Cascading Bouquet: 7 Tips for Creating a Loose and Airy Hand-tied Bouquet

Whether you’re an experienced hand-tied cascading bouquet designer or a beginner, you may have encountered the challenge of your bouquet becoming heavier or larger than initially envisioned.

Unlike using foam, in hand-tied cascading bouquets, the flowers tend to shift downward as you add more, leading to the temptation to add extra blooms to achieve the desired shape. Consequently, the bouquet can end up heavier and larger than intended.

In this article, I’d love to share my seven tips for crafting hand-tied cascading bouquets, gathered through years of trials and errors.

1. Add nice fillers or supports in the middle

Flowers tend to shift downward as you add more. Use nice fillers or supports (like a small twig nest, small chicken wire nest, or a hardy branch) in the middle of the bouquet to keep flowers in place.

2. Shape it upward

Build the shape by bringing it upward, not towards the sides, to avoid making the bouquet too wide and large.

3. Keep the tail light

Keep the tail of the bouquet light, avoiding adding too many flowers and large blooms.

4. Place a main flower slightly above the center

Place main focal flowers slightly above the middle, not directly in the center, so that the eye goes upper area and the bouquet looks lighter with a long tail.

5. Incorporate phalaenopsis orchids

For an elegant or modern cascading bouquets, incorporating Phalaenopsis orchids is an excellent choice for the bottom/tail. In this case, make sure to select the perfect stem that has several blooms with no scratches, a nice curve, and blooms facing toward the front, not the sides.

6. Save curved long stems

When you find some nicely curved long stems in the bunch, save those for creating an elegant, long tail.

7. Add movement materials

Incorporate delicate movement materials like cosmos, sweetpea, flowering branches or butterfly ranunculus to lead an airy appearance to your cascading bouquet.

Creating cascading bouquets might feel a little bit challenging due to fewer opportunities to make or practice, but once you know these tips, it becomes enjoyable!

If you’re interested, I’ve created a free tutorial video demonstrating how to make a loose and airy cascading bouquet step by step, without foam, chicken wire, or other hidden tools. Check out the link below to gain your confidence in crafting beautiful cascading bouquets!

Cascading Bouquet Recipe: How to Make a Loose & Airy Cascading Bouquet