Diaphanous Bridal Tapestry

An artistic collage of blooms for a contemporary bride.

Floral design by Yassi Taheri

Yassi Taheri Floral Design

Tehran, Iran

Photos by Karu Solutions

For weddings and other special events, Iranian floral designer Yassi Taheri is often inspired by the elegance of white blooms and monochromatic color harmonies. For this tutorial, she envisioned a bridal bouquet in classic white but with a contemporary attitude that showcases floral artistry at its apogee. Starting with a bespoke armature she crafted by hand, Taheri created a gauzy tapestry of botanicals in which the stems are integral to the design as the blooms. An intriguing concept, indeed, created with a modicum of materials but an abundance of originality.

STEP BY STEP

Step 1

Create a fan-shaped armature for the bouquet by first bundling 12 pieces of 16- or 18-gauge enameled florist wire and then binding them together, at one end, by taping approximately 8 inches of the wires with step wrap. This section will be the handle for the bouquet. Next, bend each wire at a 90-degree angle, and space them consistently to create a quarter-circle arc.

Step 2

Starting at the base of the arc, where the wires are bent, weave paper-covered wire among the wires, to create a tight basket-weave effect at the bottom 2 or so inches of the arc. This will help stabilize the fan shape and keep the wires consistently spaced.

Step 3

Leaving the next 3 or so inches of wires exposed, begin weaving paper-covered wire among the wires in a looser, more transparent weave. Tighten the weave in spots to further stabilize the fan shape keep the wires consistently spaced. Extend this looser weave to the ends (outer edges) of the wires.

Step 4

Tightly wrap the handle of the wire armature with wool yarn, and then “stud” it with pearl-headed pins, to conceal the stem wrap and create a decorative and professional finish. Wrap the handle with as many layers of yarn to create the desired thickness.

Step 5

Weave several stems of lily grass through the wire armature, to create sparse yet artful base of foliage.

Step 6

Create metallic bands on the flower stems by wrapping sections and the stem ends of the flowers with thin metallic wire. Insert a pearl-headed pin into the base of each flower stem.

Step 7

Arrange flowers atop the armature in an artful, free-form and crisscrossing manner. With the longer-stemmed botanicals, wrap a small section of each stem, at the point where you want to secure the stem to the armature, with green stem wrap. Then, securely wire the botanicals onto the armature with thin metallic wire, creating additional small wire bands to cover the stem wrap (the stem wrap will prevent the metallic wire from cutting through the stems). With individual blooms, glue them onto the armature with liquid floral adhesive.