Creating wedding florals in the most earth-friendly way is important to me. This summer I had the amazing opportunity to create two arches at the lovely Raven Glacier Lodge. In both arches, I used completely renewable materials (chicken wire and floral water tubes) to create the form in which to hold the flowers and foliage.

Here are the steps to creating a beautiful foam-free arch:

Create a cage. Cut chicken wire the length you need to hold your installation. Gather branches with leaves attached and lie the branches inside the chicken wire. Be sure to size your cage so it’s big enough to hold all your stems and water tubes but not too big so it’s hanging way far off your structure.
I recommend creating the cages at your studio and then adjusting them as needed once you get to your event space.

Wrap the chicken wire around the leafy branches and secure it with bits of wire. This is the foundation of your installation. The leaves will eventually dry, and if you are able to take the installation down after the event (or get your clients to return it), you can use this again and again.

Attach your cage to your arch. I use zip ties for this. Cut your zip ties close once it is secured.

Begin designing with foliage. Use foliage to begin creating your shape.
Add in focal flowers. If these need a water source, be sure to cut stems and put them in water tubes.
Add supporting flowers and small bunches. Bunches of flowers can be made, stems cut, and wrapped in wet paper towels. These can then be wrapped in a bit of plastic and stuck in the chicken wire. If the bunches are bigger than the chicken wire holes, you can snip it to make a larger opening.

gently pull back on flowers once they are secured or gently shake the structure to make sure everything is solid!

Add additional foliage.
Add final flowers to round out your design.
Hide all mechanics with any final foliage and floral bits. Don’t neglect the back-side of your installation! Pop in some foliage or leftover supporting flowers to add a special touch.

Let the party begin!

I source all my flowers first from my urban flower farm, then from other Alaskan flower farmers and and finally from Mayesh Wholesale, who guarantees that everything I order from them is American Grown.

Local and seasonal flowers are more fresh, more beautiful and more earth-friendly!

Foam Free Floral Arch at Raven Glacier Lodge