Make Your Own Bridal Bouquet

To make your own bridal bouquet, you need a few products that professional florists use. This includes a wedding holder , a stand or a narrow necked vase to hold the flowers while designing, a flower sealant, (I use Finishing Touch) and a sharp knife.

A sharp kitchen knife will do. Do not use ordinary scissors. When cutting flower stems, the blades of regular scissors can crush the flower's cell membranes and make it will make it difficult for the bloom to take up water.

Make the Colors in Your Own Desired Shades

Designing Your Bouquet

I cut the stock in two or three inch sections. You'll just have to judge by your own bouquet. The longer the stems, the larger the bouquet . . and the more flowers you'll need.

This bouquet has 18 roses and 9 stems of stock. A dozen and a half roses can get pretty heavy, so if you want to use too many more flowers you should choose a smaller headed rose.

Clean off the thorns, but try not to gouge too deeply into the stem - rather "blunt" the thorns so they don't tear up your foam head of your wedding bouquet holder.

Inserting Your Flower Stems

Secure your bouquet holder in a container with a narrow neck and a heavy base. Marbles, gravel and sand work well. This bouquet is quite heavy as you add roses - you must be sure it won't topple over while designing!


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Insert your first rose right in the center of your bouquet holder. Insert deep enough to hold - but don't feel you have to plunge it in a far as possible. There's going to be a lot of stems in that bouquet before you're finished and you need room for them all!

Cut your first rose where the stem is about 1 1/2" to 2 inches long. Insert into the center of the bouquet holder.

Most roses will open naturally as they are being handled or designed with. If you want your rose more "open" , gently blow on it with your warm breath. Don't try to force with your fingers - you'll end up tearing the petals.



Next I insert stems of the stock around the first rose. Their heads should face slightly outward and cluster in tightly to the center rose.

Now add five more roses, encircling the center flowers. Notice how these rose heads are taking a definite tilt "outward".



Since the stock is a "secondary flower", notice how the heads of the roses are slightly above the stock. This gives depth and dimension to your bouquet.



Continue alternately adding stock and roses. The stems will gradually get a little longer. You don't want a "round ball" - rather a domed shape when viewed from the side.

Be sure to mist throughly with the flower sealant and keep in a cool airconditioned room or basement (away from sunlight). Dribble more water on the foam every now an then to keep wet. Those flowers pull up a lot of water!!

I hope you've enjoyed this step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own bridal bouquet. Be sure to check out how to make a cascading bouquet and all my other tutorials!

Favorite links you won't want to miss!

• Stunning Centerpieces

• Wedding Reception Pictures

• Pew Decorations

Discount Florist Supplies

To leave Make Your Own Bridal Bouquet and see hundreds of photos of bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres and cake, start at the links found at the bottom of Home Page