience.
I didn't really expect anyone to ask for help, except maybe a husband trying to choose something for his wife or maybe a younger child. I fully expected that almost every customer would walk right up and simply choose what they liked and put the stems together. Some people really love sunflowers. Some people are tulip people. Some people just want roses and baby's breath. Easy.
What surprised me instead though, was the number of customers that were concerned about making a "good" bouquet, a perfect combination, a proper method.
Now, of course everyone wants their flowers to look pretty, and any florist can give you some general rules of thumb for what makes a "good" bouquet. You've probably heard some of the suggestions before:
-use multiples of 3 or odd numbers of each type of stem
-combine a focal flower, some filler flowers, and some greenery
-stick to complementary colors, or monochromatic colors, or analogous colors
All great tips, all helpful guides, but here's the only rule that really matters: choose what makes you happy.
When I started Stem Studio, I wanted first and foremost for clients to *experience* flowers rather than just look at them. To be able to put hands on the live plant, to appreciate that they are in fact alive and the way that they grow and bloom into the spectacular forms we display them in, to find that a strawflower is named so because its petals feel like straw, or that statice feels like tissue paper. But just as importantly, I wanted to bring *joy* to people in everyday settings. I was looking for a shake-up of my own previous day-to-day routine, and hoping that I could offer an opportunity for a happy surprise when they stumbled upon a little cart to build a bouquet. The "spreading joy" piece of this mission was always at the forefront.
When you're creating a bouquet, I don't want you to be stressed out over whether you've chosen colors "correctly" or whether there are exactly three focal flowers in a bunch that totals 12 stems. I want you to be lost in the moment of admiring a perfect blue iris that has opened just enough to show you a peek of yellow, or surprised by how a tulip can have double petals, or discovering the amazing weirdness of a sea holly's spiny shape and color. Studies have shown that flowers can create a calming environment, reduce stress and anxiety, alleviate symptoms of depression, and even increase productivity. Flowers spread joy wherever they show up, and that isn't going to change based on how "good" your bouquet is.
So, to sum it up: when I say that there are no rules for creating a perfect bouquet, what I mean is that your perfect bouquet should be a combination that brings you joy. Choose stems that speak to you. Choose the colors and shapes that feel like your vibe, that complement the energy you want to be walking in right now. THAT is your perfect bouquet.
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For those who have a real need to follow the "rules", this is how I typically build a bouquet:
1. Stick to odd numbers of each type of stem
2. Include a few stems of greenery
3. Incorporate a focal flower - something usually bigger or brighter to catch your eye
4. Incorporate filler flowers - something usually smaller and of a different texture and color than the focal
5. Place flowers at slightly different heights or angles, don't mash them all together at the center
6. If you create the bouquet in your hand, wrap the completed bunch with floral tape or wire before setting it down. Bouquets can also be built by laying the stems directly onto wrapping paper and "stacking" them into the design you prefer.
For those who are providing a bouquet bar, a few considerations to assist clients:
1. Offer pre-made bouquets for those clients that do not wish to build one themselves
2. Provide suggested bouquet "recipe" signage for those that prefer guidance
3. Prepare an example bouquet or two for clients to replicate
4. Offer to build a bouquet along with the client in real time
Hope this helps!
-mattie
