At her wedding this past winter, Kayce Tindell, a speech-language pathologist from Elba, Ala., wasn’t carrying a traditional bouquet of white florals. She held a flower “purse,” embellished with faux burgundy calla lilies and baby’s breath, favorites of her and her husband, along with burgundy and green amaranthus.
“I was hoping for a moody vibe,” said Ms. Tindell, 25, who was married before 19 guests at Gabrella Manor in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 28. “You should not let the traditions of weddings override your desire to have unique pieces.”
Ms. Tindell said she found her faux floral purse, which was created by Iyawo Flowers in Chicago and cost $285, on Pinterest after searching for “unique bouquet ideas.” She plans to display it on a living room gallery wall beside framed photos and a trinket shelf of special keepsakes. “It acts as a symbol now for the whole day,” she said.
Bouquet purses — crafted of faux and real flowers and carried with a handle or grasped like a clutch — have become the latest trend in wedding fashion.
“Brides are really leaning into personalization,” said Lara Bamgbose, the owner of Iyawo Flowers. She said she created 13 floral purse bouquets since her business opened in May 2025, charging around $300 per purse, and estimated that the bag bouquets make up about 40 percent of bouquet orders. Since the start of 2026, floral purse bouquet inquiries have tripled compared with last year, she said.
Clients purchasing bridal purses tend to be “fashion-forward” brides in search of a “statement moment,” Ms. Bamgbose said. Her customers frequently forego classic whites and softer palettes in favor of bolder hues such as the en vogue burgundy and chartreuse color scheme.
Yasmine Zerhouni, the founder of the Capital Flower Fairy in Washington, said the floral purse craze isn’t anything new. “In the Victorian Era, brides used a silver vase as a floral carrier,” she said. Its recent resurgence can be traced to social media posts in early 2025.
Floral purses were popping up in styled shoots, but brides quickly began requesting them for weddings, Ms. Zerhouni said, especially after an Australian florist created a piece for a bridal client inside a Cult Gaia brand shell bag, posted on Instagram in January 2025.
Ms. Zerhouni explained these designs often involve more labor and logistics, such as incorporating a water source into the structure if real flowers are used. “You’re basically creating wearable art,” she said. Ms. Zerhouni said her bouquet purses of fresh flowers are priced from $350. (The average price of a bridal bouquet is between $100 and $350, according to Zola, the wedding planning website.)
Ber Hamam, 22, of Greensboro, N.C., bought a $350 floral purse from Ms. Zerhouni for her wedding on Sept. 12, 2025, at the Bellevue Event Center in Chantilly, Va. “It made the whole look feel personal and cohesive,” said Ms. Hamam, who is applying to medical school. Her arrangement showcased white calla lilies, protea blushing bride, and pink, white and green orchids. She said the purse “was the number one thing I kept getting feedback on after the wedding.”
“Brides are looking for a different focal point,” said Breja’e Washington, the owner of Exhibit B Florals in Los Angeles. Since opening her business in January 2025, Ms. Washington said, she has made eight floral purses. She currently charges $175 to $325 for her bouquet purses made with fresh flowers, chicken wire, metal and zip ties.
“In the land of social media, everyone is doing their wedding more for a show,” Ms. Washington said.
Kiarra Shelby-Rizvi, 33, a social media influencer, saw a floral purse as more of a lightweight option. She knew her lehenga, a three-piece garment worn at South Asian weddings and celebrations, would be “very, very heavy” at her Pakistani wedding celebration on July 19, 2025, at ISCN Corona Masjid, a mosque in Corona, Calif.
Her arrangement, purchased from Ms. Washington, included sweet peas, amaranths, anthuriums, dahlias, daisies and delphinium, and cost $275. “You’re going to get 1,000 compliments,” said Ms. Shelby-Rizvi, who resides in Long Beach, Calif.
She plans to purchase two floral purses by Ms. Washington to match multiple outfits for her legal wedding this October.
For Kendahl-Milan Nelson of Oakland, Calif., who eloped on Oct. 31, 2025, in Valley of Fire State Park in Las Vegas, the floral purse appeal was personal. From day one of planning, Ms. Nelson, 36, a paralegal for a personal injury firm in Hayward, Calif., knew she didn’t want a bouquet, but something she could carry as an accessory.
“It was almost like an extension of the look rather than something separate,” said Ms. Nelson, adding that she found traditional bouquets old-fashioned.
Her $300 purse bouquet was included in her $3,250 elopement package through Elopement Las Vegas. The purse bouquet of fresh flowers, by Amy Wong, a Las Vegas florist, displayed white phalaenopsis orchids, flexigrass, white mini calla lilies and bear grass.
Ms. Nelson said she liked that her purse was practical, as it included a pouch for storing items like Q-Tips and lip gloss. The design also lent itself to a sentimental touch: Ms. Nelson attached a pin with a Halloween photo of her and her father, who died in 2013. “I knew that I wanted him to be there because he’d never met my husband,” she said.
The post The Latest Trend in Wedding Fashion: the Bouquet ‘Purse’ appeared first on New York Times.
