On my beautiful bridesmaids: from left to right, dresses are H&M;, Zara, Lulu’s, and ASOS
I got a number of messages last month on both these flower crowns from my bridal shower as well as the floral comb hairpiece in this post – not only are they a fun DIY for all ages, but also make pretty photos for memories. For my actual wedding day, I had my talented florist (Boston Pollen) make all the hairpieces so we wouldn’t stress about them the morning of, plus our arrangement skills really can’t compare. For the shower though, I loved seeing friends and grandmothers alike crafting and laughing over (some were notably more talented than others ; ) their creations. Read on for the simple materials & steps…
You will need:
– fresh flowers, in an assortment of A) medium-sized “centerpiece” flowers like small roses, ranunculus, etc. B) smaller filler flowers, and C) small-leaved greenery. Grocery stores can provide very cost-effective options – most of ours were from Trader Joe’s at their bargain prices for fresh flowers!
– covered wire (to mimic the look of twine) and floral tape. I got both of these at JoAnns, but should be available at most large craft stores or Amazon.
– scissors and wire cutters
Step 1: Measure and cut pieces of covered wire based on head size, adding about 4 inches for overlap. Twist the two ends of the wire together to secure a circle.
Step 2: Cut flower stems to about just 1″ long. Next, plan out your arrangement with a mix of medium flowers, small flowers, and greenery. You can then layer the pieces on and secure with floral tape one by one as shown above. That’s it!
Or, as a shortcut, you can arrange the flowers in a criss-crossed manner and then secure them all in one bunch to the wire using floral tape, as shown below.
Please note: floral tape is not like regular tape and doesn’t have a sticky residue. It adheres to itself, which is why you need to layer it on by wrapping it a few times around whatever you’re trying to tape together.
We also made a few fresh floral combs for fun – these are much more subtle than a crown, and make for pretty hairpieces in a variety of hairstyles. I wore mine off to the side with both a full updo as well as my hair down, and each of my bridesmaids had different hairstyles incorporating floral combs.
Simply get blank plastic or wire combs from the craft store, and secure flowers on by looping the floral tape in and out of the comb’s teeth.
Please note, fresh floral hairpieces usually will not last more than a day, especially if hot sun is involved, so they can’t be made too far in advance. Hope those of you who requested this tutorial give it a try and have fun!