Creating Wedding Hand Bouquets: A Step-By-Step Guide

Making your own wedding bouquet is a great way to save money and ensure your flowers look exactly as you want them to. It can also be a fun and creative process that empowers you to customize your bouquet to match your wedding theme and personal aesthetic. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps of creating a beautiful hand-tied wedding bouquet, from selecting the right flowers and foliage to assembling and wrapping your bouquet. We will also offer tips on how to make your bouquet unique and special. So, whether you're a bride-to-be or a guest looking for a thoughtful gift, get ready to unleash your creativity and make a stunning hand-tied wedding bouquet!

Choosing flowers and foliage

Choose Flowers That Match Your Theme and Colours:

Select flowers that complement your wedding theme and colour palette. Consider whether you want a casual or formal look and choose flowers accordingly. For example, wildflowers like sunflowers or daisies for a casual affair, or exotic flowers like orchids or hibiscus for a formal event.

Select Seasonal Flowers:

Choosing flowers that are in season will save you money as they are more readily available. Spring and summer flowers include orchids, peonies, and chrysanthemums, while autumn and winter flowers include roses, sunflowers, and carnations.

Pick Flowers with Long Stems:

Opt for flowers with sturdy, long stems such as roses, irises, carnations, and tulips. These will provide a good base for your bouquet and make it easier to arrange them.

Add Foliage for a Well-Rounded Look:

Incorporate greenery such as camellia leaves, eucalyptus, ivy, or nandina to give your bouquet a natural, well-rounded appearance. You can select one type of foliage or a few different varieties to add interest.

Prepare the Stems:

Before you begin arranging, cut the stems of your flowers and foliage at an angle, and remove any thorns or lower foliage from the bottom half of the stems. This will ensure a neat appearance and make it more comfortable to hold the bouquet.

Consider the Size of Your Bouquet:

The size of your bouquet will depend on the number of flowers and the variety you choose. A mixed bouquet typically looks best with three to four types of flowers, along with some foliage. You can also choose a single type of flower, such as roses, for a simple yet elegant look.

Selecting seasonal flowers

Spring Flowers

Spring is the season when some of the most stunning flowers are most readily available. Consider the following spring flowers for your bouquet:

• Daffodils: Available in yellow and white, these single-bloom stems give off sunny vibes.
• Tulips: Tulips signify "perfect love" and are available in a variety of colours, including white, pink, yellow, red, purple, and more.
• Sweet peas: Available in shades of pink, blue, white, purple, and red, sweet peas add texture and movement to any wedding bouquet.
• Lilacs: With a short growing season, lilacs are fragrant blooms that come in shades of pale and dark purple, as well as white.
• Peonies: Fluffy, fragrant peonies have a short growing season and are available in light hues.
• Irises: Available in a range of colours, including yellow, blue, white, pink, orange, brown, and purple, irises can complement any colour palette.

Summer Flowers

Summer is the time to feature bold colours and full blooms, as many flowers that bulb in springtime reach peak bloom during the hot summer months. Consider the following summer flowers for your bouquet:

• Sunflowers: Symbolising good luck, sunflowers are a bright and affordable option for summer weddings.
• Snapdragons: With fragrant petals and long stems, snapdragons come in a variety of bold shades and pair well with larger buds such as roses, lisianthus, and peonies.
• Orchids: While orchids can be pricey, their long lifespan makes them a practical choice. Their bright petals resemble butterfly wings.
• Dahlias: With a large bloom, affordability, and variety, dahlias are a practical and impactful addition to your bouquet.

Autumn/Fall Flowers

Although flower season slows down in autumn, many summer blooms continue to flower into early fall. Consider the following autumn flowers for your bouquet:

• Proteas: With a long growing season, proteas have an innately tropical look, making them a strong contender for August and September flower arrangements.
• Zinnias: With a growing season lasting from late spring through early fall, zinnias are generally at their peak in August and come in a variety of colours.
• Dahlias: Known as the "peonies of fall", dahlias are highly sought-after but only available for a short time. They come in a wide variety of colours and shapes, making them a great option for September weddings.
• Chrysanthemums (mums): Mums are affordable and come in brilliant shades, offering tons of variety in flower shape.
• Amaranthus: This vine-like flower is one of the few that hang down instead of standing up, making it a good option for cascading bouquets in October.

Winter Flowers

Few flowers can survive the hard frost of winter, but there are some sturdy options to consider for your winter wedding bouquet:

• Hellebores: Known as Christmas roses, hellebores have a rich history in Ancient Greek Mythology and Christianity. Their frost tolerance and stunning, rich petals make them a perfect choice for winter weddings.
• Anemones: Also known as windflowers, anemones symbolise the love between Adonis and Aphrodite in Greek Mythology. They come in striking shades, including deep plum.
• Eucalyptus: Delicate greenery, such as the beautifully textured leaves of eucalyptus, has been popular in wedding florals. Native to Australia, eucalyptus has a strong, aromatic scent and looks beautiful fresh or dried.
• Roses: Roses are a symbol of love and beauty and bloom all year round. Winter Garden Roses, which bloom in December, offer a beautiful colour variety without breaking the bank.

Prepping the flowers

Before you start constructing your bouquet, you'll need to prep your flowers. First, use your hands or a stem stripper to remove excess foliage and thorns from the stems. If you're using roses, you can force the blooms open by placing the stems in a bucket of hot water for a couple of minutes, but be careful not to leave them in too long or you might kill them. Remove the leaves from all of the stems and cut the ends of the stems at a slant. Place the flowers in a bucket of water to keep them fresh—you can leave them there until you're ready to assemble the bouquet.

If you're using flowers with long stems, trim them to a shorter length. You want to leave enough stem to hold comfortably, but not so much that it interferes with the wedding dress. A good rule of thumb is to measure two hand lengths from the string, and add an additional 3 centimetres of wiggle room.

When you're ready to assemble the bouquet, take the flowers out of the water and dry the stems with a paper towel.

Timing

The timing of making your bouquet is important. Ideally, you should make the bouquet the day before the wedding or the morning of the wedding to ensure the blooms are at their best.

Assembling the bouquet

Now that you've gathered your flowers and materials, it's time to assemble your bouquet. Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Create a base: Start by building the shape and framework of your bouquet. Pick the largest and most beautiful flower as your centrepiece, or choose three medium-sized flowers to form the centre.
• Add foliage: With your right hand, add four to six clusters of foliage evenly around and just below the flower heads. Criss-cross the stems at an angle and turn the bouquet as you add in the foliage.
• Continue adding flowers: Holding the bouquet with your thumb facing towards you, continue placing flowers and foliage evenly around the bouquet. Place each layer slightly below the previous one to achieve a rounded effect.
• Secure the stems: Wind string or floral tape around the stems several times, about 2 inches below the flowers, to keep them together. Cut the excess and tuck in the end.
• Cut the stems: Cut the ends of the flower and foliage stems so they are about 6-8 inches long and all the same length.
• Spray with water: Lightly spray the bouquet with water to keep the flowers and foliage fresh.
• Tie a ribbon: Finish off the bouquet by tying a ribbon around it. You can either wrap a thin ribbon several times around the stems or tie a wide ribbon in a bow.

Remember, don't stress too much about making it perfect. Flower arranging is a creative process, so enjoy it and feel free to experiment!

Finishing the bouquet

Now that you've assembled your bouquet, it's time to finish it off with some final touches!

Wrap the stems

Using floral tape or ribbon, wrap the stems together from the top downwards. This will ensure the flowers are held firmly in place. Be careful not to wrap all the way to the bottom of the stems, but instead, wrap just over the size of one hand to maintain a natural look.

Tie a knot

If you're using ribbon, leave approximately 40cm spare at the end to tie a knot and add a bow. This will hold everything together and add the finishing touch to your bouquet.

Mist the bouquet

To keep your flowers and foliage fresh, spray the bouquet lightly with water.

Store in the refrigerator

For ultimate freshness, it's best to make the bouquet the morning of the wedding and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to leave for the ceremony.

Frequently asked questions