In need of wedding bouquet ideas? You’re not alone: The bouquet has been a nuptial staple since the days of ancient Rome when brides carried bunches of blooms for good luck due to the longtime association of flowers with fertility and life. While such societal superstitions have faded, the beauty they bring for walks down the aisle has made this tradition survive for millennia.
Often, the flowers within a bouquet are embedded with romantic symbolism—for her wedding to Prince Albert, for example, Queen Victoria carried her husband’s favorite flower of snowdrops. Fast forward a few royal generations, and Kate Middleton chose a bouquet of lilies (representing happiness), hyacinths (representing love), and ivy (representing friendship) for her wedding to Prince William. Both women also included a sprig of myrtle due to its long visual associations with matrimony.
Meanwhile, Jackie Kennedy opted for elegant white spray orchids—a symbol of elegance and pure love—accented with gardenias for her 1953 wedding to John F. Kennedy.
In the weddings published in Vogue, brides—and some grooms—have chosen a fascinating array of flowers to hold on their big day. Some opt for a traditional white bouquet, while others select colorful flowers that coordinate with the environment that surrounds them. Then there are those who treat bouquets as an avant-garde exercise: take PJ Magerko-Liquorice and Jordan Millington-Liquorice’s wedding, where the groom grasped a monochrome—from petal to stem—set of roses. And some don’t even opt for a bouquet at all: Designer Sandy Liang held just a single allium with a black ribbon by florist Miguel Yatco during her coastal Maine wedding to Dorian Booth.
Below, take a look at the best (and most unusual) wedding bouquet ideas in Vogue. You may even find inspiration for your own.