Bouquets : A Year of Flowers for the Bride

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: Although I absolutely love the bouquet shown on the cover, I would have to say that the rest of the bouquets pictured are not worth the investment in the book. It seemed that most were outdated or simply lacked creativity. I was searching for contemporary or even classic looking designs and this was not the book for me. Sunflowers or wildflowers were shown quite often, so if you are searching for a book that hightlights these types of flowers, you might consider it. Skip it if you are looking for new ideas, red or deep colored flowers, or anything related to other wedding flower pieces (no arrangements, few corsages, limited bridesmaid flowers).

Rating:
Summary: Stunning arrangements, but not for beginners
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning arrangements, but not for beginners
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Photos, Great Ideas
Review: I was looking for a unique yet elegant bouquet for my wedding, and I found it in this book. I loved the beautiful photography and the seasonal ideas. It was nice to see something different from the huge, over-the-top arrangements you find in bridal magazines. I made a color copy of my dream bouquet from this book, and my florist recreated it for me. I would recommend this book for both florists and brides alike!

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous Bouquet Ideas
Review: If you can't tell a peony from a pansy, you may need a little help when selecting bouquets and floral arrangement for your wedding day. As the editor of a wedding web site..., I'm often asked to recommend books on this topic. Bouquets: A Year of Flowers for the Bride by Marsha Heckman is one that is always at the top of my list. This hardcover publication is only 111 pages but it's packed with stunning photographs of bouquets and boutonnieres. While the book explains how to create each design, most couples will probably just use the photos as a resource to show their florist. The unique boutonniere ideas alone make this book worth the purchase price. The author grouped her ideas into four sections: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Within each section are chapters devoted to the months of the year. Marsha explains what flowers are in season and shows how couples have creatively utilized these buds in the past. While this book will leave you longing for more pictures of elegant arrangements (there just aren't enough), it's a great tool to begin your flower research.

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL, CREATIVE, ORIGINAL BOUQUETS
Review: Marsha Heckman pulls all the stops when she created this book and the beautiful,original,fanciful & imaginative bouquets. She left no one out in the wedding party including unique boutonieres (pgs.36 & 37) for the groom and groomsmen. As a floral designer and wedding planner, I am always looking for new, creative and show stopping bouquets and you will find them in this book. Each bouquet has great instructions even for the beginner but some are best left to the professional. There are bouquets that are suitable for the smallest (pgs 12,20,39,58,66,94,& 99) to the grandest of weddings (pgs 18 "drop dead gorgeous",24,31,42,56,60,78,80 "to die for",&103) and bouquets that are just as appropriate for the attendants (pgs 20, 26 "they don't come any more beautiful",49,63,66,84,93, 94 "fresh&classical"&104). The book will travel with me when I meet with new clients and be on the table at my next wedding show in October. Marsha will also tell you how to send a secret love message to your new groom and traditions from many different cultures. When you are finished with your wedding the photographs by Richard Jung help make the book a beautiful coffeetable decoration. []

Rating:
Summary: Wedding Bouquets to Die For; Spawn Your Own Creations
Review: This book by Marsha Heckman is a wonderful testament to the variety of flowers available for bouquets, and some most have probably not even heard of. I bought this book when I was planning my wedding and it has made the rounds with all my friends and their weddings.

Though I didn't choose a specific bouquet in the book, I did use several ideas to create my own. And the pictures of the bouquet I had and those of my bridesmaids are photogenic and gorgeous. Having a wonderful florist doesn't hurt either.

Some of the bouquets are even simple enough to make on your own. I highly recommend this book for weddings and other occassions or even if you merely love floral arrangements.

Rating:
Summary: Winning combination of great ideas and practical advice
Review: Unlike most of the other books on wedding flowers that crowd the bookstore shelves, every page of this one is valuable. Marsha Heckman's bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages are great, even if there aren't that many of them, and they can definitely serve as an inspiration for your own ideas. The bouquets range from simple, one-flower affairs (callas, tulips) to extravagant multi-flower cascades. Nothing, to my eye, looks frumpy or dated. Best of all, she includes instructions on assembling your own bouquet, unlike other books that try to convince you that if you approach flowers without a professional florist, your wedding will explode in a fiery disaster. Even if you decide to work with a florist, you can thumb through and find out exactly how much work goes into each piece, so you're better informed. Or, in my case, you can decide to heck with paying that 10% of my budget that the Knot tells me I must surrender to have perfect flowers: I'll cradle a bundle of tulips that I tie myself, and no one will be the wiser.

Rating:
Summary: I loved the bouquets in this book...
Review: We used this book when planning my daughter's wedding. The beautiful photos in the book gave us some great ideas...none of which we tried to execute, but we shared them with our floral designer.

We especially liked the breakdown of what flowers would be available at the time of the wedding and the wonderfully original boutonniere ideas, some of which we incorporated.

I am not "good" with flowers or with arrangements, so I never would have attempted to make any of these...and for that reason, I barely read the directions on how the bouquets were made.

But I do know what I like, what is unique, and what looks wonderful...and this book was full of things like that.