Fruit Bouquets

In the summertime, you can decorate your reception venue inexpensively and easily using in-season fruit. But have you ever considered that fresh fruit has other uses? Some brides-to-be -- especially those whose wedding themes incorporate fruit -- choose to include fruit in their bridal bouquets. You might be thinking that a fruit bouquet would be interesting, but that it might not be quite the look you want for your wedding.

Well, you'd be surprised how chic and beautiful a fruit bouquet can look! The best looking fruit bouquets are smaller than your average wedding bouquet and they have to be carefully prepared, but artfully designed fruit bouquets can become the centerpiece of your overall wedding day look.

The trick is to not overload the bouquet with too much fruit. If you add too much fruit, it will start to look tacky -- think fruit salad -- and you'll have trouble carrying the bouquet down the aisle. Remember, fruit is a lot heavier than flowers! The most beautiful bouquets include both fruit and flowers. Try a variety of small fruits like:

• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Mandarins
• Passion fruits
• Small apples
• Kiwi fruit
• Strawberries

One thing to be aware of when choosing your fruit is that some fruits (like strawberries) will stain if you are not careful. Just spray them with a clear fixative -- available at art supplies stores -- and you won't have to worry about everything getting stained. Just makes sure no one tries to nosh on your bouquet!

Once you've chosen your fruit, you need to wire the fruit into the bouquet. You will need to use heavy gauge wire, which you can get from your local flower shop. You can either put the wires straight through the fruit and then tape the wires, or you can wrap the fruit in cellophane first, and then wire and tape.

The next thing to do is add some leaves to the bouquet. I like to use big leaves, as they make it look like the fruit is hiding in the leaves. This make the fruit bouquet more subtle, and stops it from looking like a fruit basket.

You can also cut a bunch of leaves off a fruit tree and wire the fruit amongst the leaves. Make sure the branch is fairly straight. This will allow you to tape the branch, and will add a more bridal look to the bouquet. Finally, place some ribbon bows near the leaves, to soften the fruit bouquet, and to add some elegance.

Ta da! You have a beautiful fruit bouquet!


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