rustic wedding flowers
This rustic wedding flower design would look elegant in the painted white version on a church altar table or outside when left the rustic, natural wood color.
You'll need the following hard goods and fresh flowers to create a similar look:
- 1 Florist Knife
- 1 brick Oasis Florist Foam
- Crystal Clear Flower Food
- 1 15" Lomey Designer Dish
- 18" Plastic Martini Glass
- 1 roll White Florist Clay
- 2 bunch Birch Branches
- Oasis Waterproof Tape
- Design Master Flat White Spray Paint, 11 oz.
- 30 White Standard Roses
- 20 White Delphinium
- 17 White Stock
- 15 White Astilbe
- 10 White Lilac
- 10 White Hypericum
- 15 Cream Standard Roses
- 9 White Asiatic Lilies
- 9 Blue roses with Green Edges
- 6 White Agapanthus
- Waxed String
This tutorial is more about the mechanics of creating this birch branch container. It's easier than you think! If you want a more outdoor look, leave the birch branches their natural color.
Rim the bottom of the martini glass with white florist clay.
Press the bottom of the martini glass to the center of the clear Lomey Dish. Now place more white clay inside and outside the rim of the glass and on the inner bottom of the Lomey Dish. The white clay inside the martini glass will hold the container that holds the florist foam.
Cut your birch branches at the bottom and make them all about the same approximate length. One stem at a time, angle the branch as shown and press the bottom of the branch into the clay. Press the side of the branch into the clay on the side of the rim of the branch.
Turn the bowl slightly. Place another branch next to the first, pressing both the bottom and side of the second branch into the clay as shown.
Continue turning the container, adding one branch at a time, attaching the branches. Once all the branches are in place, tie the waxed string around the middle of the branches. This waxed string will later be covered with the satin ribbon wrapped around with a loose, shoelace bow.
Float soak a brick of Oasis Florist Foam in water treated with Crystal Clear Flower Food.
Once the birch branches are in place, use your florist knife to whittle down the corners of the florist foam so it will fit into the martini glass.
It's important to use some of the thinner branches to insert through the branches and into the florist foam.
Use the red lines as a guide. This shows where you insert slender birch branches are inserted in between the spiral of branches to help you lock the florist foam in place. Once the foam is secure, you can insert the flowers into the foam.
This is a lot of flowers. I would probably use a second, smaller Lomey dish and tape as large of a brick as you can. This makes it so you can arrangement the flowers separately and delivery separately. When you arrive at the venue, you then pick up the finishing arrangement and rest it down inside the top of the spiral branches.
The idea is to have as large of a brick of foam as possible to support this many flowers. The flowers in the separate container can then be lowered into the already arrangement of birch branches.
You can make a circular design, but if intended as a single, one sided arrangement for a church altar, you can make it longer on the sides as shown. You can finish the inside of the container with white rock filler. If you keep the birch branches normal, you may wish to fill the dish with Spanish Moss or several bags of Sheet Moss.
If you need more help on flower insertion, read through the step by step tutorials at the beginning of the large arrangement gallery.
