Wildflower Bridal Bouquets: A Guide to the Relaxed, Just-Picked Look

A wildflower bridal bouquet is a loose, hand-tied mix of meadow-style flowers that looks freshly picked. Here is how to choose and style one in the UK.

Almost nobody carries flowers that were actually growing wild in a field. What people mean by a wildflower wedding bouquet is a look: uneven heights, stems that move, small flowers mixed with a few larger ones, a little greenery and grass, and nothing clipped into a tight dome. We hear about it often at our studio in Southwark, and it is easy to get wrong, because "relaxed" still needs a structure underneath it. This guide covers what goes into one, which flowers suit which season, how to handle a blue colour scheme, and what to check before the day.

What makes a bouquet look "wildflower"?

Three things, more than any particular flower.

• Shape. A wildflower bouquet is hand-tied rather than wired, and it is usually a little wider than it is tall, with some stems standing proud of the rest. A perfect round outline reads as formal, whatever it is made of.
• Scale. Lots of small heads (daisies, cornflowers, scabious, feverfew) with only a handful of larger focal blooms. When every flower is the same size, the bouquet looks arranged rather than gathered.
• Texture. Grasses, seed heads, herbs and soft foliage do as much work as the flowers. Take them out and you are left with a mixed bouquet, not a meadow.

The stems are part of the look too. Most wildflower bouquets are tied with ribbon or twine and left with a length of bare stem showing, rather than bound all the way down.

Which flowers go into a wildflower wedding bouquet in the UK?

Florists build the wildflower look from cultivated flowers, grown for cutting, that share the colours and habit of meadow plants. The palette changes with the season, and flowers in season will always look more natural (and hold up better) than ones forced out of it.

Spring (March to May)

Ranunculus, anemones, narcissi, tulips, blossom branches, grape hyacinths and early sweet peas. Spring bouquets tend to be lighter and fresher, with more green.

Summer (June to August)

The peak of the style. Cornflowers, cosmos, scabious, nigella (love-in-a-mist), larkspur, delphiniums, ammi, astrantia, achillea, feverfew, chamomile and sweet peas are all at their best, and soft grasses are easy to find.

Autumn (September to November)

Warmer and richer: sunflowers, dahlias, rudbeckia, late cosmos, seed heads and dried grasses. This is where a sunflower-led bouquet feels most at home, and the late-summer light suits the yellows and rusts.

Winter (December to February)

The hardest season for the look. Expect more foliage, eucalyptus, dried grasses and preserved seed heads alongside whatever fresh flowers are available. A winter wildflower bouquet will be quieter in colour, and that is honest to the season.

If you want a starting point, our Wildflower Bridal Bouquet is a rustic, sunflower-led design with white blooms and eucalyptus. For a softer, garden-style version, the Wildflower Garden Posy mixes roses, gerbera and lisianthus, and the smaller size also works well for bridesmaids.

Can you pick your own wildflowers for a wedding?

We would not recommend it. In Great Britain it is against the law to uproot any wild plant without the landowner's permission, and some species are protected outright, so they cannot be picked at all. Beyond the legal side, true wild flowers are often short-stemmed, drop their petals quickly and wilt within an hour or two out of water, which is exactly what you do not want during photographs. Cultivated cut flowers give the same look and are grown to last in a vase.

A blue wildflower bouquet

Blue is the colour people most often associate with a meadow, and it is also the colour that is rarest in cut flowers. The flowers that give a true or near-true blue are:

• Cornflowers: the classic, small and intensely blue, best in summer.
• Delphiniums and larkspur: tall spires that add height and range from pale sky blue to deep navy.
• Nigella: soft blue flowers with feathery foliage, followed by striped seed heads that are pretty in their own right.
• Eryngium (sea holly): a silvery-blue thistle that is sturdy, long-lasting and adds a wilder texture.
• Scabious and veronica: lavender-blue rather than pure blue, useful as a bridge between blue and white.
• Grape hyacinths in spring, for a short, dense cobalt accent.

A bouquet that is entirely blue can look heavy in photographs. Most blue wildflower bouquets work best with plenty of white (ammi, chamomile, feverfew, white cosmos) and silvery-green foliage, so the blue reads as the accent rather than a solid block. Be wary of dyed flowers sold as "blue": they rarely look natural up close.

Matching a wildflower bouquet to the wedding

The style is forgiving, but a few pairings make a real difference.

• The dress. Loose, flowing or simple dresses suit a wide, airy bouquet. With a very structured or heavily embellished dress, keep the bouquet smaller and a little more compact so the two are not competing.
• The venue. Barns, gardens, pubs and register offices all suit the look. In a grand or formal room, a wildflower bouquet can still work if the palette is restrained, for example white and green with one accent colour.
• The rest of the party. Bridesmaids' posies can use the same flowers in a smaller size, and a single cornflower, sprig of lavender or piece of rosemary makes a simple buttonhole that ties everything together.

For a wider look at bouquet shapes and how to choose between them, see our guide to choosing a bridal bouquet in London.

Keeping it fresh on the day

The delicate flowers that make this style so pretty are also the ones that flag first. A few habits help:

• Keep the bouquet in a vase of cool water until you leave, and put it back in water between the ceremony and the photographs whenever you can.
• Keep it out of direct sun and away from car heaters. On a hot summer day, a shaded spot makes more difference than anything else.
• Ask for a mix that includes some sturdier flowers (lisianthus, roses, eryngium, eucalyptus) alongside the fragile ones. They hold the shape while the softer stems relax.

Ordering a wildflower wedding bouquet in London

For a wedding, we would always rather hear from you well ahead of the date than on the morning, so that the flowers in season can be planned in and any colour requests checked. That said, our studio is open every day from 8am to 10pm, and orders placed by 10pm can be delivered the same day across London, while delivery to the rest of the UK takes 2–3 working days. If you are planning the order from scratch, our step-by-step guide on how to order a wedding bouquet with delivery in London walks through timing, delivery details and matching the bouquet to your theme.

Frequently asked questions

What flowers are in a wildflower bridal bouquet?

Usually a mix of small, meadow-style flowers such as cornflowers, daisies, scabious, cosmos, nigella and feverfew, with a few larger blooms for structure and plenty of grasses, herbs or soft foliage. The exact flowers depend on the season.

Is it legal to pick wildflowers for a wedding bouquet in the UK?

You need the landowner's permission to uproot any wild plant, and protected species cannot be picked at all. Cut flowers grown for the purpose give the same look without the risk, and last much longer.

What flowers make a blue wildflower bouquet?

Cornflowers, delphiniums, larkspur, nigella and eryngium give the truest blues. Scabious and veronica add lavender tones, and white flowers keep the colour from looking heavy.

Will a wildflower bouquet last all day?

Yes, if it spends as much time as possible in water and out of the sun. Including a few sturdier flowers alongside the delicate ones helps it keep its shape into the evening.

Can I get a wildflower wedding bouquet delivered in London?

Yes. We deliver across London the same day for orders placed by 10pm; delivery to the rest of the UK takes 2–3 working days. You can see the current range in our wedding flowers collection.