the top part of a decorative image showing garden flowers.

The Boston Globe Magazine

January 17, 1999

WEDDINGS: Joy is in the details

Pauline Runkle, shows us her artistic realizations for museums, exhibition halls and hotels.

Love in Blooms

By Carol Stocker

When it comes to "personal flowers" - that is, the flowers worn by members of the wedding party - brides and grooms are getting down right practical.

The mothers of the bride and groom no longer routinely pin on corsages at the ceremony. They don't wear well on people who are expected to hug 100 people in a three -hour period, and today's delicate fabrics rip too easily. Good jewelry is the accessory of choice for modern moms.

Those moms and grandmas who do want flowers increasingly choose to carry a nosegay or have flowers that can be pinned to their handbags or worn on their wrists. Pauline Runkle of Floral artistry in Manchester-by-the-Sea makes bracelets of the women's favorites, such as delphinium florets, held by lightweight wire. "It doesn't get in the way or get crushed," she says.

For the bridal party, the bride's traditional mixed bouquet remains popular, though not always for throwing. Many brides prefer to keep their bouquet, while others find the notion of asking their single women friends to congregate in the front of an audience and grapple for flowers somewhat demeaning. The custom endures, though, and Runkle says many brides change their minds about the toss during the reception. She advises her clients to have a smaller "throw bouquet" made to cover all contingencies.