Along with weddings come wedding events - showers, bridal teas, bridesmaids' luncheons - and the desire to decorate beautifully without breaking the bank. (After all, there's plenty of money being spent on the wedding itself, for everyone involved.)
One good way to cut costs: DIY floral designs. Yes, really. It's as easy as looking around for beautiful vessels that you can turn into vases. Then just let your creativity run wild.
I gathered together four of the top trending decor items of the season, along with a floral designer, to put them to use as vases when they were not, well, being used. At the end of the day, a vessel is a vessel. For me, if it can hold water, it can hold flowers.
Design “fails” tend to pop up just as much as successful ones do, and I’ve noticed this a lot with these four trendiest items, all antique: oversized glass water jugs, julep cups (specifically Wedgewood), champagne buckets, and flower frogs.
Photo by Emily Cotton
Julep cups add a little color just about anywhere.
Not wanting to banish these trending items to a cupboard, I endured two ill-fated trips to my grocer’s floral department before finally reaching out to my favorite florist, Marija Babic of La Fête in Houston, to ask, “What will actually work with these things?” Enthusiastically gathering these items together, I rushed to Babic for assistance.
Oversized glass water jug: For an oversized water jug, she selects bright yellow Blooming Forsythia, which brings a splash of vibrant color to any space. “This setup perfectly captures the essence of spring's lively renewal,” Babic says. “The contrast between the delicate, golden flowers and the simple elegance of the glass jug creates a stunning centerpiece that's both fresh and timelessly beautiful.”
Flower frogs: While beautiful, flower frogs can be problematic. The size constraints make choosing flowers more of a chore than a joy. No one wants to play roulette with stem sizes — but what is always guaranteed to fit the job?
“I picked pink Scabiosa and white Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist) to arrange in a simple crystal vase that holds just eight stems. These charming flowers, symbolizing love and delicate beauty, perfectly complement the vase, adding a touch of whimsy without stealing the spotlight from its artistic elegance,” Babic notes.
An all-too-often-made mistake is to always go with bloomed flowers. Greenery, seed pods and more delicate flowers are oftentimes overlooked, but clearly make a statement nonetheless.
Champagne bucket: “I chose to arrange Orange Buddleia Globosa, Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist), and Solomio Dianthus in a vintage silver champagne bucket to capture a whimsical French country vibe. These flowers bring a burst of vibrant color, delicate beauty, and timeless charm,” she says.
“While creating this arrangement, I imagined myself prepping for an intimate French countryside dinner, ready to host my dearest family and friends. It's like taking a joyful stroll through a blooming meadow, gathering flowers to create a centerpiece that's both casual and sophisticated that lets your creative imagination run wild.”
Julep cup: Being in Texas and not Kentucky, locals have little call for the use of a delicate julep cup. The beauty of these small treasures is that they can be very universal: nightstands, powder baths, anywhere a delicate arrangement will be appreciated, yet unintrusive.
“I chose pink Chrysanthemums, symbolizing joy and cheerfulness, and white Solomio Dianthus, representing pure love and grace, to place in a small Wedgwood cup,” the florist says. “These flowers add a lovely burst of color and elegance, making it easy to beautify any space.”
Who knows? Maybe arranging DIY bridal florals will lead to new passions and opportunities, as it did for Babic.
Babic is an oil and gas professional by trade. She says it was a "burning passion to create something extraordinary and turn dreams into reality with flowers" that led her to establish her own business, whose name, "La Fête," means "to celebrate" in French.
"It's not just about the flowers or the arrangements; it's about crafting delicate masterpieces that capture the heart of your most cherished moments," she says.
---
Emily Cotton is a Houston-based home and interior design writer.
