Your wedding dress is such an amazing statement. It expresses your personality and style. It’s makes its debut after being a secret throughout your engagement. It’s your dress for one of the most important occasions of your life.
And the bouquet your carry with this Dress is an important decision too. That’s why we were delighted when Lisa Anderson of Sweet Pea Flowers in Denver shared her thoughts on bouquets with us. What I love most about Sweet Pea Flowers is their personal approach. Lisa works with each bride. Individually. To find out what she has always dreamed her wedding will be. And then Lisa personally designs the event, hand picks the flowers and manages every detail. Just what you’d want your floral designer to be.
Her are Lisa’s predictions for 2011 wedding bouquet trends:
Bouquet trends for the 2011 wedding season will include a layering of textures, muted earth tones as well as pops of color.
The romantic vintage and slightly cascading bouquets will return (think 20th century English garden style). Natural greens will make a big come back such as Camilla leaves, grasses, herbs, ferns and vines. Brides wanting to add a little nostalgia to their wedding could use fabric from their mother’s gown to wear over their shoulders or tie it into their bouquet wrap to add a special, vintage touch. A brooch from their Grandmother is perfect to add a very personal sentiment to any bouquet.
The hand tied bouquet will still be very popular, adding a more whimsical, bohemian twist with fruits, herbs and flowers mixed together. Pops of color will make striking bouquets including flowers such as raspberry godetia, coral ranunculus, peach garden roses, small clusters of Clementine’s as well as delicious smelling lavender and mint.
Surprisingly, babies’ breath, mums and carnations are on the rise creating beautiful bouquets tightly packed featuring groupings of one type of flower. Add the perfect printed ribbon or fabric wrap and they are simply stunning, classic and elegant.
No matter what vision the bride has, the personal touches and details are what makes her bouquet as unique as she is.
photo credit: marthastewartweddings.com
Here’s a DIY wedding design trend that’s easy to do and easy on your budget: tissue paper flowers. Check out the inspiration photos below. Aren’t they fun? Limited only by the amount of time you have to create them, paper flowers can add a big, whimsical, visual impact to your wedding décor. True, no one is going to mistake your tissue paper flowers for the real thing, but they can offer festive style at virtually no cost.
photo credits: flickr; marthastewartweddings.com; wellsphere.com; northridgemedia.com
Hang them from the ceiling for a magical effect, or cluster them in vases for a creative centerpiece. They’re the perfect accent for your rehearsal dinner or casual wedding reception. Coordinate tissue paper colors with your wedding palate. All you need to get started is the tissue and pipe cleaners.
photo credit: marthastewartweddings.com
I’ve provided a link to directions for making your own simple tissue paper flowers. You can also find paper flower kits (that come with pre-cut tissue paper and all other supplies needed) at local craft stores and online. Martha Stewart Crafts used to sell a great paper flower kit, but it seems they have discontinued it (I did find some available on Ebay though). Visit Martha Stewart Weddings online for inspiration and instructions for making more elaborate flowers and larger “party poms.”
photo credit: Etsy
You can also find a great selection of paper flowers online at Etsy. These come preassembled – it just takes a little bit of time to “fluff” them up. Even if you decide to use a craft store kit, or buy from an Etsy retailer, the cost is still very economical for these stylish accessories. What else do I love about these faux flowers? They won’t end up in the trash can days later. You can reuse them for parties or use them to decorate your new home together.
For many people, myself included, moving toward a greener lifestyle happens in baby steps, not in one giant leap. So when you are thinking about going green, and you get overwhelmed by carbon offsets and organic menus, just remember that much of what it means to be eco-friendly revolves around keeping it simple. DIY bouquets have an elegant simplicity by design, and by enlisting friends and family to help with the labor, you can pair down your floral budget as well.
To keep it green, consider buying organic flowers from a local floral outlet. Organic flowers enrich, not reduce, our Earth’s resources. They eliminate the need for toxic chemicals which can affect the health of farm workers and florists. If you can’t find a local florist who can track down organic flowers, check out OrganicBouquet.com for a wide array of sustainably grown blooms. Visit Local Harvest.org to search for organic farms and farmer’s markets near you.
| A simple single-flower arrangement is not difficult to make, and the classic dome shape of this round bouquet complements most wedding gowns. Be sure to stick to hardier flowers like roses, which are easier to arrange and can endure a little manhandling. To make a bridal bouquet about 8 inches in diameter, just follow the instructions below. This bouquet takes between 30 and 60 minutes to construct, and about 30 to 60 stems.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED 30 to 60 stems of a hardy flower like the rose (20 to 40 for each bridesmaid bouquet) Bucket Paper towels Ribbon (in a complementary color), 1 to 2 inches wide rubber bands or green waxed floral tape Stem cutter or very sharp knife Stem stripper Straight pins or pearl-tipped corsage pins STEP 1: Preparing the Flowers Use your hands or a stem stripper to remove excess foliage and thorns, and pull off damaged or unattractive outer petals. Fill a sink or bucket with water, and holding the stems underwater use the stem cutter or knife to cut the stems at an angle about 2 inches from the bottom. Allow the flowers to drink for a few seconds with the stem ends underwater, then place the stems in a bucket filled halfway with cool water until you are ready to use them. Note: If you’re working with roses and the heads aren’t open yet, you can force the blooms open by placing the stems in a bucket of hot water; but only do this for a couple of minutes just before you are going to use the roses, or you might kill them otherwise. Keep the stems long while you work with them and trim them to a shorter length when you’ve finished constructing the bouquet. STEP 2: Assembling the Flowers Take one stem at a time with one hand, and use your other hand to hold the flowers in place. Assemble four flowers at an even height in a square shape — these will be at the center of the dome. Arrange the other flowers one by one around the center flowers to create a dome shape. Note: To better see what the bouquet will look like in your hand, stand in front of a mirror as you construct the bouquet to observe how the shape is progressing. STEP 3: Securing the Bouquet Use a rubber band or floral tape to bind the stems at the spot where they naturally join (about 3 to 4 inches below the flower heads). Repeat the binding toward the end of the stems, leaving about 2 inches of excess stem beneath the bind to trim later. Either place the stems in water and wrap them later or continue to Step 4. STEP 4: Finish the Handle Cut the stem ends so they are all the same length, about 7 to 8 inches long. Dry off the stems with a paper towel. Cut a length of ribbon about three times as long as the length of the stems. Tuck the end of the ribbon inside the top bind and start wrapping in a spiral down the length of the stem. When you reach the bottom, wrap in a spiral back up the stem. At the top, tuck the cut end of the ribbon underneath and secure with a couple of pins pushed through the ribbon and into the stems. If you’d like a bow, cut a separate length of ribbon and tie it just beneath the flower heads. STEP 5: Preserving the Bouquet Wrap the bouquet in tissue. Store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to leave for the ceremony. For ultimate freshness, it’s best to make the bouquet the morning of the wedding. Once the bouquet is constructed, keep the bare stems in water as long as you can and mist the heads well. Then when you’re ready, wrap the stems.
Keep in mind, as with any DIY project, there is room for error. Make sure to factor in the amount of time and manpower needed and consider making a test run before your big day. If you are going to recruit friends and family to make your wedding flowers, chose people who have a green thumb or “eye” for design. Simplicity is key here… if you have a little creativity and patience, this budget friendly, eco-friendy project might just be right for you. Source: bridesofaustralia.com |
