Brides have been holding a bouquet to walk down the aisle for thousands of years. In Ancient Greece, brides carried herbs and spices to ward off evil spirits; in the Middle Ages, bouquets were used to mask body odor during the plague. But in 2025, brides aren’t just holding their wedding bouquets—they are wearing them.
Bridal bouquet bags are exactly what they sounds like: flower bouquets carried in or as a purse, often dangling from the wrist or forearm. These portable floral arrangements can be personalized and DIY-ed, and might even be redefining what a bridal bouquet represents.
Couture meets craft
“It’s very Sofia Coppola-meets-Simone Rocha: romantic, but with a wink,” says Jen Campbell, founder and editor of Green Wedding Shoes, noting that a bouquet purse seamlessly brings fashion and functionality together while displaying the essence of a bride’s personal taste and style. “We’re seeing brides treat every detail as an extension of their personality—from sculptural veils to ribbon-tied bouquets,” Campbell says. “It reflects the couture-meets-craft movement happening across weddings.”
Earlier this year, Australian-based wedding florist Sophie Warner of Sophia Wilde constructed a bridal bouquet bag using a Cult Gaia clutch. “The inspiration sparked from our beautiful bride Sara and her vision for a modern, elevated wedding,” says Warner of the sculptural bouquet.
But a bouquet bag isn’t just for brides who don’t want to carry their bouquet all day; it can also serve as a solution for brides with a dexterity disability. “A bouquet bag can make a big difference for brides who have difficulty holding a traditional bouquet. It provides a secure and balanced way to carry flowers and allows brides to have the freedom of fully enjoying their day without worry or discomfort,” Warner explains.
Redefining a ritual
The ritual of tossing the bouquet originated from a superstition that touching the bride and running off with a piece of her wedding dress would predict who was next in line to be wed. To escape guests—and preserve their dresses—brides began to toss their wedding bouquet.
For many brides the ritual feels outdated, and even cringe. For some guests, it can also feel like an unnecessary humiliation ritual for unmarried women. Just think of the infamous scene in Sex and the City, when Carrie Bradshaw and company barely flinch as their newlywed friend tosses her bouquet in Season 3.
The steady decline in enthusiasm is another cultural signifier that women’s societal worth is no longer tethered to her ability to be partnered. “In the past five years of doing weddings, only one bride has opted to toss her bouquet,” recalls Chelsea Olayos, owner and designer at the Brooklyn-based made-to-order floral studio The Fleurista, “and she bought an additional bouquet to toss.”
The Fleurista’s bouquet bags are handmade and can take anywhere from one to three hours to construct, depending on the type of bag. “There is a lot of passing the bouquet back and forth for someone else to hold on your wedding day,” Olayos says of the bags’ appeal. With a bridal boquet bag, “you can hold your bouquet bag and your glass of champagne.”
As for what kind of flowers seem to be popular, most designers note that the more durable varietals work best. After all, from the moment a florist finishes any kind of bouquet, there’s a limited amount of time before the flowers begin to wilt. “Calla lilies are very much in trend for weddings and they work really well out of water for an extended period of time,” shares Tammy Esfandi, founder and designer of Presch Petals in Dallas, Texas. Unlike other flowers, calla lilies can also easily be manipulated thanks to their flexible stems. Esfandi twists, curls, and knots the stems with beaded stone wrap bracelets, necklaces, and ribbon. “It’s important to have longevity in the structure that you build for your bride,” Esfandi shares.
Bouquet bags for bridesmaids and guests
The rise of the bouquet bag is not only reserved for brides. “Couples and vendors alike are moving in a direction that honors the guest experience, introducing more relevant and inclusive ideas like presenting it to a mom or honoring a couple who has stood the test of time,” says Megan Oddy, floral and event designer and founder of Pen and Flower Design Studio in Jacksonville, Florida. In June, the designer helped orchestrate flower purses for an entire bachelorette party. The purses were sourced from Fancy Boutique, which is owned by the bride, Francesca Hannon, who made the decision to include flower purses for her bridesmaids last-minute before the ceremony.
For her hillside wedding in Montecito, California in 2023, then-bride Ciena Rae Nelson used see-through purses made of glass for her bridesmaids to carry as they walked down the aisle. “We were getting down to the wire for my wedding and I couldn’t decide on bouquets. I didn’t want something traditional and at the time glass purses were trending everywhere and I saw dupes on Amazon,” Nelson explains of her choice.
If you don’t want to go the DIY route, enlisting the help of a professional is your best bet. “There are only certain florists I will recommend because execution is crucial and essential to the structures,” says Kristine Satorre, founder of Modern Brides BFF, an Australian-based content creation service for brides. Satorre, who is currently engaged herself, is also considering using a bouquet bag at her own wedding. “I’m not going to do a bridal bouquet toss because I want to give it to my mom,” she says. “This is my version of a bridal bouquet toss and I want to give it to you.”