Creating A Peony Swag For Your Wedding Day

Creating a peony swag for your wedding can be a fun and therapeutic activity. It can also save you a lot of money! Here's a step-by-step guide to making a beautiful peony swag for your special day:

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

You will need the following materials:

- Wire clippers

- Chicken wire

- Twine

- Greenery (e.g. ficus, seeded eucalyptus)

- Flowers (e.g. peonies, roses)

- Floral wire

- Hot glue gun

- Glue

- Spray paint (optional)

Step 2: Prepare the Base

Wrap chicken wire around a foam block to determine the size you need. Cut the chicken wire to size and secure it with twine. This will serve as the base for your swag.

Step 3: Add Greenery

Cut your chosen greenery into smaller pieces and start adding them to the foam block. Create a loose diamond shape by adding greenery to the top, bottom, and sides of the foam block. Alternate the angle of the stems to create a grid pattern that will hold everything in place.

Step 4: Add Interest with Varying Greenery

Introduce different types of greenery, such as seeded eucalyptus, to add interest and texture to your swag. Cut the greenery into smaller pieces and add them directly into the chicken wire foam block.

Step 5: Spray Paint for a Metallic Effect (Optional)

If you want to add a metallic touch, spray paint some faux filler with rose gold or another color of your choice. Once dry, cut the stems to size and add them to your swag.

Step 6: Cover Exposed Foam

Continue adding greenery to cover any exposed foam. You can also use moss to cover the foam, but be sure to leave some areas without glue so you can add flower stems later.

Step 7: Paint and Stem Your Flowers

Paint your flowers using craft acrylic paint mixed with water and a splash of vegetable glycerin. Once dry, add floral wire stems to the back of the flowers using hot glue.

Step 8: Add the Flowers

Start with the largest flowers, placing them mostly in the middle but with some towards the outer areas. Then, add medium-sized flowers, followed by the smallest flowers. Scatter the smaller blooms throughout the swag to create a natural, open flow.

Step 9: Finish with Accents

Add accents like dried baby's breath to bring texture and spread color throughout the swag.

Step 10: Hang Your Swag

Finally, hang your swag using command strip hooks, nails, or zip ties, depending on where you plan to display it.

Pick your theme

Picking a theme for your peony swag is an important step in the process of making a floral arch swag for your wedding. This is because the flowers you choose will create a certain vibe and atmosphere for your special day.

For example, if you're having a forest or natural-themed wedding, you might choose flowers that are native to that setting. On the other hand, if you're having a traditional white wedding, you might opt for a different selection of flowers.

Think about the overall theme and aesthetic of your wedding and choose flowers that will complement it. You can also decide on the style you want to achieve, such as messy, natural, traditional, or modern.

• Coffee dahlia pinnata
• Blush pink and dusty roses
• Dark coffee peony
• Pink peonies
• Dusty green peonies
• Sunflowers
• Champagne peonies
• Dark pink peonies
• Rose red peonies
• Blue peonies

Start with your greens

When placing your greens, it's important to create a loose diamond shape by adding pieces to the top, bottom, and sides of the foam block. This will guide you in achieving the desired shape and prevent you from overfilling the centre. You can use ficus stems as your base layer, cutting them into smaller pieces and inserting them into the chicken wire-covered foam block at different angles to create a grid pattern that holds everything in place.

Once you have your greens in place, you can move on to adding filler flowers and other decorative elements to complete your peony swag.

Add the flowers

Now it's time to add your filler flowers into the oasis. These will imitate the angles of the greenery and be the centrepiece for your swag. Just like with the greenery, make sure you shorten the flowers in the centre. This creates that desired enclosed look that we all love from floral decor.

Flowers that don't have long stems will need to be taped and wired. Make sure this is done discreetly. Top tip: if you're using roses, make sure that you de-thorn them. If you don't, you risk ruining the foam. You could also hurt yourself, which isn't ideal.

Add your larger flowers first, keeping them relatively central but not all concentrated in the middle. We want the flow to look natural and not forced, so keeping space for some smaller blooms to fill in helps keep that openness.

Next, add in 3-5 medium flowers in each of the colours. Again, keep them mainly around the centre with the larger flowers, but sprinkle some to the outer areas.

Last, add your smallest flowers! Many of these can go to the edges of your diamond shape, but others can be scattered throughout the entire swag.

Complete your design

Now for the fun part: completing your design! This may take a few trial and error runs, but don't be discouraged. After all, you want everything to be perfect. So, find out what works best with each colour, what design matches your aesthetic, and work with it.

If you're going for a messy, natural, or modern look, you'll want to use different flowers and techniques than if you were going for a traditional white wedding. For example, if you're aiming for a natural, forest-themed wedding, you might want to use lots of greenery and earthy tones. On the other hand, if you're going for a modern look, you might want to use more structured arrangements and bold colours.

Remember to add your personal touch, whether it's glitter, ribbons, or something else that makes it perfect for your big day. And don't forget to put sealant on your amazing design to ensure it stands the test of time!

Finishing touches

The final steps to making your peony swag are all about adding your own personal touches and ensuring your design is secure.

Firstly, you'll want to add sealant to your design to ensure it stands the test of time. You can also add glitter or ribbons at this point—anything that makes it perfect for your big day.

If you're using fresh flowers, you may want to consider a flower sealant to help them last longer. You can also use a spray to add a metallic touch to any faux fillers you've used.

Finally, you'll need to attach your floral swag to your wedding arch. These pieces often work best in the corners of arches, so bear that in mind. You can use zip ties to secure it around the wood or metal post, or if you're displaying it on a wall, you can use command strip hooks or nails.

Frequently asked questions