We celebrated Teddy’s baptism a couple weeks ago and hosted our families for lunch at our house after the ceremony. In preparation for the party I browsed Pinterest for centerpiece ideas and decided I would try and make my own floral arrangements for the party. Today I am going to share how to make a compote floral arrangement in four easy steps. I am NOT a florist by any means, but I have been wanting to learn. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try and if I failed we have some white hydrangeas in the backyard I could use instead.
Where to find compote vases online
I have been loving the look of loose organic arrangements lately with the leaves flopping over the edges. I decided compotes would be great to use for the centerpieces because you still get a little height but they are low enough that you can talk to guests across the table. I found this beautiful pedestal bowl from Anthropologie that I plan on using in other ways after the party as well. I also ordered an oval shaped compote (similar here) for our buffet and a round shaped compote for the kids table from aFloral.
Where to order fresh flowers online
Next, I needed to find specific flowers for these arrangements but I also didn’t want to be running around to several different places with three kids in tow. I decided I would try ordering flowers from an online wholesale company so I could order the exact types that I wanted. Our neighbor has ordered hydrangeas from Gallonei before and they are very reasonably priced and the biggest hydrangeas ever! She shared some with me and I couldn’t believe the size of the blooms! However, they only sell hydrangeas and roses which I love but for this particular look I wanted a little more variety and texture.
I also looked into Flower Moxie but I had passed the two week deadline for their flower orders. What I love about their website is that they have several different flower “looks” and they tell you exactly what types of flowers were used in each look and how many flowers you will need to create your centerpieces. They also have great tutorials, and I thought this one was very helpful! Blooms by the Box is a similar floral company and ultimately the one I decided to order from. I received the flowers two days before the party and assembled the centerpieces the day before.
I am going to show you in 4 simple steps how I created these centerpieces. I promise you anyone can do it!
How to make a compote floral arrangement in 4 easy steps:
You will need:
- foam oasis
- clear floral tape
- floral scissors
- compote vases
- greenery (I used 1 bunch of lemon leaf and 1 bunch of nagi)
- larger flowers (I used 2 bunches of garden roses but you could also use hydrangeas, peonies, etc.)
- smaller florals (I used 1 bunch of each of these: wax flowers, queen anne’s lace, spray roses, and white stock.)
1. Prepare your compotes
I used both a foam oasis and floral tape to keep everything in place. I was worried about the foam getting too top heavy once I added all of the flowers so the tape helped hold it in place. First I soaked the oasis in water and placed in the compote. Then I created a grid on top with the clear floral tape.
2. Add greenery
I used two different types of greens (lemon leaf and nagi), three or more would be great too! The more texture the better. You want to layer the greens and fill all of the holes so you don’t see the foam oasis or floral tape.
3. Add larger flowers, then fill in with smaller florals
Once you have a solid base of greenery, start adding the larger flowers (for mine I added garden roses) and then fill in between with smaller florals (spray roses, stock, queen anne’s lace, wax flowers). I think it’s best to have at least three different types of smaller florals to create texture.
4. Check all sides of arrangement and water
Work your way around and make sure your arrangement looks good from all sides. Fill in holes and add more water if needed. Each centerpiece only took me about 20-30 minutes to complete.
You can use up the leftover florals by adding them to votives or small vases on the table.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Thank you so much for stopping by!
