Weddings · 8 min read

Wedding bouquet styles, decoded

Posy, hand-tied, cascade, wild — what each style actually involves, what it costs in stems and time, and which one you should pick.

Theo Ngata 22 August 2026 Field notes

I teach the wedding workshop, and every class starts the same way: Pinterest opens, forty photos come out, and I have to translate 'like this but different' into stem counts. So here's the honest version of each style.

The posy — small, round, sensible

The compact dome your grandmother carried. Cheapest to make (20–30 stems), easiest to hold, hardest to get wrong. Underrated for registry weddings and tiny dresses. Sits happily in a vase between photos — the practical choice nobody regrets.

Hand-tied — the modern standard

What 80% of our students pick: loose spiral, visible stems, 'just gathered' look that took real technique to fake. 30–45 stems depending on lushness. Photographs well, travels okay, and it's the style our bouquet class teaches as a foundation — learn it once and wedding flowers get a lot less scary.

Three bridal bouquets in different styles on the studio bench

Cascade — the statement

Flowers spilling downward like a waterfall. Gorgeous on camera, heavy in the hand, and the most mechanics of any style — it's wired, not just tied. 60+ stems, 4+ hours if you're new at it. Pick this if the bouquet is a centrepiece of the look, not an accessory.

Wild / asymmetric — beautiful but tricky

The organic, one-sided drape that dominates mood boards. It reads 'effortless' and is secretly the hardest style to keep balanced. Needs a florist's eye or a workshop's worth of practice — and honesty: some DIY attempts end up looking accidental. Possible, but practise twice before the day.

The honest cost math

Posy: ~NZ$60–90 in stems, 45 min build
Hand-tied: ~NZ$120–180 in stems, 1.5–2 hrs
Cascade: ~NZ$250+ in stems, 4+ hrs
Wild: ~NZ$150–220 in stems, 2–3 hrs (plus redo budget)

Add ribbon, wire and your own labour — and compare against a florist quote of NZ$280–600 for the same bouquet. DIY wins on money if your time is free, which is a bigger 'if' the week of a wedding.

Our honest advice: do the bouquet yourself if you enjoy the making — it's a genuinely lovely pre-wedding ritual. Hire out anything you'd resent doing at 11pm on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at the bench

This week's studio floor — the same stems and benches we write about.

Close-up of a student arrangement in progress

“The best wedding bouquet is the one you finish happily at 8pm, not the one that defeats you at midnight.

Cheat sheet

Posy = easiest, cheapest, underrated
Hand-tied = the modern standard
Cascade = stunning, heavy, wired
Wild = hardest to keep balanced

Keep reading / doing

Wedding WorkshopFull day, costing included — NZ$240

Bouquet ClassPractise the spiral — NZ$95

Seasonal guideWhat'll be at the market for your date

Questions we get about this

The day before, stored in water in a cool room — that's why conditioning matters so much. Day-of is possible but adds stress you don't need. Never more than 24 hours for fresh work.

Roses, orchids, chrysanthemums, carnations, proteas — the tough ones. Delicates like sweet peas and hydrangeas wilt by the reception unless they're wired to a water source. We cover the whole list in the workshop.

For bouquets and buttonholes, yes — often 40–60% less than florist pricing. For ceremony installs and arches, the hire gear and labour close the gap fast. That's the honest math from someone who does this for a living.

Theo Ngata

Weddings & installations tutor — has wired more buttonholes than he'd like to count

Make the bouquet yourself

The full-day wedding workshop covers bouquet, buttonholes and a costing session for your real wedding — 8 seats, once a month.

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