How to Make a Wedding Toss Bouquet
Traditionally, a newly-married bride will toss her bouquet to a crowd consisting of all the single, female wedding guests. According to the tradition, the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. However, since many brides like to preserve their bridal bouquets, they often make toss bouquets especially for this purpose. A toss bouquet is rarely a replica of the bridal bouquet; it is usually a relatively inexpensive, hand-tied arrangement of coordinating flowers. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Select an assortment of cut flowers that coordinate with the colors and style of the wedding and the other wedding bouquets. Note that toss bouquet may look similar to the bride's or bridesmaids' bouquets, or to the other floral arrangements used in wedding, but it need not be especially fancy or expensive. Expect to use between 4 and 15 flowers in the toss bouquet, depending on the sizes of the flowers used and the size of toss bouquet you desire.
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Pull off all leaves from the bottom two-thirds of each flower stem. Use scissors to snip off the leaves if you prefer. Leave the stems of the flowers long for now; you will shorten them after the bouquet is assembled.
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Place the cut flowers in a water-filled bucket where they can remain hydrated while you assemble the toss bouquet.
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Pick up one flower with your dominant hand and place it in your less-dominant hand. Plan for this first flower to be positioned at the top center of the toss bouquet.
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Grasp a second flower with your dominant hand. Slide this flower into your less-dominant hand at a slight angle so that it is positioned next to and a bit lower than the first flower. Repeat this action with two more flowers; form a ring of three flowers around and slightly beneath the first flower.
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Place five more flowers around and slightly below the three flowers you added to the bouquet in the previous step if you want to make the toss bouquet larger. Continue to assemble the toss bouquet in your hand in this manner, using your dominant hand to arrange the flower stems in your less-dominant hand, until you have made the toss bouquet as large as you desire.
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Decide how long you want the stems of the toss bouquet to be. Note that keeping the stems relatively short will make the bouquet easier to toss and perhaps less painful or awkward to catch. Consider having the bouquet measure one foot from top to bottom. Trim the flower stems accordingly with scissors.
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Wind a piece of floral wire snugly around the stems of the toss bouquet to hold them together. You can remove the toss bouquet from your less-dominant hand; the floral wire will keep it intact.
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Cut one to two yards of pretty ribbon using scissors. Choose ribbon in a color and material that coordinates with the flowers in the toss bouquet as well as with the wedding colors and style.
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Tie the ribbon in a simple bow around the stems of the toss bouquet. Unwind the floral wire from the toss bouquet and discard it, as the ribbon will now keep the bouquet intact. Allow lengths of ribbon to dangle from the bow; they will look festive streaming through the air when the bouquet is tossed.
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Tips & Warnings
If your toss bouquet contains lilies, make sure to remove the clusters of pollen from the centers of the lilies, as they can stain the clothing of the person who catches the bouquet.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit bride and groom holding hands, while bride holds b image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com
