Get your hard hats ready,

because we are going to take an inside look at how an unstructured bouquet takes its shape and form, all while learning some new construction tips and techniques. Over the past few years I have experimented with countless ways of tying off a hand tied bouquet, but it wasn’t until this unstructured trend came about that I had to change my ways of securing the bouquets style into place. Previously I always used my tried and true method of wrapping the bouquet tightly in corsage tape (stem wrap). For me this always gave a clean smooth appearance as well as a tight secure hold that I knew would not budge, however I will admit when you decide to change something in the bouquet it becomes next to impossible unless you take it apart. For an unstructured bouquet this method proved to be next to impossible to achieve the look I wanted, and that led me down a road of experimentation, but through some trial and error, I have perfected my approach to this design trend!

When I begin making my design, I always start with a few stems of the greenery that will be my dramatic flowing back drop to the bouquet, usually for me this is comprised of silver dollar eucalyptus or seeded eucalyptus. Generally I just use 3 stems or so, this is a guideline for the shape and general size of the bouquet, 3 stems is always good to start with because it will give you the general feel for the bouquet but it won’t weigh you down early on in the game.

Once the greens are in a satisfactory position I start with my heavier mass flowers, whether it’s hydrangea, dahlia, peony, or a cluster of open roses I tend to treat these all the same at this stage. I keep these tight and close to the center, how you choose to position them is completely up to you, as long as you maintain a balanced appearance. Keeping these tight and close to the center will help you achieve a feel of depth when your bouquet is completed.

Tip: At this stage I like to tie off my bouquet with a chenille stem or some bind wire to hold my frame in place.

This is where the fun and magic begins; you have your skeleton for the bouquet now you get to give it life! Playing with depth and form come together in an instant as you start toying with combinations of color and shape to fit your brides unique style. I start with my heavier flowers, often it’s more of my mass flowers from before (roses, peony, dahlia etc.), and I just set them up higher in the design to add some drama. Then you can start layering in your secondary flowers, (spray roses, ranunculus, anemone, astrantia, etc.) leaving them at varying lengths and stages of openness will aid in your success of conveying depth and that home-grown feel.

The final step I take before finishing off the bouquet is adding my filler flowers (Queen Anne’s lace, heather, pennycress, etc) as well as more greens (eucalyptus, bay leaves, dusty miller, lambs ear, etc.). I start by spacing them out through the center of the bouquet and work my way to the outside, the key is not to overdo this step, it is very easy to take this step from tasteful to overload. If your opting to use a vine like jasmine vine or ivy, now is the time I usually tuck them into the design as well.

When I deem my bouquet as finished I like to tie this particular style off with a chenille stem. The chenille stem allows for the design to be more easily altered as well as aids in keeping the design loose and airy.

I love to finish off this look by wrapping the stems in burlap or even twine; I then do a bit of an ivory lace overlay and tie it off in a shoe lace bow. This design is very versatile though; satin, velvet, shoe lace bow, floor length streamers, or nothing at all but bind wire, this design has a variation for any style bride!

Don’t be afraid to mix in texture too, this trend is all about experimenting and showing your unique design style. So whether the bride is over the top extravagant or understated elegance, keep these few design tips in your back pocket to help you achieve a successful unstructured bouquet!

Stay tuned, in the coming days we will be posting an instructional video of a start-to-finish unstructured bouquet!