Did you know during the prehistoric times a bouquet was in the form of a garland? This garland was a combination of herbs and wild flowers. The ancient Romans believed a bouquet of strong-smelling flowers kept the evils at bay. In England, during the Victorian period, lovers used bouquets to send secret messages to their sweethearts.

Today, the bouquets play a vital role in wedding ceremonies. A wedding reception is not complete without floral arrangements and a bouquet is a part of the bridal suit. The florists make bouquets of traditional and contemporary styles. Two models of bouquets – round bouquets and cascading bouquets are currently in style. The wide selection of bouquets such as heart-shaped, crescent-shape, teardrop and round bouquets is the recent development.

Cascading Bouquets

The flowing bouquets are commonly known as the cascading bouquets. In this form of arrangement, the flowers are arranged in a cascading manner below the main design. Cascading bouquets are the traditional bridal bouquets that are very much in fashion even today.

How to Make a Cascading Bouquet?

You can either use silk flowers or real flowers to make a cascading bouquet. Follow the steps given below to make a cascading bouquet of silk flowers and real flowers.

• Materials required

12-15 flowers of medium size

15-20 flowers of smaller size

12-15 stems of leaves/greenery

Satin Ribbon

Bouquet holder

Floral stem wrap

Scissors

Glue stick

• Additional Materials For Real Flowers

Water

Floral Foam

Bowl

If you are using real flowers, start by cutting the floral foam to fit the bouquet holder. Both the bouquet holder and the floral foam should be soaked for sometime in a bowl of water. This step can be omitted if you are using silk flowers.

Place a bouquet holder in a large vase. This helps to hold the bouquet in place while arranging.

Arrange the longest cascade stems on the table and tie them together using a floral stem wrap. The length of the cascade stems depends on the length of the cascading bouquet.

If the flowers are silk, use glue on the tip of the stem of each flower and stick it to the bouquet holder. If you are using real flowers, insert the stems into the floral foam.

Space out the medium-sized flowers and fill in the design with a combination of small-sized flowers and the greenery.

There should be a cluster of flowers at the top, i.e. above the bouquet holder. The flowers should be placed in such a manner to avoid any uneven gaps.

Once you have completed shaping the bouquet, wrap the bouquet using a ribbon. The ribbon helps to hide the stem tape and the uneven edges.

You can make a bow with the ribbon at the base of the bouquet. This would give a pleasing look to the bouquet.

Always remember to buy a bunch of flowers treated with preservatives to make them last longer and refrigerate them till the wedding day.

The bouquets are an integral part of a wedding. Whether it is a church wedding or a seaside wedding, it is not complete without a bouquet. Cascading bouquets can be made using either real flowers or silk flowers. Silk bouquets are fast becoming popular because of the rising costs of the real flowers.