Bridal Bouquet on a Budget
Real flowers are beautiful! They smell great, have amazing color and make most people smile. They also droop, sag, dry out and look sad after awhile. So, some brides opt for using fake flowers in their bouquets. You can find some very realistic fake flowers if you take the time to look. They don't fade, droop, sag or dry out. They can be kept as a keepsake long after the wedding, maybe even used as household decoration, depending on the style. I decided I would attempt a beautiful bouquet using fake flowers, with a $40 budget.
I started my adventure at Hobby Lobby. I went about this in my usual manner, thinking, "This will be a piece of cake!" Quickly realizing that it was going to be more of a challenge than I had expected. I knew the color scheme I was going for, navy blue and a sunny yellow. I lucked out in that Hobby Lobby had most of their flowers on sale for 50% off. The other great thing about using fake flowers is that you can wait for sales if you plan far enough ahead.
I started my adventure at Hobby Lobby. I went about this in my usual manner, thinking, "This will be a piece of cake!" Quickly realizing that it was going to be more of a challenge than I had expected. I knew the color scheme I was going for, navy blue and a sunny yellow. I lucked out in that Hobby Lobby had most of their flowers on sale for 50% off. The other great thing about using fake flowers is that you can wait for sales if you plan far enough ahead.
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My first task was to decide on the handle for the bouquet. I didn't want anything that looked cheap. My goal was to make something elegant and a plastic handle wasn't going to cut it. I chose a round, plastic covered, foam tube. This allowed me to build the bouquet to look like it was real stems, ribbon wrapped.
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Next, I found the prettiest, brightest yellow flowers there, Calla Lilies. I looked at daisies, sunflowers, carnations, every yellow flower they had, but these were the most vibrant. Then I had to decide what to pair the Lilies with. I ended up with some white roses. I loved that they looked almost real, not cheap. Finding navy blue flowers was next to impossible, so I decided to go white and try to find another way to work in the navy color.
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Now that I had my flowers, the most daunting task was next.... greenery! I walked up and down so many aisles trying to decide on just the right greenery without breaking my budget. So, an hour into my search, staring down the clock as they were preparing to close the store, I found some wired greenery that I thought would work. Figuring I could bend it into twists and add a little different element to the bouquet.
Lastly was to grab some navy-blue ribbon, one wide, one narrow, and some pretty little buttons to add bling. Off to the register, where, after ringing up the narrow ribbon, it proceeded to roll off the counter and COMPLETELY DISAPPEAR!!! The poor cashier was even down on her knees looking to see where it went. I ended up running back and grabbing another roll.
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The next afternoon, I decided that it was time to put all this stuff to work! It took way longer than I expected.... again, my usual, Ha-ha. First thing was first, find some wire cutters and my hot glue gun, then start taking apart my flowers. The stems on the lilies were really long, so they required two cuts. Ok, to be completely upfront here, I was using small limb cutters, not wire cutters. They worked ok for some things, but not all. More on that later.
I put my lily blooms in first, wanting them to be the centerpiece and build around it. The bare stems went in the bottom. Once I decided on placement, I glued them in. I decided I wanted the roses to sort of surround the lilies. Spent some time deciding where I wanted them then cutting the stems the right length. Once again placing the bare stems in the bottom and gluing it all in.
Now it was time for the greenery. The wire in these were TOUGH, but I got it done. I placed the straight greenery stems into the foam and began to twist and bend them into place. Took me about 5 seconds to realize it looked awful! As I twisted it, the green strands just stuck out everywhere. YUCK! So....... off to JoAnn's for an alternative.
I put my lily blooms in first, wanting them to be the centerpiece and build around it. The bare stems went in the bottom. Once I decided on placement, I glued them in. I decided I wanted the roses to sort of surround the lilies. Spent some time deciding where I wanted them then cutting the stems the right length. Once again placing the bare stems in the bottom and gluing it all in.
Now it was time for the greenery. The wire in these were TOUGH, but I got it done. I placed the straight greenery stems into the foam and began to twist and bend them into place. Took me about 5 seconds to realize it looked awful! As I twisted it, the green strands just stuck out everywhere. YUCK! So....... off to JoAnn's for an alternative.
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Hit another sale as luck would have it! I ended up with some baby's breath, florist wire and florist tape. Another $12 spent. I got home and tried to take the baby's breath apart and those were some THICK wires. Luckily, I was able to hunt down some actual wire cutters instead of the limb cutters, and it sliced through like butter.
I took the thin roll of blue ribbon and made loops, then attached them to some florist wire with florist tape. This allowed me to add in some of the navy-blue color into the actual bouquet itself. Making sure I liked the placement of everything I glued it all together.
Lastly, I used the wide navy-blue ribbon and wrapped the handle, then came around a second time, creating a knot in the front with each wrap. I glued the end down, then sewed the pretty silver buttons in between each knot in the ribbon. Since this bouquet had a “back side” I wanted to make sure that it looked finished as well. I did this by gluing some of the leaves I had pulled off the roses on the back and finishing it with a bow of the wide ribbon. Voila!
I took the thin roll of blue ribbon and made loops, then attached them to some florist wire with florist tape. This allowed me to add in some of the navy-blue color into the actual bouquet itself. Making sure I liked the placement of everything I glued it all together.
Lastly, I used the wide navy-blue ribbon and wrapped the handle, then came around a second time, creating a knot in the front with each wrap. I glued the end down, then sewed the pretty silver buttons in between each knot in the ribbon. Since this bouquet had a “back side” I wanted to make sure that it looked finished as well. I did this by gluing some of the leaves I had pulled off the roses on the back and finishing it with a bow of the wide ribbon. Voila!
