Bouquets: A Year of Flowers for the Bride (Hardcover)

by Marsha Heckman (Author), Richard Jung (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The bridal bouquet is a tradition in almost every culture on Earth. Year after year, millions of women walk down the aisle, each carrying a personalized blend of carefully selected, artfully assembled flowers. To ensure that one's bridal bouquet lives forever in the memories of all those who share the day, this exquisite book introduces 40 original arrangements to complement the wedding gown, celebrate a special theme, honor a treasured family custom-and keep shaky hands occupied.

Gorgeous photography showcases each season's variety and diversity of flowers in creations from the simple to the elaborate: daises with ivy for the June bride; a mid-summer bundle of fragrant herbs; mistletoe and roses for a Christmas Eve wedding; hydrangeas with glass beads and tiny sea shells for a seaside ceremony; an Asian fan with amaranthus and chrysanthemum for an autumn reception. With detailed directions for wiring, taping, using tools, and choosing and grooming flowers, leaves and ribbons, Bouquets enables every bride-to-be, mother, sister, and friend to recreate these designs-or inspire the florist to fashion the perfect handful of flowers for that special day.

About the Author
Established San Francisco-based floral designer MARSHA HECKMAN has planned more than one hundred weddings-and teaches courses on how to do it. The work of San Francisco-based food and travel photographer RICHARD JUNG has appeared in four cookbooks and in such magazines as Travel & Leisure, Sunset, Better Homes and Garden, and Metropolitan Home.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; illustrated edition edition (December 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556709668
• ISBN-13: 978-1556709661
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #185,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #72 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Seasonal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent how-to book for beautiful bouquets!, December 30, 1999

By	Jill McAlester (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews

This is the book to get if you want to make fresh wedding bouquets for a wedding. Especially helpful are the detailed materials list for each bouquet project, plus an estimate of how far in advance the bouquet can safely be made. Each project features flowers that are in-season for the time of year stated in the book, and styles range from the traditional to the unique and unusual. There is something here for every taste! I highly recommend this book!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing approach to bridal bouquets., March 11, 2000

By	Anne Ryan (Lake Oswego, OR) - See all my reviews

It's difficult to find unique and elegant wedding flower books. This book was a breath of fresh air! As a florist, I'm always looking for books to give brides beautiful bouquet ideas. This book has been a been a big hit with every bride who's seen it. Most of the bouquets have a look of understated elegance. If you're looking for ideas on modern bridal bouquets, this is an excellent source. NOTE: It does have some instructions on how to make the bouquets, but the directions seem like they would be difficult without floral design background.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning arrangements, but not for beginners, January 18, 2002

By	K. Hansen (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book together with "Creative Wedding Florals You Can Make" to get ideas for the flowers for my wedding in June. I am making my own bouquets and arrangements. As a gardener, I know a lot about flowers, but I have never tried anything like this before. The arrangements in this book are creative and absolutely beautiful, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for creative ideas to give to a florist, or to someone who has experience in putting together floral arrangements. However, if you have never done floral design before, I would suggest that you buy another book along with this one (such as "Creative Wedding Florals") to supplement the how-to information in this book.

The bouquets are arranged according to season, but many can be used throughout the spring and summer. They include mixtures of garden flowers, roses, lilies, herbs, and hydrangeas, and the pictures are absolutely gorgeous. There are also instructions and ideas on how to make corsages and boutonnieres that complement the bouquets, which I found very helpful.

All in all, this is an excellent resource book for ideas, but it is a bit weak on the instructions.