Rustic Wedding Centerpiece

Video Transcription 

Welcome to the Flower School .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, director of the Floral Design Institute. And today I want to share with you a rustic wedding centerpiece, foam-free and fabulous. 

I started by turning to our friends at GardenRosesDirect.com and looking for the perfect rose. I fell in love with white Ashley. It opened so full, so luxurious, and it's very fragrant. Then I turned to Florabundance.com and gathered a variety of textural items just to give it that rustic look. 

The container, just a classic cylinder that I wrapped with some bark and then tied it off with barked wire. Then to give myself structural stability, a little bit of an armature support using clear waterproof tape and creating a grid across the top, taping side to side, and repeating that going both directions, creating tiny holes within the grid to support your flowers. 

Once I have the grid established, I did three in each direction, then I go back, and I go around the outside all the way. And that will lock it in place, making sure that nothing lets loose. Go back, secure it. Then I just add water premixed with flower food.

 To bring the visual of the bark upwards, I have a piece of birch that I'm going to lay just right across the top, balancing it, but to secure it in place using an 18-gauge wire that I tape with brown corsage tape. Then just cut that in half, and then using that as a brace, hair pin over the log and down into the water. Now, that's not structurally sound yet, but when we add the materials, it will lock everything in place, holding the branch solid. Just even when you use the holly fern, placing it in and it's going to go through where the wire is holding in place. 

With the base set, I go back and add in the focal emphasis with the white Ashley garden roses, giving it a cut and then tucking it right down into the grid, making sure it's all the way down into the water, angling some towards the front, some more towards the back, up towards the center. You can see it just weaves around the log. And I have some poppy pods to give it that rustic, natural look, tucking that down in, finding the perfect spot and then turning it so you can see how both sides are actually the front. And coming back with another rose angling and another poppy pod to finish off all the way around. 

Berries and textures are on trend, and they enhance that rustic look. So cutting down privet berry and then feeding that in, tucking it, just squishing the stems together and then placing it in. Then letting it relax and loosen out, tucking out the opposite side, even just bringing a small sprig towards the front. Then eryngium for texture. You can divide it using portions and letting it extend outward. And then pulling the eye back inward and repeating, adding in through the center and then turning and looking and adding until it's perfect. 

As I finish tucking in one more rose to balance on this side, making sure it's down into the water and then bringing in some grasses to be light and delicate. Carry the eye upward and it would capture the air movement and add a little bit of pizazz to the arrangement. Then lastly, when you go to set the wedding event space, taking extra birch branches with you and adding those just on the table, extending the line, making the design even more dramatic with just the little addition. 

The recipe started with the five white Ashley roses from Garden Roses Direct. Then once I had those, I knew I had to have birch. So this is from Teacher Michelle's yard. Yes, we went foraging. Then from Florabundance, three of the poppy pods, five stems of holly fern, three stems of eryngium, one stem of privet, and then five stems of the grass, gives you a wonderful rustic wedding centerpiece. 

As a working florist, it's so wonderful to have events happening again, weddings being scheduled and so many centerpieces to make. You'll find more creative inspiration on our website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there or pick up the telephone and give us a call at (503) 223-8089. Now it's your turn. Create centerpieces. Use your style. Is it rustic? Does it have a branch? Be sure to take a picture, post it on social media and hashtag Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see what you do as you do something you love.