A Guide to Bouquet Themes — From Anniversaries to Winter Gifts

A good bouquet has a clear subject. Rather than gathering pretty flowers at random, settle first on a color formula that matches the feeling you want to convey, and the result improves by leaps. Here are the formulas for every occasion, organized around Flowyric's eight themes.

Anniversary Gift — the warmth of pink and red

The formula for a bouquet celebrating love is simple: let pinks and reds be the stars — 70 percent of the whole or more. Center it on Red Roses and Pink Peonies, fill the gaps with Pink Waxflower or Statice, and you have a romantic bouquet with an even warmth.

Graduation — the cheer of yellow and orange

Bright warm tones suit a celebration of new beginnings. Even a couple of stems of Yellow Freesia light up a bouquet's whole expression. Add Sunflowers, Yellow Gerberas, and Orange Tulips to build a rhythm of yellow and orange.

Words of Comfort — the care of setting primaries aside

A bouquet of comfort is built by subtraction. Leave out the strong primaries, include three or more calm materials, and speak in a low voice. Materials with settled tones — White Lily, Lavender, Baby's Breath, Eucalyptus — sit quietly beside sorrow.

Seasonal themes — at least one material of the season

Spring Picnic is a cheerful, varied mix of four kinds or more; Summer Getaway means summer materials with three or more cool-toned (blue·purple) stems; Autumn Stroll is autumn materials with warm tones at least half; Winter Gift is winter materials with neutrals (white·green) at least half — a seasonal theme begins with a flower you can only find in that season.

Which materials are season-limited is covered in detail in the seasonal flower guide.

Free theme — no rules, but balance

Even when you build freely, without a theme, the fundamentals are worth keeping: cover the three roles of main, filler, and greenery; use an odd number of stems; and tie the colors together in one family or as complements. These fundamentals are covered in the guide to bouquet composition basics.

The eight themes at a glance

Make your own bouquet