Floral How-To

I had a lot of questions about the flowers I did for the Santa Barbara Bridal Expo ... Believe me, it was so simple. And you could easily replicate this concept for your own event! Here is a little pictorial how-to ...

Materials you'll need:
Tall Vase (I used an 18")
Black Ribbon (3" wide), or color of choice
Blue Ribbon (1/2" wide), or color of choice
Black Jewels
Crafting Glue
Vase Rocks
Curly Willow
Hydrangea, Three loose stems
Floral Wire
Reindeer Moss
A stem of Orchids, or any flower with stem on

Step 1:
Cut 2-3 pieces of black ribbon of equal length (about 1" longer than vase's diameter). Wrap around middle of vase and secure with a hot glue gun or crafting glue. Let dry. Pull thin blue ribbon around middle and tie with a bow in front.

Step 2:
Put the vase rocks in the bottom of your vase and fill the vase 1/3 full with water. Arrange Curly Willow in center.

Step 3:
Encircle the Curly Willow with the Hydrangea.


Step 4:
Cut the orchids off the stem, leaving about 1 1/2 - 2" of stem. Find where the Curly Willow forks and stick stem in "V" of the fork.

Step 5:
Cut 3" of floral wire. Wrap stem with reindeer moss and secure with green floral wire. Continue with additional orchids until you have desired look.

Step 6: Disguise seam of ribbon in back with black jewels. Use crafting glue to stick them on. Gives the effect of the back of a vintage wedding dress!

Step 7:
Using a funnel or baster, fill the vase the rest of the way with water to cover hydrangea stems.

Step 8:
Enjoy! This makes a fabulous centerpiece for an escort card table or gift table. You can also use as a centerpiece at reception tables, but it looks best if used on half and then mixed with a few low, full pieces on the other half of the tables.