A turbine bucket installation assembly for mounting a plurality of turbine buckets (300, 600) to a rotor wheel of a turbomachine, the assembly comprising a plurality of turbine buckets (300, 600) comprising dovetails; a rotor wheel that is axially separated from an adjacent rotor wheel by a spacer wheel, the spacer wheel being mounted on a rotor shaft on one side of the rotor wheel; and a fixture (100, 400), characterized in that the rotor wheel and the spacer wheel each having a plurality of circumferentially aligned axial dovetail slots (202, 502); and the fixture (100, 400) comprising: a turbine bucket holder (110, 602) having a dovetail that is configured to engage with one of the dovetail slots of the spacer wheel, a retention device coupled to the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) or to the spacer wheel for axially securing the bucket holder (110, 602) in an installed position to the spacer wheel, wherein the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) defines a bucket holder dovetail slot, having a profile that is configured to receive and secure therein a dovetail of one of the turbine buckets (300, 600), wherein the profile of the bucket holder dovetail slot substantially aligns the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) with a dovetail slot of the rotor wheel for at least partial transfer of the turbine bucket (300, 600) by an axial movement thereto from the spacer wheel, wherein the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) substantially aligns with a dovetail slot of the rotor wheel upon being secured in the bucket holder dovetail slot, a sidewall of the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) cooperatively engages a sidewall of a circumferentially adjacent turbine bucket holder (110, 602), and wherein the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) is slidably removable from the bucket holder dovetail slot by an axial movement and a guided insertion into the dovetail slot of the rotor wheel and installed therein. a turbine bucket holder (110, 602) having a dovetail that is configured to engage with one of the dovetail slots of the spacer wheel, a retention device coupled to the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) or to the spacer wheel for axially securing the bucket holder (110, 602) in an installed position to the spacer wheel, wherein the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) defines a bucket holder dovetail slot, having a profile that is configured to receive and secure therein a dovetail of one of the turbine buckets (300, 600), wherein the profile of the bucket holder dovetail slot substantially aligns the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) with a dovetail slot of the rotor wheel for at least partial transfer of the turbine bucket (300, 600) by an axial movement thereto from the spacer wheel, wherein the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) substantially aligns with a dovetail slot of the rotor wheel upon being secured in the bucket holder dovetail slot, a sidewall of the turbine bucket holder (110, 602) cooperatively engages a sidewall of a circumferentially adjacent turbine bucket holder (110, 602), and wherein the dovetail of the turbine bucket (300, 600) is slidably removable from the bucket holder dovetail slot by an axial movement and a guided insertion into the dovetail slot of the rotor wheel and installed therein.