DIY Bouquets

My FAuntIL has done bouquets many times. She used something similar to the first with my FCIL cascading bouquet (which was beautiful) but by the end of the day the flowers were falling out. She likes the second way better and uses green duct tape (florist around the world scream in terror) because it holds it together better, especially for the handtied style like you showed in the third picture.

EDIT: To include pics of the 2 bouquets I have on my computer that she's done (although she's done so many more)

Wow those are pretty.

Im using all off white roses, and green leaves, which is much easier, but i just wired the stems together, and then taped over the wire, and Im going towrap it in ribbon. Not sureif off white, cream, or navy blue... whatever i can get at the dollar store. Mine is that shape too. I would worry the flowers would fall out of the type of holder you show.

I would say stick with the stems. It will be much much easier.

The problem with the first holders is that they are not made for fake flowers. That green foam is called oasis. You soak and put real flowers in it to keep the bouquet hydrated. Real flowers in hydrated oasis don't fall out. If you put silks into oasis, you don't have a lot of room for error. The more you poke, the more it's going to crumble. By the end of the day, the flowers will be falling out. If you're going to use holders, ask the people at Hobby Lobby or Michael's to show you where to find silk bouquet holders.

If you're going to do hand tied with silks, it's not as easy to get a clean, smooth handle as it is with live stems There's usually wire in the silk stems, and you don't want that near your gown. Use floral tape and wrap as tightly as you can before you put a ribbon on the handle.

The problem with the first holders is that they are not made for fake flowers. That green foam is called oasis. You soak and put real flowers in it to keep the bouquet hydrated. Real flowers in hydrated oasis don't fall out. If you put silks into oasis, you don't have a lot of room for error. The more you poke, the more it's going to crumble. By the end of the day, the flowers will be falling out. If you're going to use holders, ask the people at Hobby Lobby or Michael's to show you where to find silk bouquet holders.

If you're going to do hand tied with silks, it's not as easy to get a clean, smooth handle as it is with live stems There's usually wire in the silk stems, and you don't want that near your gown. Use floral tape and wrap as tightly as you can before you put a ribbon on the handle.

@Centerpiece That is very helpful!

I did my friends bridal photos and since she made her own bouquet out of silk flowers, we were able to use the same one she would use for her wedding! They look totally real and lovely!

I built my bouquet a few weeks ago using a tutorial on Pintrest. I got exactly what I wanted from Afloral.com and played with the bouquet until I was happy with the outcome. For a bridal bouquet I think it is important to stick to mostly neutrals. My wedding color is coral, but the coral was too harsh in my bridal bouquet so I got a muted coral (or peach) you might call it. and I only included 2 stems of it. Here is the link to the tutorial on WeddingChicks.com: http://www.weddingchicks.com/2012/09/17/how-to-make-a-fake-flower-bridal-bouquet/

I did this one at home. the stems are just more secure in my opinion and can be easily wrapped. i will do less pink next time

Thanks for the advice!