Rustic Wedding Centerpiece

Welcome to the FlowerSchool.com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, director of the Floral Design Institute, and today I get to share with you a fabulous rustic wedding centerpiece, perfect for today's brides. 

The mechanics are easy. A classic wooden box, lined, floral foam, pre-soaked with flower food. Then the materials looking to see what's on trend now. Thanks to the royal wedding, astrantia, hot. Astilbe, hot. hen adding texture, nigella, garden roses so on trend, and then to really expand on that garden and rustic look, a bit of kale, and hydrangea. 

To enhance the rustic look, bringing in a broad variety of foliage. Large, flat leaves, like the fatsia, gives a wonderful base. Soft, flowing Italian ruscus gives you a little bit of movement. Maybe some palm for a different leaf formation and color. A little bit of Israeli ruscus, making sure to bring it out. Breaking the line of the container and to begin to start hiding all my mechanics. All the foliages, just grouped with a radial binding point and then filling in. 

Placing the larger and heavier flowers first, that would be the kale and the hydrangea, reflexing the kale so it gives you a pretty face. Fanning it out. Giving it a cut. It still is so large, if you come down one side and then cut it again the other way, almost like you're making an arrowhead and then place it in. It doesn't take quite as much space up in the foam. Tucking it in deeply. The hydrangea, it does better if you dip it in alum, the pickling spice. You'll find it at the grocery store. Alum. I just pour it into a little tray, give it a cut, dipping and then placing that down into the foam. 

Once you have your big things placed, you can come back with more delicate. The astilbe, bring it out, giving it a cut, making sure it goes deeply into the water reservoir. Astilbe is a very, very thirsty flower. It'll hold well with water. Without water, it can be a little cranky. So getting it down deeply in there. Coming back with the garden roses, placing them in, and then again just placing all your materials radiating from a central binding point. 

As I finish, I look at it from all sides, making sure it's balanced, making sure you can't see any of my mechanics, adding a little more foliage to give a looser look, balancing out from side to side, maybe coming up a little bit. In the perfect little spot. Then back with the texture, bringing in some astrantia. Make sure it's down into the water. A little bit of the nigella pods. Then turning it so that you get a little bit of everything all the way around. 

The key to a rustic centerpiece is to think casual. Some things tightly in, some things more extended. Then to think of lots of texture. Gives you so much to see as you look at it from all different sides. Each placement is a little bit different, but each one is equally as beautiful. For more creative inspiration, check out the website, Flower School .com. If you have questions, you can reach us through there or by telephone at 503-223-8089. And of course, I'd love to see what you create. Take a picture, post it on social media, and type Floral Design Institute. That way we all can see, because now, it's your turn. Have fun and do something you love.