8 Favorite Tools for Floral Installations
Flower friends, let’s admit it: we all LOVE floral installations. Nothing gets us more excited about a bride than when she lets us get creative with the space, am I right?! You say “hanging flowers” and I am SO there for it. But the best/worst part of it is that every installation is different. It requires constant pivoting and creativity. You might have to work with weird hang points, or the only wall might be brick (AKA nothing will stick to it). This list is by no means definitive – I learn something new every time I do an installation! But it will get you pretty far and hopefully will offer a few new ideas for tackling your next floral creation!
1. Chicken Wire
Chicken wire serves as the base of the majority of my installations! It’s malleable, creates volume, is relatively lightweight, and is the perfect structure for attaching all your beautiful blooms. I like to use green chicken wire so it blends into to my greenery and is easier to conceal!
2. Zip Ties
Cannot live without them. I buy them in packs of 1000+ in all different lengths and use them for literally everything.
3. Bind Wire
Every once in a while, there’s a time that bind wire is better than zip ties. For example, if you’re attaching greenery to a chandelier or a railing, you can anchor bind wire at your start point, then just wind it along as you go without ever having to stop to clip!
4. Ladder
Maybe this goes without saying, but you need to have a trusty, lightweight ladder. My six foot ladder is like an old friend and was worth every penny!
5. Fishing Line
Most larger installations you’ll need to use cable or rope to hang, but if it’s lightweight you might be able to get away with only using fishing line, giving the appearance of floating! Also a great tool for balancing and anchoring an install.
6. PVC
If you’re doing an install where the mechanics or base will be completely hidden, I highly recommend building your structure out of PVC pipe! It’s sturdy and much more lightweight than wood. Bonus: you can spray paint it with whatever color will be the best camouflage!
7. Command Strips and Hooks
The saving grace in so many situations! These babies will stick to most walls and glass, basically anything but cement or brick. Sometimes they just act as a stabilizer (tie fishing line to them to help balance an install) or they can also be the base or your install (pop them on a wall, add smilax, voila you have a ceremony backdrop!).
8. EcoFresh
The best alternative to foam I’ve found for installations! Soak it, wrap around the stems, and zip tie into your install. My little secret: instead of using the plastic bags they include, I use plastic wrap for a much more slender silhouette – less plastic you have to conceal within your floral creation!
Drop a comment below or DM me on Insta if you have an addition to the list that you can’t live without!
