Eco Friendly Felt and Pearl Bridal Bouquet and Boutineer

I recently made a custom felt and pearl bouquet and boutineer for an eco friendly bridal photo shoot. Felt or fabric is a great substitute for real flowers for your wedding day not to mention it is kinder to the environment. The reasons I love non traditional bouquets are because they can become an heirloom or keepsake and because it is always really sad when you spend a ton of money on something that is going to die in a few days!

Here is the info about the shoot:

Location: Garden in Billerica, MA

Photographer: Arguedas Photography

Designer/Stylist: JD Designs

Florist: The Creative Nature - Florals , vegetables and raspberries used in centerpiece are all picked from the garden. No pesticides used, all organic.

Gown: Pure Magnolia Couture - Canadian based company. Eco-friendly beautiful gowns in different fabrics including organic cotton, silk, hemp and lace.

Hair/Makeup: Beleza Salon & Spa - Air brushed with vegetable based and organic minerals

Female Model: Winter Adams

Male Model: Rajiv Roy

Table Linen & Candles: Linen recycled from Joanne Fabrics and Beeswax Candles

Burlap Runner: Banner Banquet

Charger/Wooden Plates: Tradsey formally Recycled Bride

Favors: Artful Beginnings - Plantable favors of various flowers

Organic Napkins: Island Picnic

Bridal Bouquet/Boutonniere: DSMeeBee http://www.dsmeebee.com/

Quick, Easy, Cheap, Fun, and Beautiful Felt Bridesmaids Bouquets

This unique bouquet can be made in a few hours and will only cost you around $5 a bouquet. Since this is a non-traditional non-flower bouquet it can be kept for years to come. This will be a beautiful keepsake for your bridesmaids and can be made in any color to match your wedding colors.

What you will need:

• Felt – Joann Fabrics $3 a yard
  • For 1 bouquet you will need about ½ a yard.
• Lace Trim – Local Fabric Store $0.39
• Dowels – Michaels Craft Store $2 for 20
• Pins – Michaels Craft Store $2
  • I found great sewing pins with pearl heads.
• Gorilla Glue – Target $6
• 2 ½ ” Foam Ball – Local Fabric Store $0.39
• Trim – Local Fabric Store $1 a yard
• Hack Saw – Home Depot $4

Things around the house:

• Scissors
• Glue Gun

Optional:

• Sizzix Big Kick Die Cutter – Joann Fabrics $70
  • If you need to cut a ton of the same shape investing in a Big Kick Die Cutter is totally worth it but not necessary for this project.
• Sizzix Heart Die Cutter – Joann Fabrics $10

Step 1:

If you are using a Die Cutter cut out appropriate size squares and start die cutting hearts. If you are cutting out hearts by hand make a paper template about 3” at the widest part of the heart and start cutting. The amount of hearts you need will depend on the size foam ball you use. I used a 2 ½ ” foam ball and the bouquet came out to be approximately 6 ½ ” in diameter. But you will know how many hearts you will need once you start filling in the foam ball. Depending on how dense you want your bouquet you will probably need around 80-100 cut out hearts.

Step 2:

The dowels I got were 12” long so I took 3 of them and cut them in ½. Get out your hot glue gun and start gluing the 6” dowels together one by one. Once all the dowels are glued together run a line of glue along one of them and glue the edge of the lace onto the bundle. Wrap the lace around the dowels and glue the loose edges down. Now take your trim and glue it down on top of the edge of the glued lace. Now you have your handle!

Step 3:

Take your foam ball and push your dowel handle into the bottom of it until it feels secure. Then for added stability take out the handle and put some Gorilla Glue into the hole and put the handle back into the foam ball.

Step 4:

Take your pile of cut out hearts and take 4 out and arrange them like a 4 leaf clover. Glue each point of the heart to the next and fold the clover on top of itself and glue again. Fold the flower in half again and put a pin into the point of the flower. Put a little Gorilla Glue on the foam ball and pin the flower down. The nice thing about Gorilla Glue is that it expands when it dries. So it is the perfect glue for securing down your flowers into the foam ball.

Step 5:

Follow step 4 until you reach the handle at the base of your bouquet. Here I only folded my felt flowers in half once and pin/glued them down around the handle.

Step 6:

YOUR DONE! How easy was that! Now you have a beautiful bouquet for your bridesmaids for only around $5 each! These bouquets will give you all the look you want for your wedding for none of the cost!