Need Help - big time!

rewolf

rewolf

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Jul 4, 2007
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chatham
www.wildbunchstudio.com
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I need to make this orchid bouquet for this weekend's wedding and need your help on my mechanics. Never had to wire an entire bouquet before. :pblush:
Okay, so I wire each orchid bloom - what wire gauge is best? I read past posts and some florists diaper and cowee - what's that?
Once they are all wired and gathered together - what next? How do you prevent the outer orchids from flopping.
Do I then tape the wire handle and then create a faux handle covering with stems?
Your help is greatly appreciated.
 

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#1- I like 22ga wires for these types of orchids.

#2- I supose "diaper" is putting wet tissue (old school) on the bottom of the stem. "Cowee" is using a wooden cowee pick to create a stem and then you pic that into your foam holder.

#3- If you use a heavy enough wire they shouldn't be "floppy"

#4, Yes, tape it all together. It looks like to me that this bouquet has hala leaves piled on top of each other. I'd glue those suckers together on the wired handle and then between each leaf, use my new favorite thing "dashes". Then wrap with the ribbon.
You could even leave a few of the halas long and that can create a supposrt for your orchids underneath.

Anyways, that's how I'd do it- be it right or wrong.

By the way- I should mention my vision is really blurry right now, so I'm questioning if I'm see in hala or not....
 
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Katie when testing for wires they should basically hold the flower up, so if they dont then the wire is too light. This is a measure i use.. probably not the correct way but it works for me.
 
First off, Shannon, no halas, those are lady slippers you are seeing...

Heavier gauge wire is better, I would go with 20-22 gauge. You can also get orchid stems from stemson's instead of diapering...but use the wires also...they work the same as a corsage stem, I never use them orchids are very tough flowers...

Unless you are using a holder forget about the cowees, just hand tie your wired and taped stems and then wrap with your handle treatment that same as if you were woking with real stems. you can also cover that handle with stems to make a stem handle if the bride wants to see stems like the picture..



It also helps to go east west and north south with your wires and then take a half wire and run it up into the stem to prevent the flopping you are afraid of...There should be none of that for atleast 4 days out of the cooler, so I wouldn't worry.
 
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rewolf said:
As always Lori - Thanks you!
I think the faux stems look like Ruscus- Israeli. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

maybe more like TP or Emerald. stems look pretty smooth. Anything with more bark will work - we stay away from stems like Alstro etc that tend to shrink when they dry out.
 
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lori042499 said:
First off, Shannon, no halas, those are lady slippers you are seeing...

Heavier gauge wire is better, I would go with 20-22 gauge. You can also get orchid stems from stemson's instead of diapering...but use the wires also...they work the same as a corsage stem, I never use them orchids are very tough flowers...

Unless you are using a holder forget about the cowees, just hand tie your wired and taped stems and then wrap with your handle treatment that same as if you were woking with real stems. you can also cover that handle with stems to make a stem handle if the bride wants to see stems like the picture..



It also helps to go east west and north south with your wires and then take a half wire and run it up into the stem to prevent the flopping you are afraid of...There should be none of that for atleast 4 days out of the cooler, so I wouldn't worry.
Click to expand...


Duh Lori...
I know what a lady slipper orchid looks like, also cyms.....To me ot looked like hala leaves ON THE BOTTOM where the stems are. Now to me it just looks like gerb stems... I don't know I can't see well what the stems are...
But I am leaning toward gerb stems. Not hala piled on top of each other. However I think hala would look cooler. Just my opinion.
 
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Sorry, Shan, Thought you meant in the bouquet, now I see what you mean arount the handle...yeah your right could be hala, could be stems of some random flower...
 
One thing that I always do with orchids is tape a little FIRST. Then wire. Then tape again if you decide to go that way.

If you want, you can soak cotton or paper towel in flower food and "diaper" the stem with that, then tape the bloom onto a wood pick. I usually only use the wood pick if there is just one orchid, like I had for flower girls recently. Then, you need a "stem". For an entire bouquet like this, you should not need to use picks as long as you hand-tie it.

There is absolutely no sense in using a bouquet holder when nothing is going to be using that water source. Waste of supplies.

I would check with my supplier about the lady slippers and refrigeration. Usually, cold damage to orchids is on the stem, and usually causes bud drop. These are not a concern to you once the bouquets are made.

I thought those stems were gerb, and have my doubts that they are real because I cannot see any fuzz. Any stems are going to work, though, and I would just reach into the garbage.

I think what Shannon is talking about is hala leaves rolled into tubes to resemble stems. That would look really cool.
 
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nope, I'm talking about "dash" gluing hala leaves on top of each other and going around in a circle.

But Really I think those stems are fake, The more I look at them, the more i think so.
I think I'd use the piled up hala or gerb stems. And I'm leaning toward gerbs just cause it's easier and faster.

WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!
I think those stems are nerine lily stems! yep- I'm going with nerine lilies!
 
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PhotoShop can be a wicked, wicked thing for real florists. How can we reproduce the bouquets that only live in fantasyland?

I'm guessing the entire bouquet is crafted from faux flowers. How else would the stems all match? And what's that grassy material showering to the right?

Had a customer email me a photo as an inspiration for party centerpieces last week - and the flowers were clearly 'manufactured' (deep plum roses, sangria colored anthuriums - both with waxy textures), but consumers see them and think they're real.

The bouquet in the OP looks 'close to real' so the stem finish may be a non-issue for the bride. :)
 
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