Flowers are centerpieces for most ceremonies, be it weddings, birthdays, bridal showers, and baby showers. These ceremonies mark the next chapters of your life with your loved ones. Floral pillars will capture the aesthetic of your ceremony and capture your unique sense of style.
In this blog, we shall look at how to DIY your own floral pillars for your events. The floral arrangements will be affordable for your events, and these arrangements will not break youivr bank account.
Most events change with the trends; one continuing trend is the simple flower arches with greenery and simple flowers. They can vary greatly but we have decided to do a simple step-by-step guide with a simple approach to break down just how to make them. BONUS! We have added a tutorial on how to DIY the actual pillar structure (super cheap, simple, and super easy!)
How to Create the Perfect Flower Arch For Your Event
Creating your own flower arch is so simple; the materials are easy to get at your local supermarket at the flower shop. The materials needed for the flower arch are as below:
FLOWER ARCH/ FLOWER PILLAR:
- Two arch pillars
- Wire mesh or chicken wire
- Flower muds
- Zip ties
- Pliers
- Rectangle metal for base
GREENERY:
- 1 Bunch Gunni Eucalyptus
- 1 Bunch Silver Dollar Eucalyptus
- 2 Bunch Leather Leaf
- 2 Bunch Lemon Leaf (salal)
- Recipe per Pillar:
FLOWERS:
- 10 Delphinium
- 12 Blush Carnations
- 25 Terra Cotta Carnations
- 10 stems White Scabiosa
- 20 White Mini Carnations
- 25 White Roses
- 10 White Snapdragon
- One by Wax Flower
Flower Arch
Here is a step-by-step guide to make a beautiful Flower Arch for your event.
Step 1. Make a study base with flower mud.
In the first step, you are going to make the base of the flower arch; at the bottom start with a rectangle bottom metal.
Pile the base with seven pieces of flower mud on the bottom of one side before moving to the other side. You then wrap the flower mud with the wire mesh or chicken mesh then secure it with zip ties to ensure that it is intact.
Ensure that there are no sharp edges that are seen, you can cut off the protruding wires or you can curve them inside the mesh. Ensure the base is neat.
Step 2. Cover the entire arch pillar with flower mud
Pile the flower mud on the whole arch pillar while securing the flower mud with zip ties on the entire arch pillar.
Step 3. Make the greenery
This is the most fun part. The greenery covers the ugly blemishes to make the arch look good and beautiful. Greenery is the best way to go.
In this step, we are going to use as much greenery as possible, and this is the foundation for decorating our flower arch.
You can use different varieties in the design, but in this design, we are going to use four varieties. Continue adding stems, alternating between Gunni Eucalyptus, Silver Dollar Eucalyptus, Leather Leaf, and Lemon Leaf. Make sure to cover up the mud foams, the mesh, and the zip ties.
Use smaller leaves to fill in the gaps or sparse areas. Trim the excess greenery to create a polished look. Adjust the shape of the arch as needed.
If you skip this stage, then we shall have the ugliest flower arch, and certainly, it will look cheap.
Pro Tip. Begin at the bottom, at the bottom add more greenery for it to be fuller to have an illusion that the greenery is growing from the arch base and also has depth.
Continue working your way up, making sure the flower mud is completely covered.
Step 4 Weave Your flower arch
Once the arch is covered by the greenery. We are almost there to make our perfect flower arch.
Let the fun begin! With adding our flowers. Cut the flower stems to the desired length, and ensure to remove the excess leaves from the flower.
Water your flowers to give them life as also the flower mud.
You can work with clusters of flowers, or you can spread each flower type to the arch evenly.
Clustering the flowers is a fun technique. You arrange the flowers into different clusters of the same type of flower. Then, you cluster the flowers together; this will assist in ensuring a fuller look. Tie the flowers together with a zip tie or wire before attaching them to the greenery arch.
If you are working with spreading the flower throughout the arch, the same goes for the different flowers. This all depends on your vision of the arch.
Step 5: Arrange the flowers.
1. Line Flowers: Delphinium and Snapdragon
a. Use the beautiful light blue Delphinium and the lovely white Snapdragons.
b. Start at the top, creating a longer reach, keep adding the height to the greenly and move down.
c. Use a few clusters of three to create a mid-size diagonal line. Do this with line flowers as they help guide the eye up and down the flower path.
The flower lines are placed in the exact same fashion; they should not face up, as this would look rigid.
Image credit: Ketiestory.com
2. Focal Flowers: Roses
The next flowers to layer are the gorgeous roses. Use the spin technique for them to be open a bit more before placing them in the greenley.
The length of the roses is very important in the design. Throughout the design, use different lengths to help create depth, and to connect clusters to one another.
It is quite important to note when designing focal flowers, that the design should be lighter at the top.
Use the heavier feelings flowers less towards the top. Use the smaller floral foam cage and more towards the base to anchor it.
The beautiful roses help in making the foundation of this design, and that will carry the design working together with the greenery.
The roses will assist in covering the mesh and the zip ties and build the bulk of the design.
Image credit: Ketiestory.com
3. Spray Flowers - Mini Carnations
After placing the focal flowers, we move on to the sprays; this will bring out the design well.
The flower arch will start looking a bit solid and static, but the scale of the sprays and their multiple blooms will really break this up.
Start at the top while mixing different lengths of the stem at each stage of placing the flowers.
Tuck the flowers organically as you go along to help the design depth, and it will add a different scale to the arch. It really starts to take shape and pick up speed at this point. YAY!
Image credit: Ketiestory.com
4. Accent Focal Flowers - Carnations
Right up, we got the Carnations. The infamous Terra Cotta with the flowers being in full bloom, with petals that range in color from light pink to deep magenta. These are your accent focal flowers because of the color palette and fill the design.
They should not have an intense focus; they would rather accentuate the design by bringing another layer of color and texture.
The color of the Terra Cotta should be used more than the blush carnations.
As usual, start at the top, working your way down by placing a few longer flowers as you tuck them in to create shadow and depth of design.
The lush carnation adds a highlight to the design; use a few of them as they are an accent color.
Image credit: Ketiestory.com
5. Detail Flowers - Scabiosa
The beautiful Scabiosa are used sparingly as they are meant to add interest in certain areas of the flower arch.
These flowers should not be the backbone of the design or our foundation. It should be a little design that is whimsical. This flower needs you to be more international when it comes to placing it on the arch.
6. Filler Flowers
Phew! We are finally on our last flower placing. The filler flowers, the ones which will fill the empty spaces that have been left out.
You can use wax flowers to fill the spots that seem to have gaps or to break the solid colors, such as greenery.
They will add different scales and textures to the design. Scale, color, and texture are huge in making an arrangement look and feel professional.
Image credit: Ketiestory.com
7. Adding your ornaments or memories
You can add ornaments to the arch.
Design with adding pictures, add a few pictures so that it can not be too crowded.
You can add well-wish cards from your guests to the arch. Balloons can be added if it is meant to be for a birthday.
You can add your wedding rings to it if you don't have a ring boy at your wedding. Add or remove them as you take your vows.
You can add quotes to your arch.
You can add anything that is sentimental to your occasion.
Styling Tips For Your Event
1. They can be placed at the entrance of your event. This warmly welcomes visitors to your celebration. This also shows the aesthetic of your event. It will bring joy to your guests.
2. The flower arch can be placed on the walkways. They can be used as floral pillars on the walkways of the event, creating a beautiful and fragrant pathway for your guests to follow.
They can be used to give directions to your guests on which way to follow to various points using different colors for different rooms.
They can be used to show the reception of the event, the main area of the event.
3. They can be placed at the front. Especially for weddings. This brightens the room and brings out the best of the event, creating a stunning backdrop for the couple and their family, and friends.
4. Additional Tips:
- Choose flowers that are in season, also the different seasons throughout the year, affordable and to your liking.
- Consider the flower textures, colors, and scents since outdoor events have a different theme than indoors.
- Play with the different types of flowers that are different in color, such as roses, hydrangeas, and carnations.
- The style of the event and the type of flower pillar or arch depends on the event; for a modern arch, the venue will be contemporary, and a rustic arch will be ideal for an outdoor wedding.
- For baby showers, choose blue shades of flowers for a boy, pink and purple flower colors for a girl, or choose neutral colors such as white roses.
- Highlight the beauty of your flower with soft lighting by using snake lights.
- The greenery should be incorporated into your ach to bring out a natural look.
Conclusion
By following these affordable guides and incorporating your personal aesthetic you can create a flower arch that will make your event memorable to your guests.
The flower arch can give you IG, Pinterest-worthy pictures for your event. Remember, the possibilities of creativity are endless!
Let your creativity guide you as you design your dream floral masterpiece, you can view this video for more guides (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIshWHHt1CI).
Happy Creating!