Make a Bridal Bouquet

I decorated for two different weddings this past summer.  And, I will have to say making the bridal bouquet was my favorite part!   An average bridal bouquet cost between $150 and $350.  Below, is a bouquet I made for under $100.

Don’t let the thought of making a bouquet intimidate you. It is actually pretty easy, and below I have a step-by-step photo tutorial to show you exactly how to make one.

Choosing the Flowers

Below are the six flowers and fillers I used in the bridal bouquet.  Flowers can be purchased by the dozen, half dozen, and what is called “bunches”.

Flowers:

• Garden Rose – This was the most expensive flower in the bouquet. Garden roses can run around $50 -$65 a dozen.  For this bouquet you only need six.
• Double Stock – These add height to the bouquet, purchase 1/2 dozen. $12.50
• Spray Rose –  Purchase in a bunch for $12.50

Fillers:

• Wax Flower $12.50 bunch
• Hypercium bunch $12
• Eucalyptus Orbifolia – bunch $10

The other supplies you will need to make a bridal bouquet are twine, floral clippers, hot glue gun, satin ribbon, and lace.

You can purchase your flowers a day early.  When you get all your flowers home, trim all the stems and place in water.  This helps them to stay fresh and will allow some of the closed flowers to open.

 Trim Your Flowers Before Arranging

Some of your flowers may have some damaged petals.  No worries!  You simply trim the petal with scissors!

See, just snip off the damaged petal!  No worries.

Next, trim all the thorns, and extra leaves off of the Garden Roses, as well as the Spray Roses.  Once you have trimmed a rose, immediately place it back into the water.

This is what Double Stock looks like untouched.

Now, at first I felt horrible removing perfectly beautiful flower buds, but you really need to do this in order to have just the right size and shape bouquet.

Repeat this technique with your Wax Flowers, Hypericum, and Eucalyptus.  You want about 5-6″ of flowers.  Don’t worry about trimming the stems, you will do that later.

Time to Begin Arranging the Bouquet

You want to begin with the Garden Roses and the Hypericum.

Here I began with two large Garden Roses, and two small sprigs of the Hypericum.

Now add a Double Stock stem.  I arranged three Double Stock stems, at the bottom of the bouquet.  They were spaced evenly apart.

Stop here, and tie some twine around your flower stems.  This will help keep the flowers in place as you continue to add more.

Nestle in some Wax Flowers sparingly.  Then place a few Spray Roses between the larger Garden Roses.  Keep the Spray Roses the same height as the Garden Roses.

Add the Eucalyptus to your bouquet.  You will want to have your Eucalyptus higher than your roses.  This gives a very airy and elegant look to your bouquet.  Repeat the above process until you have used all 6 of your Garden Roses, and everything looks just how you like it.  Take more twine and wrap around your stems tying tightly.

Now, trim all of your stems evenly. Eight to ten inches is a great length.  Place your bouquet in water for about 30 minutes before adding the lace.  Your flowers need a good long drink.

The Finishing Touch to Your Bridal Bouquet

Place a drop or two of hot glue on the twine near top of your floral stems, then begin wrapping the satin ribbon all the way down.  Use more hot glue to secure the end of the satin ribbon at the bottom.

Now, place your bouquet into a glass with enough water to cover the stems.  That’s it, you’re done!

What a beautiful bride!

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