Skip to content

Top Navigation

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAYS
  • ENTERTAINING
  • HOME
  • GARDENING
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING
  • WEDDINGS
  • SHOP
  • DIY
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS
  • LIFE
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG

Profile Menu

Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Subscribe
Save Pin FB

Explore Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 35 One-Pan Meals Just Right for Dinner Tonight

      One pan, pot, skillet, or Instant Pot is all you need to for these no-fuss family dinners, including salmon, pasta, pot roast, chili, and so much more. Read More Next
    • The Best 2021 Bedroom Paint Colors

      Explore the best 2021 bedroom paint colors, according to paint experts. Read More Next
    • The Ultimate Guide to Household Cleaning: What You Should Be Cleaning When

      Our printable checklists will tell you what you should be doing every day, week, month, season—or every once in a while—to keep your home in ship-shape year round. Read More Next
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD

    Quick, Easy, and Delicious Pasta Recipes Ideal for Weeknight Dinners

    When you need a comforting meal but don't have a lot of time, whip up one of these fast pasta recipes. All can be made in 45 minutes or less.
    • Breakfast & Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
    • Cooking How-Tos
    • Baking
    • Menu Planning
    • Food News & Trends
    • Wine
    • Mastering the Holiday Meal
    • What's for Dinner
    • All Recipes
  • HOLIDAYS

    HOLIDAYS

    See All HOLIDAYS

    17 St. Patrick's Day Crafts and Decorations

    Looking for a golden idea? You're in luck. Kick off your St. Patrick's Day celebrations with our shamrock garlands, rainbow balloons, leprechaun traps, and more.
    • Valentine's Day
    • St. Patricks Day
    • Passover
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
    • Christmas
    • New Year's Eve
  • ENTERTAINING

    ENTERTAINING

    See All ENTERTAINING

    The Best Front Porch Decorating Ideas for Every Month of the Year

    Get inspired to make your porch your new favorite living space with these ideas designed to add a refined look to any outdoor space.
    • Seasonal Entertaining & Decorating
    • Baby Shower Ideas
    • Dinner Party Ideas
    • You're Invited
  • HOME

    HOME

    See All HOME

    How to Disinfect Your Kitchen and Your Food During the Coronavirus Outbreak, According to Experts

    Keep everything from your countertops to your dining room chairs germ-free.
    • Home Design & Decor
    • Paint Colors & Palettes
    • DIY Home Projects
  • GARDENING

    GARDENING

    See All GARDENING

    How to Keep Your Houseplants Happy in the Winter

    Help them thrive even when the temperature drops.
    • Container Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Houseplants
    • Landscaping
    • Vegetable Gardens
  • CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    CLEANING & ORGANIZING

    How to Wash Your Hands Properly, According to a Doctor

    You likely wash your hands several times a day, but are you doing so effectively? Learn how to minimize the spread of germs with an extra few seconds of scrubbing.
    • Cleaning
    • Storage & Organization
    • Laundry & Linens
  • WEDDINGS

    WEDDINGS

    See All WEDDINGS

    How to Plan a Beautiful, Meaningful Micro Wedding So That You Can Celebrate Your Postponed Nuptials Right Now

    • Real Weddings
    • Wedding Party
    • Wedding Planning & Advice
    • Wedding Ceremony & Reception
    • Wedding Jewelry
    • Dresses & Style
    • Wedding Beauty & Wellness
    • Wedding Registry
    • Wedding Showers & Parties
    • Love & Marriage
    • Wedding Travel
  • SHOP
  • DIY

    DIY

    See All DIY

    How to Knit: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide

    Learn how to knit your own mittens, hats, scarves, and more. We'll take you through the step-by-step instructions and teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off.
    • Dyeing
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Kids' Crafts
    • Knitting
    • Paper Crafts
    • Sewing
    • Rescue & Revamp
  • BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    BEAUTY & WELLNESS

    Six Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health While You Work from Home

    Start by carving out a designated work area in your space.
    • Beauty
    • Health & Wellness
  • LIFE

    LIFE

    See All LIFE

    How to Start a Virtual Book Club

    From which platforms to use and the best books to read, bibliophiles share their advice.
    • Family
    • Pets
    • Travel
  • NEWS
  • MARTHA'S BLOG

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Martha's Blog
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Your Content
  • Logout

More

  • Enter to Win $10,000 to Makeover Your Home!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Martha's Blog
  • Weddings
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. marthastewart.com
  2. Weddings
  3. Wedding Ceremony & Reception
  4. Wedding Décor & Details
  5. DIY Wedding Projects
  6. How to Make Paper and Fabric Flowers for Your Wedding

How to Make Paper and Fabric Flowers for Your Wedding

July 27, 2011
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin

Get the DIY steps for these faux flowers.

Start Slideshow

1 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fabric and paper blooms are always in season. The best part? You can make these faux flowers, suitable for formal and casual weddings, in advance. They're easy; all you need are a few supplies and your own loving hands.

1 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hibiscus Paper Flowers

Credit: Addie Juell
Get the Paper Hibiscus How-To

When just cut, this bloom wilts in a matter of hours, but paper flower expert Livia Cetti’s variety is everlasting—and packs a tropical punch in just one bud. “I came up with the idea to dip red and orange crepe paper in bleach to erase some of the color, and kept experimenting with it in my basement,” she says. The result? A one-stem wonder that doubles as a home-brightening favor.

2 of 30

3 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Peony Paper Flowers

Credit: Addie Juell
Get the Paper Peony How-To

The good news: These flowers elevate almost any bouquet. The bad? They’re only in season during spring and early summer. Livia Cetti’s paper versions, however, are available year-round and can be made in any color. They also travel well and, in her words, “are pretty darn realistic-looking.”

3 of 30

Advertisement

4 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Flower Girl Wands

Think of the joy this scene would evoke: flower girls skipping down the aisle, bearing beribboned wands that mimic the fluttering and falling of cherry blossoms. We wrapped a dowel in ribbon, thumbtacked on ribbons of various lengths, and finished off by gluing on confetti flowers. (To make the flowers, gather a bunch of the confetti petals together and start gluing.) The "Blossom" flower girl dresses are from Ash & Robbins, matthewrobbinsdesign.com.

4 of 30

5 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Blossom Boutonniere

Get the How-To and Templates

These handmade silk flowers make great boutonnieres; just start with the smallest templates. Make them following the directions below, and pin in place with a corsage pin or a daisy-head quilting pin.

5 of 30

6 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Silk Flower Ring Pillow

Get the How-To

Silk flowers add elegance to a ring pillow. A crisp fabric holds its shape well; we used silk dupioni, shantung, and taffeta.

6 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ribbon Flower Boutonniere

Get the How-To

A natty nosegay of fabric blossoms that manages to look festive yet restrained can be pinned to his (or the groomsman's) lapel; make a larger, brighter clutch of these faux flowers for the bridesmaids' bouquets.

7 of 30

8 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Paper Dahlia Decorations

Credit: James Baigrie
Get the How-To

Joyous bursts of color dance above a table, imparting a cheerful radiance to a rehearsal dinner or casual reception. The dahlialike pom-poms appear to float in the air; in reality they are hung from the ceiling with monofilament.

8 of 30

9 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fabric Blossom Favor Boxes

Do guests a favor and present them with tokens of affection that you've planted inside these petite flower-topped boxes. Wrap each small box with a belt of layered ribbons or a strip of woven fabric, and cap it off with a single fabric blossom.

9 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pom-Pom Car Decorations

Credit: James Baigrie
Get the How-To

Guests will cheer you on when you zip away after the ceremony in a car covered with pom-pom garlands. These decorations are easy to make with tissue paper and twine, and they stay on the car with suction cups, which won't damage the auto's exterior.

10 of 30

11 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crepe-Paper Lilies

Get the How-To

A crepe-paper lily makes a beautiful boutonniere or could be worked into a larger lily bouquet.

11 of 30

12 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crepe-Paper Poppies

Get the How-To

To decorate the tiers of your cake with the crepe-paper bands, cut the crepe paper into strips with the ribbing running top to bottom, and gently stretch the top edge to create a ruffle. Wrap the band snugly around the tier, and secure to itself in the back with double-sided tape.

12 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tissue-Paper Flowers

Get the How-To

The luscious blooms in this bouquet are always in season. We chose shades of pink, but a bride could fashion them in any color she wishes. What's more, you can make these paper flowers, which are suitable for formal and casual weddings, in advance.

13 of 30

14 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Shaped Crepe-Paper Flowers

Flowers crafted from colorful tissue or crepe paper are graceful, inexpensive to make, and always in season. Arrange them on tables, use as boutonnieres, or create a whole bouquet.

14 of 30

15 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tissue-Paper Swizzle Stick

Get the How-To

Swizzle sticks topped with crepe-paper flowers -- a spider chrysanthemum and a sleek calla lily -- add zest to lime spritzers.

15 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Paper Pom-Pom Napkin Rings

Paper dahlia napkin rings in citrus shades adorn each place setting. Square glass vessels in various sizes line tables. Covered in sunset-hued tissue (cut to size and secured with double-sided tape), they cast a soft glow.

16 of 30

17 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tissue-Paper Flower Favor Packaging

Credit: Maura McEvoy
Get the How-To

Wrap favors in brightly colored tissue paper and top them off with a paper flower -- a low-cost alternative to the real thing.

17 of 30

18 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tissue-Paper Winter Centerpieces

Credit: Max Kim-Bee
Get the How-To

In winter, when fresh blossoms may be harder to come by, these lush tissue-paper flowers are in full bloom. Their silver centers are actually Christmas balls, a nod to the season. Arranged at different heights in silver trumpet vases and mint julep cups, they bring whimsy to a formal reception table set in all white.

18 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Silk Petal Garland

Credit: Annie Schlechter
Get the How-To

Transform inexpensive silk flowers into delicate garlands by dismantling the blooms and separating the layers of petals, removing any greenery.

19 of 30

20 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ribbon Flower Bouquet

To create blooms in a variety of textures, sizes, and shapes, use ribbons and rickrack in different widths and weaves. The folds of each flower are clustered around artificial stamens; stems are individually wrapped in floral tape before all are bundled together and bound in wide white grosgrain.

20 of 30

21 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fabric Flower Boutonniere and Corsage

Fabric flowers make a pretty, wilt-proof way for guests to find their seats -- and then live a double-life as a corsage or boutonniere. Simply use floral tape to attach a brooch pin to the stem of a fabric flower (these are from Dulken & Derrick). Have a calligrapher pen names onto strips of card stock, punch small holes on one end, and slip pins through.

21 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ribbon Flower Runner

Credit: James Baigrie

A runner decorated with handmade ribbon flowers is an inviting decoration for a guest-book table. The blooms are easy to make using thick woven-cotton ribbon with a floral design and buttons. A mix of large and small flowers is affixed with safety pins to the raw-silk runner, which has a grosgrain-ribbon border. A piece of woven ribbon is the bookmark.

22 of 30

23 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Flower Corsage

Credit: James Baigrie

Give your bridesmaids a fashionable floral accessory that will look fresh long after the wedding day: wrist corsages made with silk ribbon flowers. They can even be tied around a ponytail or worn as brooches. These corsages are easy to make: Tie elastic ribbon around your wrist in a big bow, then pin the bloom to the knot.

23 of 30

24 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dahlia Hair Accessory

Learn How to Make This

Who said you have to stay within the lines? If you're crazy for color, plant a dramatic dahlia in your hair -- it will guarantee a double take.

The Materials
Creating wearable art has never been simpler -- you might even have everything you need at home. Want proof? Here's your shopping list: fabric, needle, thread. All fabric from Mood Fabrics. "Mia" gown, The Steven Birnbaum Collection. Earrings, Mauboussin.

24 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Rose Garden

Learn How to Make These Flowers

A bodice bubbling over with blossoms is a colorful way to supplement a simple dress. The key: Use just one color in your bouquet. "Ashley" dress, Coren Moore. Studs, Mauboussin.

25 of 30

26 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Blooming Bridesmaids

Gift them pre-wedding so they'll adorn dresses, wrists, or hair. "Crystal Clear" Photo Boxes, ClearBags, clearbags.com.

Learn How to Make Shoe Clips, Boutonnieres, and Brooches

26 of 30

27 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A Heady Bouquet

Looking for a fuss-free frill for your flower girl? Sew a row of fabric dahlias (in different sizes and colors) to a soft, stretchy headband. Dress (#105), Us Angels.

27 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crowning Glory

Make a deep impact by borrowing from the design of your dress to fashion your bloom. "Jillian" gown, Monique Lhuillier. "Poise" white gold and diamond earrings, Hearts on Fire.

28 of 30

29 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

One-Shoulder Wonder

Learn How to Make Fabric Dahlias

Your flower can be classic, like this one that makes an oversize statement, or modern -- try metallic fabric. "Shiloh" gown, Thread. Leverback earrings, Hearts on Fire.

29 of 30

30 of 30

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Big Love

Get the How-To

Shrinking violets they're not. If you want to make your grand entrance even grander, opt for this punch-drunk bouquet, made from bell-shaped paper ornaments that have been trimmed. Five- and 9-inch Westminster bells, partycheap.com.

30 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery