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DIY: Build Your Own Wedding Bouquet

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:15:17 -0700

If you love to make your own bouquets for your home, you can easily make one for your own wedding, or for that of a friend or family member. Not only will you help to save money, you'll also create a unique, personalized bouquet that will help to make the day more special. Remember to try to go with simple, fresh flowers that are grown locally - if you can buy from a flower grower or farm and cut the flowers yourself the day before the wedding, you're guaranteed to have gorgeous, fresh blooms.

What You'll Need

Floral Wire
Stem Wrap Tape
Hot Glue
Long Stemmed Fresh Flowers
Preservative Solution
Small Bucket
Fabric or Ribbon that matches or contrasts well with bridesmaids' dresses
Knife

To find out how to "build" your bouquet, read more.

To maximize your flowers' freshness, soak flowers in a preservative solution in the small bucket overnight.
Gather the flowers together, and wrap (not too tightly) the wire around the stems, until the stems are covered.
Trim the stems, using the knife.
Wrap floral tape around the wires.
Spread the stems until the flowers are arranged as you would like.
Wrap the ribbon or fabric around the base and stems of the flowers. You can use hot glue to secure it, or you can simply wrap it tightly.
Enjoy the gorgeous bridal bouquet!

10 Brilliant Wedding Bouquets

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:34 -0700

Whether you're looking for inspiration for an unusual bouquet, or simply some interesting ways to augment a traditional arrangement, I've found some truly splendid bouquets to pique your interest. As you'll see, several of these bouquets forego flowers altogether.
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Cool Idea: A Bouquet of Water Flowers

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:00:01 -0700

I'm so impressed with this beautiful bouquet of water flowers. While I would never advocate picking flowers out of a freshwater lake (especially if it's a rare plant), if you have a backyard pond or fountain, it would be wise to cultivate some water flowers to use for an unusual bouquet or arrangement. Can you imagine how stunning a bouquet of water flowers would look at a lakeside wedding?

Have you ever made an arrangement with water lilies and water hyacinth? Do you have a backyard pond where you grow these flowers?

Source: Flickr User molajen

Have You Helped Make a Ribbon Bouquet?

CasaSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:00:27 -0700

If you've ever been to a bridal shower, you may have been responsible for helping to DIY the ribbon bouquet. At bridal showers, it's traditional to gather all of the ribbons together from the gifts and construct a bouquet, which will then be used at the wedding rehearsal.
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Flowers 101: Ranunculus

partysugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:58:31 -0700

The other day one of my sister's friends stopped by with a bouquet of pretty pink flowers from her garden. They were ranunculus (pronounced ran-UN-kew-lus) a small camellialike bloom that ranges in color from red to yellow to pink and white and grows here in the Western United States during springtime. Wildly popular, there are over 400 different species.

When planting ranunculus, monitor the soil's moisture and handpick away slugs and snails. These bulbs grow in full sun to partial shade, spread naturally, and do best with cool night temperatures and slightly warmer days. When cut, a ranunculus can last over a week, making them an ideal choice for a bride's bouquet, a wedding centerpiece, or a mailed gift. They combine well with pansies, sweet alyssum, and other early spring blooming flowers.

Screw the Bouquet, Get This Girl to the NBA

GiggleSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

The bouquet toss always seems to be really important to somebody, you know? It was clearly paramount to this wedding guest, who practiced her wicked jumpshot leading up to the event, and then brought her A-game.

Those other bridesmaids never even had a chance.

Cool Idea: A Bouquet of Macarons

CasaSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:55 -0700

There's a reason Sofia Coppola keyed the palette of her film Marie Antoinette around a box of French macarons: the feminine pastel tones are simply chic and utterly delightful.

So, why not think inside the box and forgo a traditional bouquet for your flower girls in favor of an arrangement of macarons? Your little flower girls will be engaged by the sweet pastries, and your guests intrigued. Though the meringue-like domes are light, the sum of them may be heavy, so make sure to reinforce the bouquet sleeve - perhaps by starching a piece of lace or other fabric. You may even want to superglue the pastries to keep them looking nice; it's all about the illusion. Just save extras for your macaron girls to eat themselves!
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Cool Idea: Hanging Wedding Flowers

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:45:03 -0700

Miss Cherry Pie recently posted photos of her hanging wedding flowers. She's still perfecting the idea, but I think they look great already. She writes that she "spent some time this weekend with my shepherd’s hooks and cache of jars working out how to attach one to the other. First, I picked out 20 jars of a similar smallish size, and set them aside. Then, I went a-crafting. I took a trip down to Michael’s to pick up some wraphia (aka raffia), a natural-looking, grassy ribbon that’s strong enough to use as a hanger."

Then, she tied the wraphia around the mouth of each jar, fashioning a handle out of it, and hung them from the shepherd's hook. This is such a lovely, simple idea for displaying large flowers. It's a beautiful, easy arrangement for any couple planning a DIY wedding.

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Come Party With Me: Anniversary - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:15:27 -0700

The colors at my parents' wedding 33 years ago were pale green and pink. Thus, I'm incorporating these hues into the decor for their upcoming anniversary party. A picnic table looks sophisticated when covered with a frosty green tablecloth. Keep the servingware simple with white plates, unadorned Champagne flutes, and pink napkins. An elegant cocktail deserves a chic pitcher, so serve in a vase-shaped vessel. Display the carrot cake on a pretty cake stand. We'll arrange several beautiful bouquets of roses - they are my mom's favorite flowers. Printed pool towels add a punch of pattern to the look.

Gail Simmons on Eco-Friendly Weddings

partysugar — Fri, 29 May 2009 08:00:41 -0700

Last week when I spoke with Gail Simmons about weddings, I was blown away by her inspirational ideas. Although she may not come across as a green goddess when she's judging Top Chef, she's actually very eco-conscious. Having an environmentally friendly wedding was very important to her and her now-husband, Jeremy. To find out her suggestions for throwing an eco-chic event, read more.

Send a save the date email. Instead of sending formal save the date cards, Gail chose to save paper. She let her loved ones know when and where her wedding would take place through a short, but sweet email.
Cut back on the invite. Gail examined every aspect of the invite and asked herself where she could use less paper. "I've never understood why wedding invites come with two envelopes. What is that second envelope for? Why is it necessary?" She ditched the extra envelope and sent information on hotels and lodging to only out-of-town guests.
Use recycled paper. This is a no-brainer! Gail printed all of her wedding stationary on regular sized, 100-percent recycled paper.
Don't waste the flowers. "Flowers are such a big thing, but they are wasteful. They cost so much money, are on a table for a couple of hours, and then what?" Gail came up with a clever way to lengthen the life of her wedding flowers. While she and her guests were dancing the night away, her wedding planner gathered the vases and wrapped each bouquet in craft paper. When her friends and family left the wedding, they were given a bouquet of fresh flowers to take home!
Give an eco favor. Gail's wedding favor was a reusable farmers market tote bag. "My friends still use them to this day."

Did you go green at your wedding? Share your stylish eco-tips with us below!

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