How to choose the right bouquet for the occasion

Most people know who the flowers are for, but not which bouquet fits. Here is how we think about it when someone is standing in the studio, unsure.

Start with the question: what should the bouquet say?

Not which flower, not which colour. Should it brighten, comfort, mark something large, or simply be a greeting? The answer decides almost everything else.

Birthday

Colour is welcome here. We usually suggest something warm rather than something white – a birthday bouquet should register immediately. If you know the recipient's home, factor it in: colourful bouquets disappear in a colourful room and glow in a neutral one.

Thank you, and "just because"

These are the gifts that land best, precisely because they are not required. A smaller, informal bouquet feels more personal than a large, ceremonial one. A loose meadow bouquet says something different from a tight bunch of roses – more relaxed, less formal.

Love and anniversaries

Here we work with density and depth rather than width. A monochrome bouquet in one colour family looks more expensive and more deliberate than a mixed one. Red need not mean classic red roses – deep bordeaux often reads as more grown-up and less predictable.

A new baby

Two things people rarely consider: keep the bouquet small, because the home is already full, and choose low-scent flowers. Strong fragrance is unpleasant in a room with a newborn.

Sympathy

White and green is safe, but not obligatory. If you knew the person, a colour that meant something can be more beautiful than the neutral choice. What matters is that the bouquet is calm rather than celebratory.

Hostess gift

The classic mistake: arriving with a large bouquet, so the host has to leave their guests to find a vase. Either bring something that stands on its own, or bring the vase with it.

Office and business

Choose for longevity rather than for beauty. A bouquet in a reception has to look good all week without anyone tending it. Branches, orchids and structure last longer than open, soft flowers.

When you have no idea at all

Then white and green is the safest thing there is. It suits almost any occasion and any home, and it never lands wrong. Alternatively: give us a free hand and tell us the occasion – that is often the best bouquet we make.

Read next

• See the range: all bouquets

• For love and anniversaries: romantic bouquets

• On budget: what does a good bouquet cost?