Question
Hi there. I am making all of the flowers for my wedding in May. I have absolutely no experience, but it cant be too hard, I hope! I am doing all flowers in silk from Hobby Lobby. My bouquet will be a cascade, and i am not sure what kind of bouquet holder would be good for that type.Is there a specific kind for cascades? I don't want to do hand tied for any of the bouquets, so what kind of holders would be good for the other ones? I think they will be much smaller cascades than mine. Also, I bought stephanotis, bright pink, light pink,and white roses, and for fillers i have sprays of small white flowers, small light pink flowers, some nickle sized off white roses, and off white with lite pink roses nickle sized, and for my cascade part, some off white flowers that are in a bush that cascade about 7 inches. I have 2 big white lilies i thought may work for a focal flower. How would i arrange these so they look nice, and how could i make the bridesmaids bouquets with these flowers also, minus the lilies and stephanotis and large cascade? And if my dress is white, is it even ok to use off white/ivory in my bouquet, or should i stick with just pure white? I really appreciate your advice and you taking the time to answer my questions. Thank you so so very much! P.S. The bridesmaids dresses are bubble gum pink.(actually the official name by the company is "peony")

Answer

Cascading Bouquet Hi Christina,
Well, you have chosen quite a project for yourself. You will be really proud of yourself when you have accomplished your bouquets. Ok, let's get started. I will try to give you the basic pointers of designing this bouquet style, as it is a little tricky. The bouquet holders that you need are going to be the round flat front bouquet holders with a handle. You need to make sure that you get the Styrofoam holder as the fresh foam holder won't be strong enough foam to support your silk flowers. You will also want to get a good, sharp, strong pair of wire cutters to be able to cut your wire stems. Also, you will want a really strong glue to put on the ends of your stems when you decide where you want to place each one in your holder. I usually use a floral clear glue that I get at the wholesaler. The best one for you might be a hot glue gun. I haven't ever been able to find the right kind of glue when I have gone searching at the Michael's and the Joanne's of the world. The hot glue will be the closest and best for you.
It sounds like you have picked a beautiful selection of flowers. The colors sound right and it seems like you have chosen well.

You will want to find a strong vase or holder for your bouquet holder to tip it to the right angle so you don't need to hold onto it while you are designing. You might try a tall bud vase inside a larger rose vase to hold it.
To get started with your design, you will want to work on your cascade first and then fill in the middle. REMEMBER: with silks, you can always cut more, but it might be harder for you to add more back. Try to take little cuts. Hold up your silk to your holder and imagine that it needs some stem to enter into the foam and then the part to hang properly. Also, when I make cascades, I wrap a wire around the stem and then pull it up through the holder to hook it on the top of the holder so the stem can never slip out down the aisle. Then put a dab of glue up above in the holder and up underneath as well. Next thing you will want to work on your focal flowers. I would start with your lillies and then your largest roses. If you only have the two lillies, place them offset from each other and one up above and the other more mid center. Start outlining your shape with your roses. Try not to visually place any heavy roses too far down your cascade or your bouquet won't have a delicate flow. Also, as you are designing a bouquet style such as this one, keep checking it from the side view. Your side view should be like a "pregnant man." It should be evenly round and never flat or protruding. As you keep adding flowers, you will know where you are missing colors or flowers. At the end, add in your greens to fill in the back. You might want to dab glue around the edges of your bouquet to hold it all together. You can look for a bouquet sleeve at your local craft store to cover up your bouquet holder.

I always think it looks nice to mix the whites and ivories in a bouquet. It gives depth to your colors and makes the bouquets more interesting. Don't be afraid to try new things with your silks. What is the worst thing that could happen. You might have to buy a new silk holder and start over.
As for the bridesmaids, just follow the same tips - cascade, focal, fillers, greens, etc. and just make theirs smaller and with a lesser focal flower. Try not to use the exact color as their dresses, instead go up and below that exact color so as not to match it perfectly. Well good luck Christine. I wish I could be there to help you. You sound like you really have the right ideas about what you are doing. You have picked out the right types of flowers and colors. If you get stuck, check out a design book in a craft store or even ask their designer if they have one. Most Joannes stores have a floral class instructor and most Michael's have a designer on staff. Congratulations on your big day! It will be beautiful! Thank you for your question.