For the love of a Challenge

Jul 15, 2019

For the love of a Challenge
by Thomas Spiess

I used:
Gypsophila paniculata ’XLence®’
Hot glue gun
Floral tape – white
Double-sided tape
Décor wire – silver
Bridal bouquet holder (OASIS® Lady I)
Satin ribbon 5mm – white

A workpiece where only one variety of flower has been used has always held a great
fascination for me. I truly love the opportunity to highlight just one single material!

Begin by covering the handle of the bridal bouquet holder with the floral tape. It is
important to use white tape as the colour of the ribbon, when applied later, could be
distorted if you use green or brown tape. It must be pulled tight to make sure that it
will not detach later. After that, you need to cover the handle completely with the doublesided
tape (including the base of the handle).
Use a very thin and transparent self-adhesive tape. Then you can glue the satin ribbon on
the upper side of the handle and attach it straight in the middle to the other side.

On the underside, ensure that the crossing point is very regular to get the desired effect.
Again, make sure that the ribbon is pulled tight and is well attached on the handle, so
that it does not later detach in the hands of the bride! For the upper part use hot glue.
The ribbon is twisted once around itself and glued every 2cm on the handle using very
little glue. It is important that the glue is not visible. The tension arises from the change of
the static to the dynamic lines while using the same material. For the further steps, it makes
sense to protect the already finished handle from contamination with a cover.

For this bouquet you need about 20 stems of ’XLence®’. Cut them into small pieces
of about 2-3cm and then wire into small bundles with the silver wire. These should
not be too big so that the transition from the individual wired bundles is not visible at the
end. Then cover the stems of the Gypsophila as well as the silver wire with the white
floral tape. This way the flowers will last longer and the durability of the bouquet is
extended. In addition, the next step becomes easier when the wire is taped.

Stick the bundles regularly into the floral foam of the bridal bouquet holder. I would recommend that you do not water the
foam in order to save weight. Make sure that the bundles are placed very close to each other and create a perfect ball-shape.
Single flowers that stick out, can be carefully cut off at the end with small scissors. To ‘connect’ the handle with the flowers
(a non-floral material with a flower) I laid the same ribbon loosely around the Gypsophila. The ribbon is fastened with silver
wire into the floral foam.
Despite the classic shape using traditional material, the bouquet has a modern impact through its simplicity. The finely crafted
handle is classy and elegant and the style is subtle and discreet.