Bouquet Holders &
Tussy Mussies

Happy New Year! As those of you who have called or emailed Flowerbud recently may already know, the year isn't the only thing that's new. My name is Rachel, and I'm Flowerbud's new wedding coordinator; I'm taking over from Erin, and I'll be writing the wedding newsletter and answering all of your wedding questions. Though the newsletter schedule is set through the first months of the year, this may be a good time to mention that we're always open to suggestions for future topics; after all, we want to make sure we're giving you information you can use!

This month, we'll be talking about Bouquet Holders and Tussy Mussies, which are accessories that can make bouquet construction a much less complicated task. Though they're not a necessity by any means, they can be quite useful for larger or more complex bouquets, especially those that include many varieties of flowers or lots of filler. Rather than trying to make a hand-tied bouquet, simply enclose the stems in a pre-made holder. Bouquet holders are also fantastic for flowers whose stems are less than lovely, or where you might encounter a few stray thorns.

The most common bouquet holders you'll see are the plastic ones, which generally consist of a white plastic handle with a cone of floral foam already inserted. They're easy to use, and can be decorated with fabric or paper to make them a bit more elegant. Tussy Mussies are somewhat more unusual, but are also considerably more decorative. Generally made from silver or another metal, these Victorian style bouquet holders are designed to be seen, and can even be engraved, making them excellent keepsakes.

When arranging your flowers in any bouquet holder, be sure to soak the floral foam beforehand, and to assemble the bouquet carefully. If you're using filler, or surrounding the flowers with a collar of greenery, you may want to add that first, working from the outside of the bouquet to the middle. This can make it easier to ensure that your bouquet is the appropriate shape. You'll probably want it to be slightly rounded, with the central flowers taller than those on the edges. Most importantly, make sure you have enough flowers to fill the bouquet holder, but don't overfill it, as squished flowers can look just as sad as too-small bouquets.

If you're at all nervous about working with floral foam, or if you have any other questions about flower arranging, I recommend looking in our Newsletter Archive, where you'll find lots of information, including a whole issue devoted to the question of flower foam. If you don't find the answers there, feel free to contact me directly; I'm here every morning, and always happy to hear from prospective brides, whether you have questions, comments, ideas, or just success stories.

Thanks for your interest in Flowerbud.com, and have a wonderful January!

Best Wishes,

Rachel Stephens
rachel@flowerbud.com
Event Flower Specialist
Flowerbud.com