Creating Artificial Wedding Flowers: A Step-By-Step Guide

Making your own artificial wedding flowers is a fun and cost-effective way to prepare for your big day. With the right supplies, you can create a bouquet that will last a lifetime. Here are the steps to make your own artificial wedding flowers:

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary materials, including artificial floral stems, vases, flower wire, floral tape, ribbon, and any other embellishments you want to include, such as pearls or berries.

Step 2: Choose Your Flowers

Select the type of artificial flowers you want to use, such as calla lilies, polymer wedding flowers, hydrangeas, roses, peonies, or tulips. You can mix and match different types of flowers to create a unique and personalised bouquet.

Step 3: Prepare the Flowers

If your artificial flowers are tied together in a bunch, use wire cutters to cut the stems, so you have individual flowers that can be easily arranged. Remove any excess leaves from the stems, leaving only a few close to the blooms.

Step 4: Create the Base

Choose 2-4 flowers to serve as the base of your bouquet. Arrange them together and secure them with floral tape. You can also add a personal touch with vintage pins or brooches.

Step 5: Build the Bouquet

Start adding more flowers around the base to build out your bouquet. Use a variety of textures and colours to make your bouquet visually appealing. You can also add some greenery or leaves to fill out the arrangement.

Step 6: Secure the Bouquet

Once you are happy with the arrangement, use floral tape to secure all the stems together. Cut the stems to the desired length, making sure they are comfortable to hold.

Step 7: Embellish and Finish

Wrap the stems with ribbon to hide the floral tape and add a touch of elegance. You can also add other embellishments like pearls or berries to make your bouquet more personalised and special.

Choose your flowers

Choosing the right flowers for your artificial wedding bouquet is a fun and creative process. You can select from a wide range of artificial flowers, including roses, peonies, lilies, tulips, hydrangeas, and more. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect flowers for your bouquet:

• Consider the colour scheme: Choose flowers that complement your wedding colour palette. You can opt for a neutral, romantic palette or go for brighter, bolder colours.
• Mix and match: Select a variety of flowers in different sizes and shapes. Combine large blooms, such as roses or peonies, with smaller, hanging flowers like baby's breath or jasmine. This will create visual interest and texture.
• Quality matters: Opt for high-quality artificial flowers, as they will look more realistic than cheaper alternatives. Look for flowers with a matte finish and wire that runs through the stem and into the leaves.
• Personalise: Add a personal touch by incorporating your favourite flowers or meaningful colours. You can also include vintage pins, brooches, or other embellishments.
• Seasonality: While artificial flowers are not limited by season, you can still consider the season of your wedding when choosing colours and varieties. For example, sunflowers might be a good choice for a fall wedding.
• Practice: Before finalising your bouquet, practice arranging the flowers to find the perfect combination. You can also watch tutorials or follow step-by-step guides to help you create a beautiful bouquet.

Gather materials

To make your own artificial wedding flowers, you will need the following materials:

• Artificial floral stems in a variety of sizes and shapes that fit your desired colour scheme. Consider choosing from traditional flower arrangements like calla lilies, polymer wedding flowers, or hydrangeas. You can also opt for silk flowers, which tend to be more expensive but look more realistic.
• Floral tape and wire to secure the stems together.
• A sharp pair of scissors to trim the stems and any excess leaves.
• Ribbon, fabric, or twine to wrap around the stems and add a decorative touch. You can also use ribbons or fabric to create a loop for carrying your bouquet.
• Any desired embellishments such as pearls, berries, brooches, or beads.
• Vases or containers to display your finished bouquet.
• Hot glue or glue sticks and a glue gun, if you wish to attach any additional decorations to your bouquet.

Arrange flowers

Arranging artificial flowers for a wedding bouquet is a fun and simple task that can be done by following a few simple steps. Here is a detailed guide:

Selecting the Flowers:

Firstly, decide on the types of flowers you want in your bouquet. You can choose from a wide range of artificial flowers, such as roses, lilies, tulips, hydrangeas, peonies, and many more. Consider the colour scheme and the size of the flowers to create a harmonious arrangement.

Preparing the Flowers:

Once you have selected your flowers, it's time to prepare them. Cut the stems to the desired length, making sure they are long enough to be held comfortably. Remove any excess leaves, especially from the lower two-thirds of the stems, but leave a few near the blooms. If your flowers are tied together, cut the stems to create single flowers, which will make arranging easier.

Creating the Base:

To begin arranging, select 2-4 flowers as your base. These flowers will be the focal point of your bouquet. Secure them together with floral tape, wrapping it a few times around the stems near the blooms. You can also use wire for added stability.

Building the Bouquet:

Now, start adding flowers around your base. Work in a circular pattern, adding flowers of different sizes and varieties to create a full and interesting bouquet. You can add greenery, such as eucalyptus, ivy, or olive branches, to create a cascading effect or to fill in any gaps. Bend the stems if needed to create a natural, flowing look.

Final Touches:

Once you are happy with the arrangement, secure the last stems with floral tape. Cut the stems to an even length, leaving about 7-8 inches for a comfortable grip. You can then wrap a ribbon around the stems, covering the floral tape completely, and finish with a bow.

Your artificial wedding bouquet is now complete! You can add personal touches with embellishments like pearls, berries, or vintage pins. Enjoy your beautiful and long-lasting bouquet!

Secure stems

To secure the stems of your artificial wedding flowers, you can use floral wire and floral tape.

First, cut 6–8 inches of floral wire with wire cutters and wrap it around the stems, just below the blooms. Twist the ends of the wire together and trim them to 1 inch in length. Tuck the ends into the stems. Pull the wire tightly to keep the stems in place.

Next, wrap the stems with floral tape. Start at the base of the flowers and work your way down, covering the wire and stems completely. You can tear the tape or cut it with scissors and tuck the end into itself. Continue wrapping until you reach the bottom of the stems.

If you want to add a ribbon to your bouquet, wrap it around the stems, covering the floral tape. Secure the ribbon with a bow or a dab of hot glue.

Add finishing touches

Now that you have your artificial wedding flowers, it's time to add the finishing touches to your bouquet. Here are some ideas to make it truly yours:

Wrap the stems

Use a ribbon, fabric, or twine to wrap the stems together. This will give your bouquet a polished look and hide any visible stems that might not look realistic. Start at the bottom of the stems and work your way up, covering the floral tape. Secure the end of the ribbon with a dab of hot glue or a decorative pin.

Add embellishments

Artificial flowers allow you to get creative and add non-floral elements to your bouquet. Consider adding sprigs of greenery, feathers, beads, or even dried or fake berries. You can also incorporate unique items that represent you, such as Lego pieces, tiny gears, paintbrushes, or coloured pencils.

Scent your bouquet

Believe it or not, you can make your artificial flowers smell nice! Simply spray your bouquet with a floral-scented mist, such as lavender, or even your favourite perfume.

Add some sparkle

For a magical touch, dust your bouquet with floral glitter spray. This will give your flowers a shimmering finish and make them stand out even more.

Practice makes perfect

Before you start assembling your bouquet, it's a good idea to practice arranging the flowers. This will help you find the perfect combination of colours and textures. It's also a fun way to relieve stress and spend some quality artistic time alone or with friends and family.

Frequently asked questions