How to make a presentation bouquet

When you watch a beauty contest or any kind of competition with one or more winners, you will notice that the winners and runners up are presented with bouquets. These are called presentation bouquets and they are designed in such a way that they will act as a handheld accessory for any lucky recipient. So, if you are planning your own special event and you want to make a presentation bouquet, here’s how to do just that:

You will need:

• Pair of scissors
• Gift tag
• Pair of pruners
• Strips of colourful fabric or ribbon
• Stiff paper
• Flowers of your choice (variety is great)
• Foliage
• Floral wire, string, or a rubber band

Method:

• Start by cleaning up your stems. Remove the bottom leaves and avoid trimming the stems until the very end.
• Place a square of paper on your table and do so diagonally. So you will have one point at the top of your table.
• Start arranging your flowers on the paper. Make sure that you stick to the triangular shape created by the paper. In other words, you will place the flowers located in the middle a bit higher than those to the left and right.
• Add some foliage on top of your first layer of flower stems. This will add volume and create a great colour contrast.
• Follow this step by adding another layer of flowers (place them lower than the layer of foliage so that you don’t completely cover the leaves).
• Then add more foliage, and continue this tapered pattern until you finish off with a final layer of flowers.
• Remember: you want the arrangement to run along the paper. It’s more of a horizontal style since it will be held in the recipient’s arms and not just in their hand.
• Tie the stems together using floral wire, string, or a rubber band.
• Trim the stems so that they are all the same length.
• Fold the bottom corner of the paper up to cover the ends of the stems. Fold the side corners in so that they are straight rather than pointed. Fold these two sides in one at a time. One should overlap the other (kind of like a baby wrapped in a blanket) and tie the paper in place with a strip of fabric or ribbon.
• Finally, give your bouquet a once over and remove any leaves that are obstructing the flowers. You should also remove any leaves or petals that don’t look all that great. Feel free to fluff up your bouquet by gently separating the stems a bit. This will give it a lighter and more abundant appearance.