simple bridal bouquet
A simple bridal bouquet is really just a few steps away from being fabulous! I carry many different styles of holders that make it super easy to create a beautiful design just like a professional florist.
Here I show you the different design styles. The larger round and square holders in the back are called European bouquet holders and are a nod to the famous pave style used in Europe. You can see how large they are compared to the large and Grande size of the Belle Bouquet holders.
With a deep bed of foam, the holder is balanced in the hand and can help managing a large number of flowers that are easier to hold while going down the aisle.
I'm going to show you how to create a very simple bridal bouquet using the square holder as shown below. I put my hand up against it so you can get a good feeling for the size of this European holder.
The first step to using any kind of foam is to soak it in water that has been treated with a fresh flower food such as the Floralife shown below. It comes in both liquid and powder form. The liquid is more convenient, while the powder will help you save money if you are processing a large number of flowers.
Please don't skip the flower food. Your flowers are living plants that need both water and nutrients to survive the days that lead up to your wedding date.
I do show how to figure out how much Crystal Clear to measure out for each bucket.
Place the foam holder upside down so the entire foam head is completely immersed in the water.
Most foam products will sink after being fully saturated. The square holder doesn't because of the large block of styrofoam on the back. Just be sure to leave it a full minute or so to be sure it is totally soaked through. Dry pockets of foam can spell death to any flower stem unlucky enough to be inserted into that portion.
Something else to consider is creating something strong enough to hold your bouquet holder firmly enough to prevent it from tipping over while designing. I can usually get by with a narrow necked vase or jug, but this design is going to be heavy, so I quickly created a simple bridal bouquet stand with a styrofoam ball, an upside down urn and some clay floral adhesive.
Floral clay hold very tightly, yet can be pealed away after using without leaving any marks or adhesive glue. I taped the styrofoam ball to an small urn turned upside down and pressed tightly to the designing surface and adhering with the floral clay.
Here is a side view after I've inserted the holder into the makeshift stand.
We're now ready to begin designing with the flowers!
