Trailing Silk: Crafting A Wedding Bouquet With Faux Flowers

A trailing wedding bouquet is a natural, trailing arrangement of flowers that cascade from the bride's hands. This type of bouquet was popular in the 1980s, thanks to the royals, and has been making a comeback. It's a great option for brides who want to add drama to their wedding day look.

If you're interested in making your own trailing wedding bouquet with silk flowers, you'll need the following supplies: silk flowers of your choice, floral tape, wire, ribbon, and a vase or container for your bouquet. You can also add embellishments like berries, greenery, or fabric to personalize your bouquet. Keep in mind that you'll want to use a variety of textures and heights to make your bouquet visually appealing.

To assemble your bouquet, start by selecting 1-3 large flowers and 4-6 smaller flowers. You can also add greenery or other accents. Cut the stems to your desired length, making sure they are long enough to grip comfortably. Secure the stems together with wire and floral tape, wrapping the tape tightly from the base of the flowers down the stems.

Finally, add any final touches like ribbon or embellishments. And that's it! You've created a beautiful trailing wedding bouquet with silk flowers that will last a lifetime.

Picking your flowers

Picking the right flowers is the most important part of making a trailing wedding bouquet with silk flowers. You can use a variety of flowers, but the most popular ones include roses, orchids, lilies, stephanotis, and clematis. You can also add some greenery like eucalyptus, ivy, or trailing ivy to give it a more natural look. If you want to add a pop of color, consider using roses, dahlias, tulips, or peonies. Sunflowers are also a great option, especially for fall weddings.

When choosing your flowers, it's important to consider the color scheme of your wedding and the season. For example, if you're having a spring wedding, you might want to use peach, pink, and coral colors. If you're having a fall wedding, consider using autumnal colors like terracotta, copper, sage green, and bronze.

You can buy silk flowers online or at a craft store. Look for high-quality silk flowers that look realistic and have wire stems. You will also need floral tape, wire, and ribbon to secure the bouquet.

• Choose a variety of textures and sizes to make your bouquet visually appealing.
• Cut the stems so that your bouquet has a variety of heights, which will create a natural, trailing effect.
• Mix and match complementary colors and avoid clashing colors.
• Pick flowers that will fall effortlessly for a more modern look.
• Consider using silk and dried flowers for a bouquet that will last long after your wedding day.

Trimming and arranging the flowers

Start by selecting your flowers. Choose a variety of blooms in different sizes, such as large roses, peonies, or lilies, along with smaller flowers like baby's breath or jasmine. Consider the colour scheme and include some trailing greenery for a natural look.

Now, it's time to trim and arrange. Begin by trimming any excess leaves and stems from your flowers. You want to create a clean base for your bouquet. Leave some leaves near the blooms to add interest and texture.

Next, create your focal point. Select 2 to 4 flowers that will serve as the base of your bouquet. These should be your largest blooms. Carefully add more flowers on top of this base, building out in layered circles. Rotate the bouquet as you work, creating a rounded, cascading shape.

Secure each layer with floral tape as you go. This will help hold the bouquet together and give you more control over the arrangement. Remember to wrap the tape tightly for a secure hold.

Once you're happy with the arrangement, it's time to add the trailing greenery. Insert pieces of greenery, such as eucalyptus, ivy, or olive branches, at the bottom front of the bouquet. Let them trail downwards, creating a natural, flowing effect.

Finally, secure your bouquet by wrapping the stems together with floral tape. Start from the base of the flowers and work your way down, covering the stems completely. You can also use wire for added stability. Cut the stems to your desired length, ensuring they are comfortable to grip and not too visible.

Feel free to add any final touches, such as ribbons or embellishments, to personalise your trailing silk flower bouquet.

Adding greenery and other decorations

If you want to add greenery, you can use eucalyptus, jasmine, ivy, vines of clematis, olive branches, honeysuckle, or any other long, trailing greenery. You can let these hang loose and wild, with a few pieces trailing outside the centre of the bouquet for a modern, organic feel. You can also add in some baby's breath for an unusual, airy texture.

For flowers, orchids are a great choice for a statement, especially for a tropical wedding. Roses, hellebore, tulips, lilies, peonies, dahlias, chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and calla lilies are all popular choices. You can also add in some dried flowers, like pampas grass, for a unique texture. If you want to add some colour, try a gradient of shades, an autumnal palette, or a simple all-white bouquet.

You can also add in some non-floral elements, such as berries, twigs, beads, feathers, or even something more unusual, like Lego or tiny gears. Wrapping the stems with ribbon or fabric will give your bouquet a polished look, and you can add some extra decorations like lace, pins, or beading to the wrapped stems. Finally, you can finish your bouquet with a glitter or floral-scented spray.

Securing the bouquet with wire and tape

To secure your trailing wedding bouquet with wire and tape, you'll need to follow these steps:

First, cut 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) of floral wire with wire cutters. Wrap the wire several times around the stems, just below the blooms, and twist the ends together. Trim the twisted wire ends to 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length, then tuck them into the stems. Pull the wire tightly to keep the stems in place.

Next, cut your stems to an even length. The stems should be long enough for a comfortable grip but not too long that they are very visible. About 7–8 inches (18–20 cm) is a good length for most brides. It's better to err on the side of leaving them slightly too long; you can always go back and cut them shorter if needed.

Now, take your floral tape and wrap it around the stems, starting at the base of the flowers. Continue wrapping down the stems until you've covered the wire and stems completely. You can tear or cut the tape when you've wrapped it at least 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) down the length of the stems. Tuck the loose end of the tape into itself to hide any edges.

Finally, if desired, continue wrapping the stems with floral tape all the way down to cover the ends. This will stabilise the bouquet, hide the stems, and provide a nice handle.

Cutting the stems to the desired length

Firstly, when you are ready to cut the stems, ensure you have the right tools. You will need a sharp pair of wire cutters or scissors. Then, decide on the desired length. The stems should be long enough for the bride to hold comfortably, but not so long that they are very visible. A good rule of thumb is to cut the stems to a length of about 7–8 inches (18–20 cm). This length will allow for a comfortable grip and a stylish appearance.

When cutting the stems, it is better to err on the side of caution and leave them slightly longer. You can always go back and trim them shorter if needed. Hold the bouquet in your hand and carefully cut the stems to the desired length, ensuring that they are even.

If you are creating a round bouquet, you may want to wrap the stems with floral tape to secure them and create a neat handle. Start wrapping the tape from the base of the stems and work your way down, covering the wire and stems completely. For a trailing bouquet, you may want to leave the stems as they are or wrap them with ribbon or twine to create a decorative effect.

Finally, once you have cut the stems to the desired length, double-check that the bouquet looks well-proportioned and balanced. Adjust the length of the stems if needed to create the perfect trailing effect.

Frequently asked questions