How to choose a wedding garland
A wedding garland (varmala, jaimala, poola mala) is chosen by eye first: its colour, how full it looks and how it is finished. This guide compares rose, lotus and tuberose garlands using photographs of designs Fresh Petals makes in Bengaluru, then lists what to settle with any florist before you order.
Three things to decide first
- One garland or a pair. The exchange needs two. Decide whether they should match each other or each match one outfit.
- The colours of the outfits. A garland in the same colour as the outfit disappears against it; a contrast, or white with coloured bands, stands out in photographs.
- The date. Flowers depend on the season and the market that week. Fix the date before you fix the flower.
Rose garlands
Rose garlands carry the most colour. In our photographs they run from deep red through hot pink, blush and peach to ivory and white, and many combine two colours in alternating roses, rows or blocks.
What changes the look most is how the roses are divided. A garland of roses from top to bottom reads as one solid colour. Rings, bands or whole sections of baby's breath break it up and lighten it. The top is finished with pearl strands, gold-coloured bead strands or cord, and the ends with rose tassels or gold-coloured cones.
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Classic Red Rose Garland FP-G001 One colour throughout: red roses with fine pale bands and gold-coloured tassel details. -
Red Rose Garland with Baby's Breath Rings and Pearl Hangers FP-G034 The same red, made slimmer and divided by rings of baby's breath, on pearl hangers. -
Red and White Block Rose Garland FP-G068 Two colours in blocks: red and white roses alternate down the garland. -
White and Peach Rose Garland with Pearl Hangers FP-G051 A pale version: white and peach roses with baby's breath and pearl hangers.
Lotus garlands
Lotus garlands are mostly pink, and the first choice is between closed buds and opened flowers. Closed buds give a slim, even line of pointed buds. Opened lotus has its petals folded back, so each flower shows its layers and the garland looks fuller.
Lotus is also used as an accent. Several designs set a band of lotus, or lotus spaced along the length, into a white jasmine garland, and a few pair it with red roses. Many end in lotus tassels or clusters of buds. Lotus availability changes through the year, so confirm it for your date before you settle on one of these.
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Closed Pink Lotus Garland with Bud-Stem Tassels FP-G106 Closed pink lotus buds in a slim line, ending in clusters of buds on pale stems. -
Open Pink Lotus Garland with Pearl Hangers FP-G035 Opened pink lotus with baby's breath, on pearl hangers with small lotus tassels. -
Jasmine Garland with Spaced Pink Lotus FP-G114 Lotus as an accent: a white jasmine garland with pink lotus spaced along its length. -
Red Rose and Pink Lotus Garland with Gold Bands FP-G103 Lotus with roses: red rose sections, pink lotus and white-and-gold bands.
Tuberose garlands
Tuberose (rajnigandha, sampangi) garlands are the dense white ones. The white body stays much the same from design to design, so the choice is in the bands: red and gold-coloured, blue, teal, green, or several colours together.
Some designs keep to narrow bands near the top and at the tassels. Others add a broad panel of red or pink roses or buds in the middle, which is what you see first from the front. If a pair should match the outfits rather than each other, ask for different band colours on each.
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Tuberose Garland with Gold Accents FP-G086 Nearly all white: tuberose dotted with gold-coloured accents, gold and white tassels. -
Tuberose Garland with Blue, Red and Gold Bands FP-G085 Bands set the colour: blue, red and gold bands with blue-and-red tassels. -
Tuberose Garland with Red Rose Panels FP-G088 A flower panel: red rose panels edged in green, with red rose tassel balls.
Designer and mixed garlands
The remaining designs are built around other flowers or around a pattern: orchids, chrysanthemums, carnations, jasmine striped with colour, lattice and chevron work, and garlands made almost entirely of baby's breath. Choose these by the pattern in the photograph, and ask us which flowers we can make it in for your date.
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Jasmine and Purple Orchid Garland FP-G135 Jasmine with a purple orchid section and purple orchid tassels. -
Red Garland with White Chevron Pattern and Gold Bows FP-G132 Pattern work: a red garland with a white chevron pattern and gold bow tops. -
Full Baby's Breath Garland FP-G156 Baby's breath from top to bottom, shown worn by a couple.
Rose, lotus and tuberose side by side
| Flower | Colours in our photographs | How it is built | Ask before ordering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rose | Red, pink, peach, ivory, white; often two colours | Roses throughout, or divided by baby's breath rings, bands and blocks | Which rose colours are available for your date |
| Lotus | Mostly pink; some white | Closed buds or opened flowers; alone, or set into jasmine or roses | Whether lotus is available for your date |
| Tuberose | White, with coloured bands | Dense white body with narrow bands or a broad rose panel | The band colours you want on each garland |
What to settle before you order
A photograph fixes the look, not the order. Whichever florist you use, get these agreed in writing before anything is made.
- Colour
- The shades in the photograph, or the ones that match your outfits.
- Flowers
- The collections are grouped from the photographs. We confirm the exact flowers for your date.
- Length
- Tell us the length you want, or who will wear it, and we confirm what we can make.
- Single or pair
- Say whether you need one garland, a pair for the couple, or more.
- Ceremony date
- Share the date and time so we can check flower availability.
- Quote
- We send the price on WhatsApp. Nothing is charged on this website.
- Substitutions
- Ask what happens if a flower or colour isn't available on the day, and agree the replacement in advance.
- Collection or delivery
- Agree where and when the garlands reach you, and how long before the ceremony.
What our catalogue tells you, and what it doesn't
Shown on each design page
- The whole photograph, uncropped
- A design code (FP-G…) to quote when you enquire
- A description of the colours, bands, hangers and tassels in the photograph
- The flower group, assigned from the photograph
Confirmed with you on WhatsApp
- The exact flowers and any substitutions
- Length and thickness
- Single, pair or set
- Preparation time for your date
- The price
Where Fresh Petals delivers
We make and deliver garlands in Bengaluru, starting with Chamarajpet and Basavanagudi. For a nearby address, send it on WhatsApp and we confirm whether we can deliver there before anything is made.
We do not deliver outside Bengaluru. If you are reading from another city, the comparisons and the checklist above apply to any florist: take a design photograph and the list of points to confirm with you.
Browse all 156 garland designs Enquire on WhatsApp
Also see wedding flowers and custom orders.