5 Photography Shots for Your Wedding Bouquet

As a wedding florist, bouquets are some of my favorite items to design. There’s something that’s always been (usually) really intuitive for me when I’m creating bouquets.

And while florists are well versed in all the various ways to hold bouquets and have their favorite shots when they get wedding galleries back from photographers and couples, the different ways you can hold bouquets are not always intuitive.

Therefore, I’m sharing 5 photography shots for your wedding bouquet with images to showcase how you can hold or photograph wedding bouquets.

5 Different Ways to Hold Your Wedding Bouquets

You can get creative here, but I always like to tell my clients to tilt their bouquets forward in order to let the photographer see the flower faces instead of the bouquet stems. The best bouquet shots will always showcase the blooms at their best, which is when they face the lens.

Traditional Bouquet Hold

This is the way most of us intuitively would hold a bouquet, down by our lower torsos.

Although this is the most common way to hold bouquets, it’s still important to make sure there’s a slight forward tilt so that you’re not getting a lot of stem view (unless your bouquet is a long-stemmed bouquet, in which stems are a major element of the design). My bouquets are typically designed with the stems cut short, so they are minimally seen.

Photos by Laura Gordon

Summer bouquet with dahlias and roses in blush and white — *Photo by Ronny & Rene*

The Bouquet Cradle

A less intuitive way to hold a wedding bouquet is what I like to call the ‘bouquet cradle.’

Holding a bouquet in this fashion almost treats the bouquet as if it’s a baby (silly sounding, I know). Using your arms (one or both), you can lightly ‘cradle’ or ‘hug’ your bouquet with the stems close to your chest to get a shot like the ones below.

Summer bouquet in pinks on the Oregon coast

Photos by Shalae Byrd

Wildflower bouquet with local flowers including anemones, lisianthus, agrostemma, lavender — *Photo by Jeremiah & Rachel*

The Hip Hold

One-handed, down by the hip - the hip hold! Simple, easy, chic. Just don’t forget about the slight tilt so you get those flower faces looking at the camera!

Fresh summer flowers for a bridal bouquet in pink and purple — *Photo by Casi Yost*

Modern and luxury bridal bouquet with roses and orchids — *Photo by Caleb Gaskins*

Under a Veil

Again, not an intuitive way to hold a wedding bouquet, but I always love seeing shots of a bouquet held underneath a wedding veil.

If you opt to do shots like this, I recommend doing them towards the end of your wedding day, especially if you have a bouquet with delicate blooms, which could get jostled a bit by the veil. But if this bouquet shot doesn’t ooze ethereal romance… I don’t know what does.

summer wedding flowers with dahlias in whites and pinks — *Photo by Lauren Miles*

Pink and berry bridal bouquet on the Oregon coast — *Photo by Shalae Byrd*

The Bouquet Tilt

Bouquets don’t have to be held perfectly upright. In fact, a lot of my favorite bouquet photographs are when the bouquet is held tilted at an angle.

Is there a rhyme or reason to this? I have no idea, there’s just something about a bouquet tilt that I really enjoy, perhaps because I’m all for asymmetrical moments and designs.

Ombre bouquet in pinks and purples — *Photo by Maria Lamb*

In the process of looking for a wedding florist for your event? Whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering or having a grand affair, I serve couples in Portland, Oregon, the PNW and beyond. Reach out through the inquiry link below. I’d love to hear more about your vision and needs!

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