Make Your Own Corsage

By Athena

Why would you spend $80 on a corsage and boutonniere set when you could just make it? Follow along with how I’ve made my corsage! I promise it's easy and takes less than an hour from start to finish!

Today, it's quite easy to pick something up at the grocery store or flower shop and disregard all of the work (and waste) associated with it. While buying a corsage may be less work for you, it surely wasn’t less energy for the seed collectors, flower growers, harvesters, transporters, and sellers. By making your own you can pick your own flowers and centralize everything to lessen the environmental impact!

In addition to helping the environment and saving money, making your corsage can be fun. Get a group of friends together and follow these steps!

Step 1

First, collect some flowers! I chose mostly purple to match my dress but you should grab a little variety. Make sure to grab some white and green, as those pair nicely with everything.

Here is what I collected. This is enough for more than two. You want to cut the stems at least four inches long.

Step 2

Collect supplies! Here is what I used:

1) Wire

2) Floral Tape

3) Elastic for the band (pictured is two types)

4) Ribbon (Optional)

Step 3

Begin collecting them into a mini bouquet. Use a variety of sizes and leave surrounding the flowers. Here, it is optional to include ribbon bow ties or loops. Keep modeling it on your hand to make sure everything lies the way you want.

Step 4

Afterward, tie the stems together tightly with wire. Make sure a flower or leaf with a thicker stem is behind the corsage like this leaf for a later step.

Step 5

Then, wrap the whole stem tightly in floral tape. If you included ribbon, I would fasten it to the stem at this step.

Step 6

Cut off the access so that you have around an inch left and everything is still bound tightly together.

It should lay on your hand like this.

Step 7

Then, grab your choice of elastic and cut a piece that is longer than what you think you need.

Step 8

Then, wrap the stem in a criss-cross manner beginning at the center of the elastic piece.

You should tie it once you reach the bottom.

Then, make your way back up the stem and tie it again.

Step 9

Wrap and tie it around your wrist tightly enough it wont move around.

Step 10

Then, since I personally don’t like the stem wrapped in elastic showing, I stick another flower into the corsage so that it covers it.

Threading it through the flowers, I grab the stem on the other end and pull it through enough so it is secure and the elastic stem is covered.

It should look like this now.

Step 11

Now, here is where having a leaf with a thicker stem on the backside of the corsage comes in handy. Secure the stem of the flower you just placed to the stem of the flower or leaf you placed on the backside with floral tape. I didn’t do this the first time and the flower fell off, exposing the large wad of elastic.

Final Product

All done! Your corsage should look something like this!