Creating A Floral Wedding Swag: A Step-By-Step Guide

Flower swags are a popular decoration for weddings, and they can be easy to make yourself. You can save a lot of money by making your own floral arch swag, and you can be sure that it will match the theme and colour scheme of your wedding. This introduction will explain how to make a flower swag for a wedding arch, with simple, step-by-step instructions. You can adapt the basic steps to suit your preferences, and choose your own flowers and colours.

Pick your theme

The first step to making a flower swag is deciding on a theme. This is an incredibly important step, so don't skip it! The flowers you choose will create a completely different vibe for your wedding. Make sure that the colours and styles you select complement your overall theme and aesthetic. For example, a forest or nature-themed wedding would have a very different selection of flowers to a traditional white wedding.

Consider whether you want your flower swag to look messy, natural, traditional, or modern. This will help guide your flower choices. If you're having a beach wedding, for instance, you might want to opt for flowers that are native to the beach and incorporate beach-inspired elements like pebbles, shells, and starfish into your design.

It's also important to think about the season of your wedding. Choosing in-season flowers will ensure that you have access to the most beautiful blooms available, and they will last longer, too. Selecting flowers that are in season will also help create a seamless look for your wedding, ensuring that your floral swag complements the venue and overall aesthetic.

Start with your greens

Make sure to place them in your oasis tub at different lengths to create a more natural look. It is recommended to shorten the greens at the top and bottom, keeping them relatively long on the sides. Angle the greens forward as you make your way to the middle of the foam. You should also add greens to the middle, but make them shorter. Remember to add different shades and types of green for a more varied look.

For a 24" long swag piece, you will need around 6 ficus stems for the base layer. You can cut the ficus into 3 smaller pieces and add them to your chicken wire/foam base. It is important to have a shape in mind before you start. For example, you might want to create a diamond shape by first creating the top, bottom, and sides as "boundaries". This will help guide you as you continue to build out your shape.

Add the flowers

Now it's time to add the flowers! Choose your flowers based on your wedding's colour palette and theme. You can use fresh or artificial flowers, but remember that fresh flowers will need to be taped and wired into the swag.

First, add the largest flowers you have. Place them in the middle area of the swag, but don't concentrate them in the centre. Leave some space for smaller blooms to fill in, creating a natural, open look.

Next, add your medium-sized flowers. Again, keep most of them around the centre, but sprinkle a few towards the outer areas.

Finally, add the smallest flowers. Many of these will go on the edges of the swag, but scatter some in the centre and throughout the entire piece.

To finish, add some sprigs of dried baby's breath or similar to bring texture and spread colour throughout the swag.

Complete your design

Now for the fun part: completing your design! This may take a few trial-and-error attempts, but don't be discouraged. You want your wedding flower swag to be perfect, so take the time to figure out what works best with each colour and what design matches your aesthetic.

If you're using roses, make sure to de-thorn them first. Otherwise, you risk ruining the foam and hurting yourself. You can also add glitter, ribbons, or anything else that makes your design perfect for your big day.

Finally, attach your floral swag to your wedding arch. These pieces often look best in the corners of the arch, but you can get creative and spice things up. You can experiment with different shapes, such as a symmetrical or asymmetrical design, or even hexagonal arches. Pick a shape that aligns with the theme of your wedding.

Remember, this is your wedding, so you're allowed to get creative!

Finishing touches

The final steps to creating your floral arch swag for your wedding are all about customisation and preservation.

Firstly, you'll want to apply a sealant to your design. This will ensure that your creation stands the test of time, especially if you've opted for fresh flowers.

Then, you can add any extra decorations that you feel are necessary. This could include glitter or ribbons, or anything else that makes your design perfect for your big day.

Finally, you'll need to attach your floral swag to your arch. These pieces often work best in the corners of wedding arches, so keep that in mind when deciding on placement.

If you're using your floral swag for a decorative arch at an event, you can use zip ties to secure it around a wooden or metal post. For a wall in your home, command strip hooks or nails will do the trick.

Frequently asked questions