Are you ready for this one? Apparently, it’s a French wedding tradition that the Groom not only pays for, but selects the Bride’s bouquet and presents it to her when he picks her up on the way to the wedding ceremony. Can you imagine???? What’s even scarier is, according to a florist friend of mine, this little task often falls into the hands of the future mother-in-law, who apparently knows more about flowers than the future husband (but doesn’t necessarily know more about the bride…). This same florist told me horror stories of MIL’s not knowing the color or style of the 
bride’s dress, flower preferences, or even being able to describe the future daughter-in-law’s SIZE, but simply requesting a “wedding bouquet”. Yikes! I have to admit that this was all news to me, but found it to be common knowledge once I googled it. I seem to think that this may be followed by only the most traditional of French families. I did find an article that gave this advice to the hapless groom-to-be (translation is mine, but I think you get the gist):
“As the groom often can not see the dress before the wedding the bride should give him some pointers so that the ensemble will be harmonious.
The choice of bouquet is as follows:
* If the dress is long, the choice should be a vast bouquet, trailing, round or discreet.
* If the dress is short, the bouquet should be round or rather discreet so as not to mask the dress.
You also need to know that the more elaborate and large a bouquet is, the heavier it is, and therefore it may embarrass the bride.
Colored flowers are great, but the dominant color of a bridal bouquet is usually white even if different colored wedding gowns are growing increasingly popular these days.”
And so armed with these little tidbits, they’re sent on their way.
So, now I’ve got a question for both the girls AND the boys: Would you? COULD you??
Drop me a line and tell me what you think.
weddings
Wedding Style
Paris, France
destination wedding
I think it’s just as disastrous a tradition as the American one of presenting the woman with a ring when proposing - the poor girl has to wear the thing for decades, she should have a say in choosing it! It’s not like men have any experience in choosing either flowers or jewellery…
Bien sûr, I’d let my husband choose my bouquet (and most definitely the ring). I’m marrying him, and not these items. And if I don’t adequately trust him to make these (and other, far more important choices), then perhaps (a) I’m not sharing my personality enough to make my preferences clear, (b) he’s not paying attention enough to care, or (c) I’m setting myself up for disappointment by expecting a postcard production instead of a ceremony.
The idea that a man can’t make an adequate aesthetic choice is sad. The idea that every wedding has its BrideZilla is antiquated.
Of course, I’m not even sure that I *like* my boyfriend too much, so I’m not exactly your target audience
My husband was amazed as well when I told him he had to go and choose and buy the flowers! I think “crazy french people” might have crossed his lips. I sent him with my mum though, and his cravat (which he didn’t know matched the body of my dress- maybe you could do a post on “how to get your husband-to-be to pick out the suit that you want him to wear while giving him the feeling he’s the one that made the choice”… You do need a very skilled bridal consultant to help you
).
And it worked out perfectly!
Except for one detail: when he showed up for the ceremony, he realised he had forgotten the bouquet in the kitchen! And since he was with his British family, nobody had reminded him as they assumed I would be the one with the bouquet. Followed a rushed car journey back and forth but he made it. Crazy french people…
Never heard about the groom picking up his bride’s bouquet and I am French and have been to may French weddings.
Totally agree with the ring choice. My American husband picked my ring and I never liked it. Had it redone when we reached 5 years.
In France, both man and woman go together to the jewelry store to pick up a ring.