One of my favorite things to give and receive is a bouquet of flowers. They’re usually my go-to gift whenever I’m invited to dinner, but at times they require the hostess to put in additional work. If someone’s already entertaining, it can be inconvenient for them to stop what they’re doing, whip out gardening shears, find a vase and create an arrangement. In order to make their job a little easier, while also putting together a bouquet that looks a lot more expensive than it is, I shared some of my tips for creating the ultimate hostess arrangement.
I like to stick to a specific color palette. This not only lets you pick from a variety of flowers, but the cohesive end result looks a little more sophisticated.
I decided on a bright white and green theme with tulips, mums, and stock.
I also picked some fresh basil and mint from the garden to add a nice aromatic smell to the arrangement, while staying within the color scheme.
Once you have the flowers, it’s all about the little touches to make it special: twine, butcher paper, a gift tag, flower wire, and a decorative element like feathers.
I take all of the flowers out of their plastic and remove any extra leaves (this makes the flowers remain the focal point and also makes things look cleaner).
I always start with the larger flowers (in this case, the stalk) and rotate the arrangement as I go, so there are no empty spaces. This ensures the entire arrangement will be well balanced so that the hostess can simply remove the packaging and when she places them in a vase.
Once I’m finished adding flowers, I secure the entire bouquet by wrapping the floral wire tightly around it, followed by twine, which gives it a more rustic look.
All of the ends will be different lengths since, while arranging, you place some higher and some lower. Trim the bottoms so they’re all the same length.
Wrap the flowers in butcher paper and secure with twine. Then attach the tag and stick in the feathers for a final touch.
