Sparkling Love in Vegas: Custom Brooch Bouquet and Boutonniere

Mar 18

One truly special part about our line of work is getting to design for family and friends. This Fall, we had the pleasure of designing for our Marketing Assistant, Victoria and her husband Tim. They decided to elope in Las Vegas, just the two of them, but we of course had to figure out a way to design their flowers! Althea (always the creative genius) came up with the idea of a brooch bouquet and boutonniere that could easily travel with the couple to The Little White Wedding Chapel. Victoria’s inspiration for their elopement was 70s Cher, so using sparkly, shiny brooches instead of flowers felt like a perfect “I Got You Babe” moment.

For today’s blog, we’re doing things a bit differently as Althea was the lead designer for this event. We interviewed her about the experience of designing for a loved one (no pressure.) Read on to find out what she learned along the way.

How did you come up with the idea to use brooches for Victoria and Tim's personal flowers?
Althea: Victoria told me she and Tim were flying to Las Vegas for the ceremony, but wanted me to design their flowers. Since they couldn’t travel with fresh pieces, I needed to design something that both traveled well and captured Victoria and Tim’s style…silk flowers were NOT a good option here. After seeing photos of Victoria’s dress, I remembered brooch bouquets that were popular a few years ago. While this style isn’t for everyone, the brooches went well with the style of Victoria’s dress and went with the Cher-vibe she was after so it felt like the perfect fit!

What was the process of designing a bouquet with brooches like?
Althea: It was a creative challenge. I've seen these done in the past, but hadn’t actually designed one myself. First I had to design and craft a frame to hold the weight of the brooches and give us the correct shape. Then I had to figure out how to attach each brooch securely without damaging the pieces—many of the pieces were from friends and family and we didn’t want to damage them! After that, it was a matter of putting it all together. We used a metallic decorative wire to sew each piece to the frame, then covered the back with satin ribbon. So really it was pulling on all the skills I've learned over the years and reapplying them to make this work.

What about the floral lapel piece? How did you get it to stay put on his suit?
Althea: I pulled all the pieces I wanted for the lapel first because it needed to fit a specific shape. I then laid everything out to make sure the design looked good before starting to attach anything. I cut a piece of faux leather into the correct shape, then sewed each piece onto it for security. Finally, I covered the back with another piece of faux leather and added the magnets so we didn't damage his suit. We used large name badge magnets so the piece could be easily taken on and off.

What's one thing you always keep in mind when designing for loved ones?
Althea: I always keep in mind their personalities and their style. This leads me to create work that is authentic to them and makes them feel great when wearing it!

Enjoy the lovely photos by Andi Artigue Photography below!

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