DIY: Bridal Bouquet
Wedding flowers can cost thousands of dollars. One way to cut down on the cost of flowers is to make your own wedding bouquet. Not only are personally-made bouquets much cheaper but they also have sentimental value. Bridal bouquets can be made with either fresh or silk flowers. Bridesmaids' and other bouquets can be made to complement the bridal bouquet, but the bridal bouquet should be the largest and fanciest of the bouquets.
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Supplies Needed
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The foundation of a bridal bouquet is the bouquet holder. A holder typically consists of a handle and a foam top where the flowers can be arranged. Bouquet holders can be purchased at craft stores. You may also want some ribbon to decorate the bouquet. Of course, you'll need to decide on fresh or silk flowers and what type of flowers you'll use. Flowers should be chosen to coordinate with the wedding colors. Bouquets typically look better if they contain flowers in more than one color or several shades of the same color. In addition to flowers, you may wish to include baby's breath and leaves. For silk flower bouquets, you will also need a wire cutter to cut the stems.
Bouquet with Fresh Flowers
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If you are going to use fresh flowers, you should wait to make the bouquet until a day or two before the wedding. Soak the bouquet holder in water so that it absorbs a large quantity of water to hydrate the flowers; this usually only takes two to three minutes. Prepare leaves and baby's breath by cutting the stems to about 2 to 3 inches long. First, place leaves along the outside edge of the bouquet holder so that they form a ring around the bouquet. Choose any starting place for the leaves and overlap them slightly as you continue all the way around the outer edge of the bouquet holder. Next, you make want to make a ring of baby's breath directly above the leaves. The baby's breath does not need to overlap, but each stem should be evenly spaced from the next one. Choose any starting place for the baby's breath and continue inserting it all the way around. Cut the stems of the flowers so that they'll be close to the foam and at even heights. Begin placing the flowers into the foam, starting in the middle and working outward toward the edges of the bouquet holder until the bouquet has enough flowers to conceal the foam underneath. If desired, ribbons can be tied to the base of the holder and left to cascade down from the bouquet. Refrigerate the bouquet until wedding time.
Bouquet with Silk Flowers
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When making a silk flower bouquet, choose realistic-looking flowers that complement the wedding colors. Cut the flowers so that the stems are no more than 6 inches long. Begin inserting flowers in the center of the bouquet and work toward the outside. Place the flowers close together so that no foam shows through at all. Other items such as leaves, baby's breath and ribbons can also be added to silk bouquets. If leaves and baby's breath are desired, they should be placed in the foam first, around the outer edge of the bouquet holder as described in Step 2, before arranging the flowers.
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