My Aunt Grace never left the house without a gorgeous brooch on her petticoat. It’s a fond memory I think about whenever I think of her. They were all shapes and sizes, some flowers, some bugs complete with rhinestones, and some a mauve yellow. What ever the occasion she adorned a family heirloom. It’s fun to see the brooch make a come back, I think my dear aunt would be delighted. Especially if she could see the latest trend in bridal bouquet’s.
From the rustic DIY burlap flower to the vintage and colorful brooch bouquets, brides are rethinking the traditional bouquet. Some for sentiment, some for style, some to stay on budget. Here are a few ideas we’ve collected at Off White.
The Burlap Bouquet
For a non-traditional bouquet and budget friendly arrangement we love the idea of burlap. Fitting for an outdoorsy or rustic wedding, the burlap bouquet can be made for $10 or less. Check out this DIY video from La Belle Bride. Add your own choice of ribbon to add flare or compliment a theme. Individual “flowers” can be made for vases or corsage.
Brooch Bouquet
A brooch bouquet can be as sentimental as it is original. A bride can keep it to one color scheme or allow unique colorful brooches to tell a story. Some brides find using silk flowers as a base and spreading the brooches throughout fanciful, while others like only the brooch arrangement. You can see in our pictures we’ve highlighted two unique designs.
One bride we found decided to create a bouquet out of brooches and other mementos and asked her loved ones to contribute. As she says on her blog: “The brooches don’t have to be old, and they don’t even have to all be brooches. But they do have to be funky or sparkly flowers that are picked with love.” She was given her mother’s, grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s heirloom rings and wove them into the bouquet.
How do you do it?
So how does one go about making a brooch bouquet. The first step is finding vintage brooches, pins, and earrings. We’ve found the best deals can be at estate and garage sales, as well as etsy. Or you may want to raid your grandma, aunt or mom’s closet or attic! You’ll also need floral tape, craft wire, and silk flowers of your choosing (The diamond brooch used hydrangeas). On average we’ve found you will need between 30-45 brooches for a nice sized bouquet.
Don’t forget the Corsage!
Naturally if the bride is carrying a brooch bouquet the groom can compliment accordingly with a burlap, brooch or fabric corsage.
A bonus when using brooches, burlap or cloth over flowers is it’s eco-friendly and an especially good way to add color to your decor during the winter months without flying in flowers and increasing the carbon footprint of your wedding.
A huge thanks to The Nesting Project, La Belle Bride and Bridal Guide for helping with this post.
