Today we have found a brooch bouquet tutorial. Personally I love flowers, I love their smell and colour. But what I love even more is sparkly shiny things. I am a human magpie with glitter pumping through my veins.
One of my Brides made her own and she did an excellent job. Her colour scheme was black and gold and she made a lovely brooch posy filled with gold, diamante, black and bronze detail. The end result was stunning and it is a lovely momento to keep after the wedding.
The only thing I would like to say before you go full steam ahead is that she said that hers was incredibly heavy to carry all day. She said its bit like carrying a weekender bag around whilst trying to be a Bride. So maybe don't choose things that will make it super heavy.
Well enjoy and happy brooch hunting :-)
Love
Katie x
Tutorial from Wedding Ideas Magazine
All photos courtesy of Wedding Ideas Magazine
Things you’ll need
Brooches
The more the merrier! You will need around nine brooches for a small posy, but the more you have, the bigger the bouquet can be.Most charity shops and eBay sellers are now wise to the demand for vintage brooches, which means they cost more than they used to, but don’t get disheartened! Ask Grannies, Mums and other family members for vintage heirlooms that they no longer use. One really lovely idea is to ask every guest at your hen do to bring a brooch for you (you can be strict with your colour scheme if you want, or give them free reign, if you’re after for a more eclectic look). Otherwise there are plenty of new brooches available that capture the vintage vibe.
Wire
Silver or gold plated, non-tarnish wire in 0.6mm gauge. This can be bought at craft shops and online.Tools
Wire cutters, flat nose pliers, scissorsRibbon or fabric
Optional, but finishes things off nicely.Masking tape
Strong glue
Such as superglue or a hot glue gun.Instructions
- Cut a length of wire approximately 50-60cm.
- Take your brooch and thread the wire though the outer edge, (try not to buy ‘solid’ brooches, though you can twist the wire round the brooch pin if you have any) doubling it back on itself. Twist the two lengths together to hold fast and then twist the whole length of the wire, it doesn’t need to look pretty, but it does need to hold strongly onto the brooch.
- Repeat on the other side of the brooch.
- Then twist these two lengths of wire together to form your bouquet stalks. Twisting the wire can be tricky, and does take time, but persevere (it can help to hold the wire with the pliers and twist the brooch). Your brooch should be secure with no ‘wobble’ so that it will hold its place in the bouquet. At this stage it’s a good idea to wrap the wire in tape to prevent any nasty cuts from the rough ends of the wire (I write this wearing three plasters!).
- Repeat this for all your brooches.
- If you’re using any extras, for example feathers, sprays of diamanté or beads, this is the stage to add them. You can buy them already mounted on wire, and you can just twist them round your brooch stalks.
- Choose about three brooches to form the centre of your bouquet. Twist the stalks together gently, and build up the shape with your other brooches. This is the tricky bit and involves a lot of trial and error to get the shape and the effect that you want. Only twist stalks tightly together when you are sure that you have the look you want.
- Start twisting the stems roughly together to form the shape and design that you want.
- Use the wire cutters to trim the stems to the same length.
- Wrap the masking tape around all the steps to form your bouquet ‘handle’.
- Cover the masking tape with your ribbon or fabric – secure your ribbon using a dab of glue (super glue or, if you have one, a hot glue gun).
- If you want to use some fabric as a backing for the brooches, this is the stage to do so – lace and tulle look lovely.
Now you’re done. Enjoy your handy work and marvel in the fact you’ve just created a gorgeous bridal bouquet that you can show off you all of your guests, as you walk down the aisle.