My now husband Todd, popped the question on Christmas Eve 2016; I was completely surprised! The next day, we joined my family at their home to celebrate the holiday and our engagement. That day I told my mother that I wanted to have brooch bouquet. Of all the decisions to come, I had that one figured out. I knew I had wanted that type of bouquet for some time, I had seen them in magazines and I really liked the way they looked.
I started by ordering a few brooches online – a cat brooch, a rooster brooch and a good amount of gemstone-type pieces for filler. One day I asked my mom if she’d like to give me a few of her brooches and what I ended up with was a piece of my family history. She provided me brooches she received when she was young—a cameo from my paternal grandmother, a bell brooch from her mother, and even a cufflink my dad received in Vietnam that my mom had turned into a brooch. Once I received these items, I had a thought – I started gathering pictures of my family, Todd’s family, Todd and me as babies, and then of us together; we even included pictures of our pets. Before long my bouquet was full of sentimental pictures that I had turned into lockets that the florist would use in the bouquet. The finishing touches included pearls weaved throughout that my father had given to me and a necklace that my great aunt had made while she was a factory worker.
Of course I couldn’t leave out flowers entirely, we included baby orange spray roses, purple statice and various greens – all great for drying—as well as peacock feathers and metal embellishments.
The finished product brought me so much joy on my special day. It now sits in a shadow box my mom made for me. It truly is something I will treasure forever.
Blog Written by: Abby Eisemen
Bouquet: Eclectic Florist; Northwood, NH
Photography: Clunie Photography; Dover, NH