A bridal bouquet is used to enhance the bride's beauty and give her something to hold while walking down the aisle. It's charming, romantic and adds to setting the right mood. En masse, weddings have been dramatically downsized, postponed, or canceled. Although wedding season might be in the shadows for some, brides worldwide are glowing amid the Coronavirus pandemic, as virtual and even smaller weddings are still peaking their way through.

There's a strong possibility that weddings as we know them—grand, festive events with extended family and friends in attendance—won't be the norm again for a long time.

The downsizing has impacted the number of people who can attend weddings. Many companies in the US have asked their workers to work from home. Some restaurants have closed down their premises and are only offering food delivery services to their customers.

So, if you're suddenly faced with the task of creating your own bridal bouquet, then we've got you covered. Let's get right into the tutorial.

You will need:

  • Fresh Flowers (between 24-36 stems)
  • Floral tape
  • Thick ribbon
  • Pruning shears
  • Scissors
  • Crystal-headed pin
  • Hairspray

Select the right flowers for your bridal bouquet

You can purchase flowers online or at your florist. Choose the colors that attract you the most, or tie in those that align with your color scheme or theme.

You can also choose the flowers that are in season. Don't be afraid to mix and match. Roses go well with calla lilies and chrysanthemums. If you obtain your fresh flowers further ahead of time, you can keep them fresh in a vase until you are ready to create your bridal bouquet.

Prune away any dead or extra leaves

If you don't want too much foliage in your bridal bouquet, you can opt to trim off as much as you'd like.

If there are any dead or discolored leaves or petals, all you have to do is cut them off. If the dead leaves are located at the top of the shoot, you can remove them using sharp scissors or pruning shears and cutting the stem back to its base.

Arrange your bridal bouquet by placing the largest blossoms at the center

For the classic bride, a round bouquet is definitely the answer.

Use flowers with an already naturally rounded shape, such as anemones, hydrangea, or garden roses, to emphasize your bouquet style.

Start by creating the center of the bouquet with your largest flowers. Choose four of the largest blooms and cross the stems in an "X." Do not point the flowers vertically upwards because you do not want the blossoms to press against each other. They should instead be facing upwards and tilted in opposite directions ("X" shape).

Add the primary flowers one by one. Keeping a tight grip on the stems just below the blossoms, place the flowers individually into the bouquet, building evenly outward from the center. Remember to keep the stems facing outward to maintain the bouquet's dome shape.

The YouTube video below goes more into detail:

Wrap floral tape around the stems

To keep your bridal bouquet together, we're going to be using floral tape. Hold the tape end in place with a finger while you pull the tape taut, stretching it slightly as you wrap it around the stems. Wrapping the stretched tape over itself makes it stick. The tape is covered in a wax adhesive that doesn't activate until the tape is stretched, and it only sticks to itself.

Wrap the ribbon around your bridal bouquet

Now we're going to cover the floral tape on your bridal bouquet. Start one-third of the way down the stems, then wrap towards the blossoms. Scrunch the ribbon narrow as you wrap downward for a full, dimensional look.

Work downward and then back to the top, keeping the ribbon taut and smooth. Secure the ribbon at the top with a crystal-headed pin.

Spray your blossoms with hairspray

Now that your bridal bouquet is finished spray the flowers with hairspray, taking care to keep the nozzle far enough away so that the force won't damage the delicate petals. Then, hang the flowers upside down (in a well-ventilated space) until the hairspray dries completely.

So there we have it, your full tutorial on how to create your own DIY bridal bouquet for your wedding day. Admittedly, these are indeed difficult times. The WHO estimates about 10% of the population may have contracted COVID-19. Yet, brides everywhere show their resilience and commitment to push through and marry the man (or woman) of their dreams.
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