I can name on my hand the things that make a room complete and one of them is a bouquet of fresh flowers on the table or counter. I used to be so scared to conquer putting together a bouquet of flowers. At first, I would just go to the store and grab some tulips and not do much with them but place them in a vase and call it good. Still there are weeks that is about all I am lucky to get if I want fresh blooms in the house, but a few years ago I started realizing how fun and easy it was to make your own beautiful bouquets.
Right after college while I was starting my business, I worked for a wedding planner. During that time, I learned some amazing simple skills that showed me that with just a few simple rules you can make most anything beautiful and magical all on your own. One of the areas I learned a lot about was floral. I watched so many florists come in and put the final touches on bouquets, centerpieces, and so on that I made a point to learn just a couple simple things. These things now are the base to help me create my own bouquets every week in our home and for our dinner parties.
If you are like me, you dream of having a yard full of beautiful wildly growing perennials that continue to bloom and change throughout the year. If you don’t (like I don’t) I suggest finding a great farmer’s market or just going to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods to nab some blooms on your grocery trip every week. Typically I can pick up 2 or 3 bunches and fill the house with 2-3 bouquets or even gift one to a friend who needs a little smile that week.
After perfecting just a couple little skills (and a lot of really failed attempts at making my own) I finally have found my groove with my bouquet making. For almost every Simple Evening I have created our flowers and centerpieces. It is so easy and with just a good eye for color, texture, and desire to have some fun you can do it too!! To get you off on the right foot, I wanted to share 3 VERY simple tips that make all the difference when putting my bouquets together.
First off, I trim off all the riff raff. Leaving some is okay, but you want the flowers and blooms to shine especially when you are pulling various textures together. Trim them up and remove anything that looks sad or a little rough. This will make everything brighter and easier to work with.
My favorite is tossing all the leftovers on the floor and seeing what they pull together on their own. It can be really beautiful and inspiring.
My next tip is to bring together a variety of textures. Don’t just go for the hip pretty blooms. The wild flowers, glorified weeds, and herbs can be the most underestimated participants in a great bouquet. By varying the textures you can create visual interest that will keep your eyes moving throughout the bouquet.
Obviously, color is not to be missed either, but some of my favorite bouquets I have made don’t have much color variance. Instead, it is the textures that make the bouquet really sing, so I always say if you are at a loss, pick shade of color and then have fun with the textures. You won’t go wrong! The biggest thing though is to stay away from any unnatural colors.
When we lived in Michigan, I grew wild flowers in our garden and always looked forward to creating bouquets out of what grew in the garden. I didn’t always know what would pop up, but nature is so beautiful that sometimes you just have to let yourself be inspired by it and don’t ever underestimate a weed!
The final tip is to use the textures and strengths of each bloom to help create varying heights in order to move your eyes throughout the bouquet. This is a little more of an abstract idea and one that over time you will perfect and learn, but it really is what makes a great bouquet out of nearly anything you gather whether from the store or your yard.
I always let each piece kind of do its thing. I cut them at various lengths, but I always create a peak at the top and then let things like Eucalyptse and anything else wild and whispy do what it does best.
What results is always different, but usually after some trial and error and simplifying I come to a bouquet that I am happy to have greeting me all week.
Where Should I Put My Bouquet?
Consider the following spaces on where to put your bouquet:
- Nightstand
- Kitchen counter
- Dining room table
- Bathroom surfaces
- Coffee table
- Patio tabletop
Do you have anything you do to create a perfect bouquet? What are your go-to blooms to have in the house? Mine is oddly just Stock in white. It lasts forever and always looks good in our home.
The vase is from TRNK
