Alright, let’s talk about putting together those rustic winter wedding flowers. It wasn’t some fancy florist job, just me figuring things out as I went.
Getting the Vibe Right
First off, I had to really pin down what ‘rustic winter’ meant for these flowers. Didn’t want it looking like leftover Christmas decorations, you know? I was thinking more muted colors, lots of texture, stuff that looks like it could actually handle a bit of cold. Lots of whites, creams, maybe some deep moody reds or blues, and definitely loads of greenery, but the hardy kind.
Hunting for Supplies
Finding the right flowers in winter took some doing. Couldn’t just walk in and grab anything. I looked for stuff that was actually in season or at least available without costing a fortune.
Ended up grabbing:
- Some white anemones – those ones with the dark middles, look great.
- Ranunculus too, lovely texture.
- Lots of eucalyptus, the silvery-blue kind and the seeded type. Smells good too.
- Some pine branches, small ones, for that real winter feel. Had to be careful they weren’t too ‘Christmas tree’.
- Dusty miller for that frosted look.
- Maybe a few deep red roses, but kept them minimal so it didn’t look too Valentine’s Day.
- Oh, and cotton stems! They scream rustic winter to me.
Also needed twine, some rough burlap ribbon, wire, and tape. The basic toolkit.
Prepping Everything
Got all the bits back home. Spread everything out on the big table. Then started the messy part. Stripped all the lower leaves off the flower stems so nothing would rot in the water later. Gave everything a fresh cut at an angle. Put them all in buckets of water to hydrate for a few hours, maybe even overnight. Cleaned up the pine branches, snipped off any weird bits. Made sure the cotton stems were sturdy.
Putting it All Together
Started with the main bouquet. Grabbed a few main flowers, like the anemones and ranunculus, as the centre point. Then started adding the greenery around them – eucalyptus, dusty miller. Turned the bunch in my hand as I went, adding more flowers and fillers. Tried to keep it loose and kinda wild, not a tight perfect ball. Added some pine sprigs carefully, didn’t want to overpower it. Checked the shape constantly. Once it felt right, I wrapped the stems tightly with floral tape.
The Rustic Touch: This was key. Covered the floral tape with burlap ribbon first, then wrapped twine around that multiple times. Tied it off in a simple knot, let the ends hang a bit. That really changed the look from ‘just flowers’ to ‘rustic winter’.
Did a similar thing for the smaller bouquets and boutonnieres. For the table centerpieces, I used some simple wooden boxes I found. Put floral foam inside (soaked, of course) and basically built mini versions of the bouquet’s style in there. Stuck in flowers, greenery, cotton stems, maybe a few small pinecones I’d picked up and cleaned. Again, kept it looking natural, not too arranged.
Final Look
Stepped back and looked at everything together. It all had that slightly wild, textured, wintery feel I was going for. The muted colors with the greens and the rough textures of the twine and burlap really pulled the ‘rustic winter’ theme together. Wasn’t perfect like a pro job, but it felt handmade and right for the setting. Took a bit of time and made a mess, but seeing it all set up was worth it.
