Do it Yourself Flower Bouquets

Simple wedding bouquets can make a big statement.

Creating your own wedding bouquets can save brides and grooms a significant amount of money. Enlist the help of mothers, bridesmaids and the maid of honor to help in the floral construction. A few materials and a plethora of floral stems combine to create a memorable bouquet to compliment the wedding attire on your big day. Use a few large flowers and add some greenery fillers such as ivy, baby's breath and smaller buds for an even more budget-friendly bouquet option. Choose flowers that match the wedding color scheme or align with the event theme.

Things You'll Need

• 40 floral stems
• Bucket
• Stem stripper
• Rubber bands
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks

Instructions

1. Remove leaves and thorns from each floral stem with your hands or a stem stripper tool. Store the flowers in a bucket of lukewarm water while creating the bouquet.

2. Arrange flowers into a spherical shape while holding the bunch in one hand. Begin the arrangement with four flowers and vary the heights of remaining 16 to 36 flowers to create the "ball" shape. Vary the colors in one flower type such as roses and arrange according to personal preference.

3. Twist a thick rubber band around the stems approximately three inches from the flower, or where the stems come together naturally to avoid breaking stems. Twist another rubber band about five inches below the first band.

4. Trim the stem bunch under running water on an angle with a pair of sharp scissors. The stems should be approximately six to seven inches long.

5. Tuck one end of a strand of ribbon matching the wedding colors underneath the top rubber band and secure with a dab of hot glue. Wrap the ribbon around the stems, covering all visible green between the two rubber bands and tuck the opposite ribbon's end into the lower band. Secure with a hot glue gun. Store the bouquet overnight in the refrigerator.

6. Hot glue any beading or bows to the bouquet handle after wrapping the stems in ribbon.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose silk as an alternative to fresh flowers to avoid preservation prior to the wedding day and to keep as a memento.

• Use corsage or straight pins as a securing option instead of hot glue.

• Nourish flower stems in a bucket of water with flower food from the local greenhouse or florist. Change the water every three days to keep flowers looking fresh.

• Creating the bouquet the morning of the wedding is ideal to keep the flowers looking fresh. Place the floral bouquet into lukewarm water after bunching and before attaching the ribbon if preparing the bouquet more than 24 hours prior to the wedding.

References

• All Wedding Ideas: Wedding Bouquets; Napolitano, Wenona
• Santa Clarita Valley Rose Society: Extend the Life of Your Cut Roses
• Jack Eden: Preserving Cut Roses
• J.R. Roses: DIY Bouquets: The Basics