How to Decorate the Flower Girl's Basket

Any flower girl will look adorable as she carries this basket down the aisle. Fill the decorated basket with flower petals so that she can scatter them along the bride's path.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Florist Wires
• Pearl Sprays
• Wide And Narrow Satin Ribbon
• Wide And Narrow Silk Ribbon
• Artificial Flowers And Greenery
• Baby's Breath
• Basket Liner Fabrics
• Baskets
• Fresh Flowers
• Fresh Or Artificial Greenery
• Hot Glue Guns
• Hot Glue Sticks
• Rose Petals
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Cutters
• Wire cutters
• Baskets

1. 

   Choose a small white or natural-colored basket. The basket should be large enough to contain the desired amount of flower petals but small enough for a child to carry in one hand. Look in any craft store for suitable baskets.

2. 

   Choose satin or silk ribbon to tie onto the basket. Use a combination of wide and narrow ribbons that coordinate with the predominant wedding colors. About 4 to 5 yards of narrow ribbon and 2 to 3 yards of wide ribbon will be enough for one small basket.

3. 

   Choose silk or fresh flowers to decorate the basket. One of the benefits of decorating with artificial flowers is that the basket will remain as beautiful as it was on the day of the wedding. This makes a wonderful keepsake for the flower girl.

4. Order any fresh flowers ahead of time to insure the availability of the flowers you desire. If you are using roses to decorate the basket, they can be dyed professionally to match the colors used in the wedding.

5. 

   Tie lengths of narrow ribbon at each base (or just one) of the basket handle, or use a hot glue gun to attach them if you prefer. The ribbons should trail approximately 6 to 10 inches below the bottom of the basket.

6. 

   Use the wide ribbon to make a bow at each base of the basket handle. These bows will cover any knotted portions of the narrow ribbon streamers.

7. Attach the flowers to the basket. Either cluster the flowers on each side of the basket or attach flowers all along the basket's rim or edge.

8. 

   Attach artificial flowers and greenery by weaving their stems through the open spaces in the basket. The ease with which this is accomplished depends on the structure of the basket. Alternately, use a hot glue gun to attach artificial flowers.

9. Attach fresh flowers and greenery to the basket with floral wire. Position the flowers on the exterior of the basket. Secure a flower by passing both ends of a length of floral wire over the stem and through to the interior of the basket. Twist the wire ends to secure and then tuck them back into the basket so that they are hidden.

Tips & Warnings

• Spray paint a basket to match the predominant wedding color as an alternative to a white or natural-colored basket.
• Protect the flower girl's hands from cuts or scrapes. Make sure that any floral wire ends are tucked back into the basket or hidden in some way. A fabric basket liner can be glued into the basket for this purpose.
• Add baby's breath and/or pearl sprays to the basket's decoration.
• Use scattering petals from the type or types of flowers used to adorn the basket. For example, use rose petals with a basket decorated with either fresh or artificial roses.

[artianrecycled]

on 3/29/2009 Most churches and civic venues for wedding ceremonies will not allow rose petals to be scattered either inside or outside any more. Mostly due to "Work and Safety" regulations (Guests and/or bridal party slipping thereon)and also for the stains that some flower petals leave on masonry, floor coverings etc. and the cleaning thereof. This makes the flower-girl basket obsolete from its original intention for holding petals. I have used small (dinner plate size)cane hoops for flower girls; natural or sprayed gold, silver or white then entwined with thin ribbons and small clumps of flowers positioned at intervals around the hoop. A very pretty, "May-day" or "Camelot" style effect, that young girls love, as it gives them something to "fiddle" with if they get bored.This idea also works well for little page-boys.

on 11/22/2005 I prefer to buy baskets from thrift stores as often as possible. They always have a good selection at most of them, and it is less wasteful!

on 11/22/2005 Using the same wider ribbon for the bows, wrap the ribbon around the basket's handle to further protect the flowergirl's little hands. Using a hot glue gun to secure the ribbon at the bases of the handle would work best.

on 10/1/2007 buy a regular basket(white or neutral). get lace and hot glue around the top of the basket. Then Buy some small flowers and hot glue around the rim of the basket. Then take some lace and wrap around the handle then take some more lil flowers and glue on the handle. Leave about a inch from rim on each side to glue some bows. Then you cane take pearls and glue around the bottom.