Binding a Bridal Bouquet
To have a successful wedding on a budget, you need to know what's worth spending money on and what you could just as easily and quickly do yourself. Assembling your bridal bouquet falls into the second category. Some brides avoid putting together their bridal bouquets because they think that if they don't bind them right they will be leaving more petals in the aisle than the flower girl. However, binding a bridal bouquet is so simple even the groomsmen could do it.
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Functional Binding
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The functional binding of a bridal bouquet is what actually holds the flowers together in the arrangement that you have created. Right now you may be asking yourself, "Wait a minute, isn't that just ribbon?" Actually, ribbon is a decorative binding. On its own strength, ribbon probably won't be able to keep your flowers together for the duration of the wedding day. Instead, functional bindings, like rubber bands and bouquet holders, can help your bouquet make it through everything from your sweaty grip as you walk down the aisle to the excited jumping of the 3-year-old who catches it during the reception. Rubber bands are among the least complicated and most inexpensive functional bindings, while bouquet holders are sometimes easier to hold for long periods.
Decorative Bindings
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Decorative bindings are just what they sound like -- they don't actually hold the bouquet together, but they allow you to add some elements to dress up or down the bouquet to your taste. Some bouquet holders are decorative and functional bindings in one. You can find bouquet holders of faux finished metal, rhinestones and crystal. Ribbon can also be used as decorative binding if you go the rubber band route or you have a bouquet holder that is not decorative. Although ribbon is one of the most popular types of decorative bindings, others include beads and other fabrics, like tulle. In fact, Modern Bride magazine suggests adding personal touches like a yellow ribbon to symbolize marriage to a soldier, jewelry given to the bride by the groom and family items, like the family's crest or part of a scarf made by the family's matriarch.
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Procedure for Bouquet Holders
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If you are using a decorative bouquet holder, binding your bouquet is as simple as arranging your flowers inside the holder, though you may want to buy some additional flowers in case you damage a few trying out different designs. If you are going the non-decorative bouquet holder route, simply arrange the flowers in the holder and then wrap ribbon or fabric around the holder in any way that you choose until it is covered. You can then add bows and beads.
Procedure for Rubber Bands
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To bind the bouquet with rubber bands, simply twist one rubber band at the top of the stems, 2 to 3 inches below the buds, and another toward the end of the stems after you have cut them to make them all the same length. The trick to decorating this bouquet is to cover both rubber bands. Usually, this requires tucking some thick ribbon or fabric into a rubber band and then wrapping the ribbon once around the rubber band and down the length of the stems. Once you get to the bottom, you can wrap the ribbon back up the stems, tuck it into the top rubber band and secure it with a pin for a seamless, secure binding. You can then add the finishing touches, like beading and a bow.
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