Beyond Floral: Amazing Arrangements

Considering arrangements that go light on the flowers? Pick any material and imagine the possibilities!

Produce–still kind of in the flower family–is a great starting place. Limes, lemons, and oranges have been used inside vases as arrangement bases with vivid citrus gusto, but there is room to get more imaginative. Move those limes onto skewers and embed them within your centerpieces. What about tomatoes still on the vine? Eggplants? Artichokes? Working cabbage into your bouquets can be pretty stinkin’ cute!

Not a foodie? Paper lends itself to many forms, including wedding arrangements.

Picture a bouquet made of bows and ribbons, then sheltered in a wrapping paper cone. Colorful pieces of paper can be easily rolled and wrangled into little flowers for boutonnieres. Take a cue from Flat Stanley‘s playbook and stuff your vases with flat paper arrangements.

Prom committees love crepe paper and you should, too! Turn these rolls of fragile streamers into crepe paper bouquets, boutonnieres, or table compositions. Bring your loved ones with you down that aisle in a bouquet made of their photographs.

Feeling even more adventurous? What about making flowers out of lace ribbon, felt, or silk swatches? These patchwork flowers by Princess Lasertron are dynamic and unique, adding a little crafty flair.

Dumpster divers and thrift store votaries can unite their hobbies with their wedding day by incorporating found objects into arrangements. Art students can add paintbrushes into the mix, while those who are handy with head can even weld some flowers. Go antiquing or ransack Grandma’s house for shiny baubles to work in. There are all kinds of ways to make your decor your own.

Not feeling crafty? Scale the idea down a bit and turn traditional floral around. Flowers housed in mason jars, hurricane lamps, tin cans, vintage teapots, and other containers can’t help but look and feel fresher.

Cori Cook warned us what can happen when color schemes go awry. Take her genius advice and run with it: mismatch your centerpieces using different flowers, different color schemes, and different moods. Have your florist make individual bouquets and boutonnieres to fit the specific personalities of the various members of your wedding party. No one said you had to match, and no one said your arrangements had to be made of just flowers.

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