Architectural Gypsophila A Bridal Bouquet
by Ahti Lyra
Photography by Daniel Jordan
Working daily in the flower shop you count every minute of your day. Not only the cost of the material,
but also the working time has a value. So how can you be creative and still be affordable for your
customers? Having worked with single Gypsophila flowers before I know how much time it takes to glue
them one by one. If you are in a hurry it may get messy with the glue and the final product may not
turn out the way you wanted. On average I will spend 1 hour on making a commercial hand tied bridal
bouquet from the very beginning to the final touches. I challanged myself to create modern, architectural
bouquets with the same time limit, keeping in mind that the design should be light and wearable.
Begin by protecting your working area with cellophane or plastic while working with the polyurethane foam. Using wiring
techniques make a horn-shaped handle and fill it with light clay. (You can find light clay or similar in craft stores.) Fill the
underside of the Frisbee with polyurethane foam and insert the handle. Allow to set.
Cover the handle made from light clay with aluminium foil tape to make it stronger and to smooth out the shape. If you are using a European Bouquet Holder, you may skip the handle, but you still need to cover the foam with the aluminium foil tape.
Cover the framework with double-sided tape. If you are using clear double-sided tape, you may need to paint the
surface where you are fixing the Gypsophila flowers. Remove the protective layer from the tape and wrap the
handle with white cord. Glue the decorative pearl on the tip of the handle. Stick Pistacia leaves on the lower side of the
framework. Start from the corners and move towards the centre. Finally, peel off the protective layer from the upper
part of the tape and place single Gypsophila flowers onto the tape. Work in different sections to avoid line patterns
developing. Cold glue the Oxypetalum flowers and Pteris leaves on the top of Gypsophila flowers.