Bows are back and trending for Christmas 2026, as has been well and truly proven by Victoria and David Beckham.
Like trees, candy canes, and presents, bows are about as Christmassy as it gets. It’s the finishing touch on a really sparkly gift, the detail that truly brings out the beauty of a wreath or garlands, and it’s what makes a mantel look dressed for the holiday season.
O a Christmas tree, though? Why, it’s a very simple addition, but it can often prove itself to be the finishing touch that brings the whole thing to life.
The Beckham’s Bow-Trimmed Christmas Tree: Get the Look
Bows are popping up as the go-to Christmas tree ornament all over the place, from garden centers and social media, and it’s all down to the likes of Kate Hudson and a whole host of other celebrities… including David and Victoria.
That’s right; last Christmas saw the Beckhams decorate their traditional tree with golden-yellow bows rather than a massive collection of ornaments, and shared the results to Instagram.
Swipe to the second slide on the post below to check it out:
The vibe? Why, classy and unique (much as you’d expect from the stylish pair). It’s also way easier to copy than it looks, but it’s important to remember that there are a few places where bow-trimmed trees tend do go wrong.
To help you get it right, we consulted the pros. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Pick Your Lights First
When trying to recreate the Beckhams’ Christmas tree, most people start with the ribbon, which is a big mistake.
“Buy your lights before you buy your ribbon,” says Nadi Melam, founder and lead preservation artist at Florals Memories, who works with matching color to light. A golden-yellow bow can look orange once the tree is lit. “Warm light bulbs will add orange to anything they touch. Cool-white ones will remove any yellow.”
Interior designer Irena Cara, co-founder of Nova Wrap, recommends warm white as a general rule: “Use warm white lights and place them deep in the tree. Avoid tinsel and multicolored lights as they detract from the ribbon.”
Shop Christmas Lights:
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Don’t forget to do a test first. “Hold a strip of ribbon up to your lights before buying a full spool,” says Melam. “The wrong spool is your most expensive error.”
2. One Ribbon, One Width
The key word here is restraint, and it’s what gives a bow tree like David and Victoria Beckham’s tree that expertly designed look.
“Bows look planned when you select one ribbon color and one width,” says Melam. “You end up with too many choices if you use too many colors and widths. That’s what makes a tree look cluttered.”
Cara adds texture to the plan: “Velvet ribbon adds a nice textured element to a tree. Grosgrain and wired satin ribbon keep their shape and can also add nice detail to the tree.” Her limit is “no more than two finishes on the tree.”
3. Stick To The Magic Number
While some Christmas trees look great with one oversized ribbon as per the above, those who want to emulate the Beckhams’ Christmas tree need to get working on a few more bows than that.
In fact, Cara has a number in mind: “A tree is finished with 20 to 30 bows. They should be spaced about an arm’s length apart and staggered so they don’t form a straight line across the tree.”
Depth matters as much as spacing. “Place each bow deep within the tree, so the branches will embrace it,” says Melam. “If the bow is on the end of a branch, it will droop and move in the breeze.”
Cara’s main warning is about scale: “Decorating too small is the biggest faux pas. Tiny ornaments and thin ribbon get lost on a large tree.”
4. Don’t Forget The Back And Sides
Do you ever feel completely satisfied when you decorate your Christmas tree only to get comfy on the sofa and realize you missed an entire side of it? “Look at your tree from all sides before you consider it finished,” says Melam.
Cara agrees: “A tree without decorations in the back and bottom of the tree looks unfinished.”
If the tree looks thin in places, definitely don’t make the mistake of adding more ornaments. “Add small evergreen sprigs into any gaps you see before you fill in more ornaments,” says Melam. “You create subtlety by making fewer design decisions and repeating those choices.”
5. Choose A Tree That Can Carry It
Cara is clear that she’s a designer rather than a horticulturist, but she has noticed which trees hold up well. “The branches of a Fir, such as a Fraser or Nordmann, will keep an even shape and hold the needles better.”
A bow-led tree also helps the branches. “Heavier ornaments and a lot of ornaments on the tree cause the branches to break and bend over time, so place fewer, larger, and more considered ornaments on the tree.”
If you’re trying to be budget-conscious, bows are also a great idea as they’re a lot cheaper than a full set of ornaments. “Using a large, wide ribbon to make bows is cheaper than buying ornaments,” says Cara.
Melam’s advice is to put the money where it shows: “Spend on lights and high-quality ribbon, then use what you have to finish the job.” If you grow your own, she adds, “You can also use dried clippings from your garden as filler.”
Victoria and David Beckham don’t need a cluttered, crowded tree to make a big impression, and neither do you. Just pick the right lights, add a few golden ribbons, and you can get the same polished look in no time flat!
