DIY Floral Bouquets by Madeline Trait

You may remember Madeline Trait by her amazing cake toppers, but today we're excited to feature her for her more prominent role as floral designer. Madeline creates beautiful bouquets that reflect the character and style of each event. As a San Francisco artist, she chooses locally grown plants and flowers for her displays. Madeline is also the official floral designer for Locally Grown Weddings, a team of San Francisco-based small business owners with an emphasis on green business practices. We asked Madeline to write a guest post on our blog with tips for making your own bouquets or arrangements and we love what she came up with. Take it away Madeline!

Flowers are a decorative element that not only add to the decor of your event but also add to the importance, and that is why it is such an integral part of a wedding or party. Whether you DIY or have a florist do your flowers, it is that finishing touch that you don’t want to skip.

Today, I have a fresh modern look to a wedding bouquet using Hello!Lucky’s wedding stationery as my inspiration. Many times, the invitation is the first thing your guest will see to introduce them to your special day so it’s only fitting to have that the guide for the design of your event as you move forward. I selected the Big Day suite as my inspiration as I like the bold colors and modern look it has with it’s big bold text. Red being the main color was perfect guide for selecting summer seasonal flowers.

The red flowers that I chose were Dahlia’s, Lipstick Pods and Godetia. I chose these not only for their color but for the diversity in their shapes and textures. Yellow peonies were then added to the mix due to their red/orange centers and that added splash of yellow, plus, you can’t go wrong with peonies. Hasta leaves were used as a the final trimming to the bouquet creating a backdrop of green and pale yellow to set the other flowers off.

Looking to create your own? Here are some quick tips to consider for a bright, modern and bold bouquet:

Use bright colors.

Choose a mixture of textures such as the soft petals of a rose with the hard structure of a poppy pod.

Choose flowers that contrast in color and or shape and texture.

Finish the look with a bold stroke such as an interesting ribbon or leaves.

Photos by Aurora Meneghello Productions