Creating The Perfect Wedding Bouquet: A Step-By-Step Guide

Creating a wedding bouquet is a creative way to express yourself on your wedding day. Making your own bouquet can be a meaningful part of your wedding journey, allowing you to customise your bouquet to your liking. It can also help you save money, as the cost of a professional bouquet often includes the labour involved in crafting it. Whether you're making a bouquet for yourself or a loved one, it's important to plan ahead and source the right materials. This includes choosing the right flowers, removing excess foliage, assembling the bouquet, and adding finishing touches like ribbons and tape. With some time and effort, you can create a beautiful bouquet that will be a memorable part of your special day.

Choosing your flowers

Choosing the right flowers for your wedding bouquet is a crucial step in creating the perfect arrangement. Here are some factors to consider when selecting your blooms:

Colour

The colour of your flowers can be chosen to complement your wedding dress, as well as the wider colour palette of your wedding. Traditionally, bridal bouquets feature white flowers with pastel accents, such as pink. However, you can opt to match your bouquet to your wedding's colour theme for a cohesive look.

Style

The style of your bouquet will dictate your approach to flower selection. For a modern and simple design, consider using fewer varieties of flowers (one to three types) and very little to no greenery. In contrast, a garden-style bouquet calls for more floral and greenery varieties (around five to seven) to create a whimsical, natural look.

Season

To save costs, choose flowers that are in season for your wedding. For example, daffodils, peonies, lilacs and tulips are in bloom during spring, while chrysanthemums and dahlias are ideal for autumn.

Size

The size of your bouquet will determine the number of flowers you need. A bridal bouquet typically requires 30 to 60 stems, while a bridesmaid's bouquet needs 20 to 40.

Hardiness

Certain flowers, like roses, are hardier and easier to arrange. They can also withstand some mishandling, which is useful if you're creating the bouquet yourself.

Focal flowers

Select one to three types of focal flowers, which are the stars of your bouquet and tend to have one large bloom per stem. Examples include roses, peonies, sunflowers and ranunculus.

Filler flowers

Filler flowers are smaller blooms that complete the overall look of the bouquet. Baby's breath, poms, spray roses and mini carnations are popular choices.

Line flowers

Line flowers are tall flowers that add height and a "wow" factor to the arrangement. Bells of Ireland, snapdragons and delphiniums are good options.

Greenery

Greenery is essential for creating a finished look and adding volume to your bouquet. Popular choices include ruscus, eucalyptus and leather leaf.

Texture

Consider the texture of your flowers to add interest to your bouquet. For example, you could choose flowers with a lot of textural interest or gestural qualities.

Sentimental value

Add a unique touch to your bouquet by incorporating your birth flower or a sentimental colour. This makes your bouquet even more special and meaningful.

Remember, when choosing your flowers, it's important to consider your budget and the time of year. By selecting flowers that are in season, you can create a beautiful bouquet that fits within your wedding budget.

Assemble your tools

Before you start making your wedding bouquet, you'll need to gather the right tools and materials. Here's a list of what you'll need:

Tools

• Sharp floral scissors or shears
• Stem cutter or a very sharp knife
• Wire cutters (optional)
• Hot glue gun (optional)

Materials

• Flowers of your choice:
• 1-2 types of focal flowers
• 1-2 types of filler flowers or greenery
• Baby's breath, poms, spray roses, or mini carnations can be used as fillers.
• Ruscus, eucalyptus, or leather leaf are popular choices for greenery.
• Ribbon (in a complementary colour)
• Floral tape or stem wrap
• Corsage or straight pins
• Rubber bands
• Wire (optional)
• Floral tubing (optional)

You can find floral tape and floral scissors in most gardening stores or online. If you don't have shears, regular scissors will also do the job. When choosing a ribbon, consider the colour and length. A ribbon that is 1.5 metres long will be more than enough. You can also add a personal touch by using two ribbons of different colours and creating a bow.

Once you have all your tools and materials ready, you can start preparing your flowers and creating your beautiful wedding bouquet!

Prepare your flowers

Before you start constructing your bouquet, make sure the flower stems and greenery are prepped and ready. Remove all the leaves from your floral stems and the bottom halves of your greenery stems. If you're using roses, remove any brown or discoloured guard petals.

Fill a sink or bucket with water and, holding the stems underwater, cut them at a 45-degree angle, about 2 inches from the bottom. Allow the flowers to drink for a few seconds, then place the stems in a bucket filled halfway with cool water until you're ready to use them. If you're working with roses and the heads aren't open yet, you can force the blooms open by placing the stems in a bucket of hot water, but only do this for a couple of minutes just before using them.

Be sure to consider your current climate and the flowers' natural habitats. If temperatures are high or you're using tropical blooms during a dry spell, research the best way to keep them vibrant until your big day.

Create the base

To create the base of a wedding bouquet, you'll need to select your flowers and assemble them into a round, dome, or globe shape.

First, pick 1-2 types of "focal flowers" that will be the centre of attention within your bouquet. Roses are a popular choice, but you can also use peonies or any other flower of your choice. Next, choose 1-2 types of "filler flowers" to create interest and fill in the spaces between the larger focal flowers. These are usually smaller flowers that add volume, height, and dimension to your bouquet. Finally, select some greenery to create a finished look and help set the flow and shape of your bouquet. Popular choices include ruscus, eucalyptus, and leather leaf.

Once you have your flowers and greenery, it's time to start assembling your bouquet. Take your focal flowers and create a base by combining them with the filler flowers in a round shape. Secure each layer of your bouquet with floral tape to ensure it's stable. Then, add in your greenery and continue to build on the bouquet in sections, securing each section with more floral tape.

Remember to stand in front of a mirror while you assemble the bouquet so you can see what it looks like and adjust as needed.

Finish with ribbon

Now for the finishing touches! Once you're happy with your bouquet's design, it's time to tidy up the stems. Tie a piece of wire around your stems to secure them, then trim the excess away with wire cutters. Make sure to leave enough stem length to hold the bouquet comfortably during the wedding.

Next, wrap the stems with floral tape. This will help your bouquet stay in place and protect your hands throughout the day. You can then add a satin ribbon in your choice of colour and secure it with hot glue to create a "handle". Use an opaque ribbon to hide the glue better.

Finally, take two ribbons and tie a bow around your bouquet, leaving a fair amount of excess to create a flowing, elegant effect. You can experiment with different colours and lengths of ribbon to create multiple loops. You can also add finishing touches like glued-on accents to the middle of your bow.

Frequently asked questions