On this page you will find....
The Bride's Bouquet
Tossing Bouquet
The Bridesmaid's Bouquets
The Boutonnieres
The Corsages
For centerpieces and altar arragements, look under DIY ---> Decor
Is PINK or YELLOW in your color palette? Well, you're in luck because everything on this page is FOR SALE! My dad offered to pay for real flowers, and I really need the cash. Everything is UNUSED, and being sold for SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THE COST OF MATERIALS!
The Bride's Bouquet
Sorry, no step-by-step picture tutorial.
Materials needed:
Here's how I did it. Start by cutting the orchids off the stem. First, you cut the green latex and then you use pliers to bend the wire back and forth until it snaps. Then put a wire stick though the stem. Hot glue into place. Trim as needed.
I trimmed the calla lilies by 5-6 inches by cutting the latex, then breaking the wire.
Then begin arranging the flowers. Start with one in the center, then work your way around that one. Secure with floral tape as you go. To get the dome-shape, bend the stems of the flowers outward, bending further with each "layer". For instance, the second layer was bent at a 20 degree angle. The third was bent at 45 degrees. And the fourth layer was bent at 90 degrees.
When you're finished, wrap the entirety of the stems with floral tape. Secure a 3 inch circular piece of satin, the same color as your wrap, around the base of your bouquet, making sure it wraps around the edges. Then hot-glue your 12" x 12" piece of satin onto the bouquet. Create a ballerina wrap by criss-crossing the sheer ribbon around the stem. Hot glue into place at the top and bottom. Glue rhinestones where the ribbon crosses, if desired.
Materials needed:
- 20 calla lilies
- 3 cymbidium orchid stems
- floral tape
- Wire sticks (22 gauge)
- 12" x 12" piece of satin (or ribbon)
- 1/2 inch thick sheer ribbon
- Rhinestones
- Kitchen shears
- Pliers
- Hot glue
Here's how I did it. Start by cutting the orchids off the stem. First, you cut the green latex and then you use pliers to bend the wire back and forth until it snaps. Then put a wire stick though the stem. Hot glue into place. Trim as needed.
I trimmed the calla lilies by 5-6 inches by cutting the latex, then breaking the wire.
Then begin arranging the flowers. Start with one in the center, then work your way around that one. Secure with floral tape as you go. To get the dome-shape, bend the stems of the flowers outward, bending further with each "layer". For instance, the second layer was bent at a 20 degree angle. The third was bent at 45 degrees. And the fourth layer was bent at 90 degrees.
When you're finished, wrap the entirety of the stems with floral tape. Secure a 3 inch circular piece of satin, the same color as your wrap, around the base of your bouquet, making sure it wraps around the edges. Then hot-glue your 12" x 12" piece of satin onto the bouquet. Create a ballerina wrap by criss-crossing the sheer ribbon around the stem. Hot glue into place at the top and bottom. Glue rhinestones where the ribbon crosses, if desired.
Cost breakdown
- 25 calla lilies (1/2 off) - $24.88
- 3 orchid stems (40% off) - $24
- 1 1/2 inch satin ribbon - $1
- Floral tape - $1.99
- (All other materials are included under other projects)
Total: $51.87
Cost of a similar natural bouquet: $350+
Savings of over $300! Not bad, Miss Margarita. Not bad...
The Tossing Bouquet
So I had 5 calla lilies left over after re-doing my bouquet. A thread on TK gave me the idea to add money to my tossing bouquet, so ALL of my guest could participate, instead of embarrassing the 3 single guests that are attending.
To make this bouquet, I arranged the calla lilies in a star shape. Then, for the bill holders, I cut some 20 gauge floral wire into 6-inch lengths. I wrapped the end of the wire around a marker twice. The bill then stays stuck between the two loops. Then I taped the wire holders to the bouquet, and wrapped ribbon around it.
Cost of calla lilies included under my bouquet, plus $1 for the wire.
To make this bouquet, I arranged the calla lilies in a star shape. Then, for the bill holders, I cut some 20 gauge floral wire into 6-inch lengths. I wrapped the end of the wire around a marker twice. The bill then stays stuck between the two loops. Then I taped the wire holders to the bouquet, and wrapped ribbon around it.
Cost of calla lilies included under my bouquet, plus $1 for the wire.
The Bridesmaid Bouquets
So I've got a maid of honor, and 2 bridesmaids.
Materials needed:
Step OneArrange the calla lilies until you like how it looks. Secure with floral tape. Make sure you wrap the floral tape the same length you want your stem wrap to be (i.e. tape to the bottom for a full stem wrap; tape about 1/2 - 3/4 of the stems for a partial stem wrap.) This will give the stems some stability when we take out the wire.
Step TwoUsing your kitchen shears (or other heavy-duty scissors), cut the stems to be level with one another. Leave the shortest one alone! You need one stem with wire so it's not too floppy.
Step ThreeInside all fake flowers is a thick wire surrounded by tissue paper. When you have cut the outside "stem" (the green latex part), pull on it to remove the wire and tissue paper.
If you feel you MUST have the wire in there, use the instructions above (from my bouquet) to cut the wire. I think it looks more natural if they're a little floppy. Step FourAt the base of each stem (the part you just cut off), there's a plastic stopper thingy that makes everything look nice. Look at the center stem in the background. It ends with just an empty black hole. If you're cool with this, leave it that way. If you're not, proceed as I say...
Cut the green latex surrounding the stopper. It's about an inch long. It's stuck onto the wire you just took out. Pull it off.... ....and insert it into the bottom of the empty stem. Most fit snugly, but some slip out. These ones need double sided tape or hot glue to stay in place. Step FiveAdd your stem wrap, starting at the bottom and working your way up. I used about 3 feet per bouquet. I didn't finish them off nicely, since the end would get covered up by a butterfly.
I added another foot and a half of ribbon to one of them. I'm probably going to take it off though, because I ran out of that ribbon. Step SixUsing a ruler and a pencil, mark where you will put the rhinestones. I spaced them 3/4 inch apart. When you're satisfied, put dots of craft glue and place the rhinestones where you need them. You could use hot glue, but I like being able to adjust the rhinestones if they don't look centered.
Then I hot glued some feather butterflies (leftover from FG hairpieces) at the top of the stem wrap. The fuchsia one is for the MOH. Step SevenStep back and marvel in your creativity!
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Cost Breakdown
For 2 bouquets, my costs were....
Total: $25 or $12.50 each
Cost of similar natural bouquets: $75+ each
Savings of nearly $125! Yay DIY!
- 10 calla lilies (1/2 off, Michael's) - $20
- Grass (1/2 off) - 3.50
- Ribbon (1/2 off) - $1.50
- All other materials are under other projects.
Total: $25 or $12.50 each
Cost of similar natural bouquets: $75+ each
Savings of nearly $125! Yay DIY!
The Boutonnieres
For the groom (yellow) and father of the bride (fuchsia) bouts, I got mini calla lilies from Hobby Hobby, and orchids from Michael's. I taped them together using floral tape, and bent the end of the calla lily stem to a curl. Then I wrapped the stems in ribbon, hot gluing into place.
For the groomsmen bouts, I got the yellow mini calla lilies and trimmed the stem by about 1.5 inches (use instructions in BM bouquets), then wrapped the stem with ribbon, hot gluing into place. Then I wrapped a yellow ribbon around it, in honor of my grandmother, who died of ovarian cancer.
For all of these, I will hot glue a safety pin to the back.
Cost breakdown:
- Calla lilies: $3 (1/2 off)
- Orchids: $2.56 (7-bloom stem for $9)
- Ribbon: $0.66
- Safety pins: $1
Total: $7.22 for all four. These would've cost $60 total from a florist.
The Corsages
The grandmother and mother of the bride's corsages were made using 3 fuchsia mini calla lilies from Hobby Lobby. I held them together with my fingers until I decided on what looked right. Then I wrapped the stems with floral tape.
I made the yellow bow first, out of 1/8 inch ribbon, by basically making four loops from a single length of ribbon (about 8-9 inches?). I secured this to the front of the corsage using double sided tape at first, then took another length of ribbon (5-6 inches?) and wrapped it around the center, letting the ends hang nicely.
Then I arranged some fuchsia rhinestone corsage picks in there and wrapped the ends around the stems inconspicuously. (I love that word. Don't you? Inconspicuously. Just feels good.)
Then I used the same method of bow-making as above, using a sheer, metallic 1/2 inch white ribbon. This time I cut about a foot and a half of ribbon. I made a slightly bigger bow, securing each loop with double-sided tape as I went, and let any extra hang off. I attached it to the back of the corsage using glue (I put double-sided tape to keep it in place as the glue's drying.) Then I hot-glued a safety pin to the backs.
For the mother of the bride corsage, I added an orchid to the very front, hot gluing the orchid stem to the other stems.
Total: $10.28
Cost of similar corsages from the florist: $30-$40 each
I made the yellow bow first, out of 1/8 inch ribbon, by basically making four loops from a single length of ribbon (about 8-9 inches?). I secured this to the front of the corsage using double sided tape at first, then took another length of ribbon (5-6 inches?) and wrapped it around the center, letting the ends hang nicely.
Then I arranged some fuchsia rhinestone corsage picks in there and wrapped the ends around the stems inconspicuously. (I love that word. Don't you? Inconspicuously. Just feels good.)
Then I used the same method of bow-making as above, using a sheer, metallic 1/2 inch white ribbon. This time I cut about a foot and a half of ribbon. I made a slightly bigger bow, securing each loop with double-sided tape as I went, and let any extra hang off. I attached it to the back of the corsage using glue (I put double-sided tape to keep it in place as the glue's drying.) Then I hot-glued a safety pin to the backs.
For the mother of the bride corsage, I added an orchid to the very front, hot gluing the orchid stem to the other stems.
- Calla lilies: $4.50 (1/2 off)
- Rhinestone corsage picks: $3
- Orchid: $1.28
- Sheer white ribbon: $1.50 (1/2 off)
Total: $10.28
Cost of similar corsages from the florist: $30-$40 each