My regular readers may have noticed my blogging silence over the last few weeks. This is because I was very busy getting married! We recently had a small but special ceremony before heading to the Kveldsro Hotel in Lerwick, Shetland (a little group of islands in the middle of the North Sea) for a fantastic wedding reception, meal and overnight stay (restaurant review posted on Promote Shetland’s brand new Taste of Shetland website – launched today!). Our wedding attire had a distinct Victorian/steampunk theme. You can see photos over at Austin Taylor Photography and the public online gallery. It took a lot of sewing, tailoring and creativity to make it all come together as it did, but I think the effort paid off well. It really was my dream come true. My husband looks simply dashing wearing a suit, monocle, pocket watch and a top hat adorned with steampunk goggles! Swoon!
This wedding theme came about because a) following a serious foot injury in May of 2013 I am now unable to wear high heels so I thought I’d wear the white Doc Marten style boots I’d purchased (and never wore) for a National Theatre of Scotland production instead and b) when dear daughter and I were designing and sewing her flower girl dress it became more and more Victorian in style. It was then we decided to go steampunk. I was so surprised when the rest of the wedding party were delighted with the idea! I had three weeks to prepare, hence my social media and blogging silence. My kitchen turned into a crafting and tailor shop! I requested some bespoke wedding favours by the talented Lucy over at Honeycat Cookies. You simply must see the steampunk cookies she made for us – they are miniature works of art!
I didn’t fancy a shop bought wedding bouquet. Given that most of the wedding accessories had been made by hand using upcycled and repurposed materials, I didn’t think a shop bought bouquet would fit. So I made one! I drew inspiration from Google images and found a fantastic origami tutorial over at Folding Trees for Japanese kusudama. I used this as a starting point for the bouquet.
As with my DIY wire Christmas tree last December, I salvaged some more wire out of the burnt village bonfire and cleaned it up to make the stems. The gauze was given to me some years ago by a friend who thought I may one day find a use for it; the vintage key was a talisman given to me by another dear friend back in my teens which I’ve kept all these years, and the buttons were either saved in my button box or scrounged off a friend who also hoards buttons!
The paper for the flowers was nearly going to be a battered 1883 copy of Chopin’s Waltzer, but I couldn’t face cutting it so I used some 1970’s German sheet music instead. The only thing specifically purchased for this project was the metallic sealer for a cost of £7, and that was only because I didn’t want the rust on the wire to get on my dress.
My father, visiting from the west coast of Canada for the wedding, had an ingenious way of twisting the salvaged wire for the bouquet stems. I thought it was so clever I had to video him doing it and share it with you! As this bouquet contains metal I wouldn’t recommend tossing it over your shoulder to the waiting single ladies, as a traditional bride tends to do! However, since it is made from non-perishable components you can keep it forever!
So here you go, a tutorial so you can make your own steampunk wedding bouquet. You could always change the paper to suit your own style, as well as the ink and gauze colours. You could also cover the entire handle in gauze and use some thin wire or string to keep it place, but I left mine bare as I liked the spiralling metal effect. The only limit is your imagination!
For the flower centres, you could use buttons, or earrings (as pictured directly above), beads, cogs, gears or anything you wish to make it your own. After all, it is your day! (Scroll down to the very bottom of this post for a Hotel Chocolat review – my wedding morning breakfast consisted of posh chocolate and champagne!)
Steampunk Origami Wedding Bouquet
- 60 x 7 cm paper squares
- 5mm thick double sided tape
- PVA glue
- ink pad in desired colour
- 12 vintage style buttons or cogs/gears
- tweezers
- 13 lengths 60 cm long x 1 mm thick wire
- 1 can Plasti-kote metallic clear sealer
- 4 20 cm square coloured gauze
- 1 antique key
- 25 cm thin decorative chain
- 2 toothpicks
- 1 long knitting needle
- 4 twist ties, plastic coating removed to expose thin wire
Prep time: Yield: 12 flower bouquet
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Daydream adventurer. Expat Canadian. Foodie. Calls Shetland home, for now. One eye is always on the horizon.
Philippa says
Having just settled on a steampunk theme for my own wedding I was searching Google for steampunk origami flowers, and what a fantastic tutorial to have found! So easy to follow, and much less headachey than so many origami instructions. Thank you for posting this 🙂
(Also, thanks for giving me ammunition to my “Docs are perfectly acceptable wedding shoes” argument)
Maria Hackett says
congratulations!!! WOW I absolutely love the bouquet! so unique!! x
Charlotte Foy says
Congratulations! I’d love something like this at my wedding 🙂
Heather Haigh says
That is just incredible and so beautiful!
Jane McColl says
I am so in love with this, well done! So original.
Belinda Matthews says
wow your flowers are fantastic, just love them
Vivienne Wilkes says
That’s the most beautiful bouquet, so original, I love it!
Elizabeth says
Thank you Vivienne 🙂
faye huntington says
oh WOW this is so pretty!! faye x
Elizabeth says
Thanks 🙂
georgina davies says
this is really beautiful i think i wold still go for traditional flowers lol but i think these would look great as a home decoration xxxx
Elizabeth says
Ahh but traditional flowers wilt quickly. These are still sitting in a vase on my mantlepiece seven months later 😀
Hazel Rea says
First, congratulations! I’ve only just found your blog but really had to read this post. What an amazing bouquet – you are so talented. Your wedding photographs are absolutely gorgeous – the whole theme came together beautifully. Wishing you and your husband many happy years.
KATE SARSFIELD says
Congrats & what a beautiful idea for a bouquet – one v. talented lady!
Heather Haigh says
What a fabulous and original bouquet. And many congratulations.
Lou Eat Your Veg says
Enormous congratulations Elizabeth! Sounds like an amazing wedding and such a genius stunning wedding bouquet creation. You really are incredibly creative. No wonder you took a break from blogging, crazy busy times no doubt. Well done you!
Choclette says
Wow Elizabeth, this is all just so incredible. Can’t believe I missed it all. Your bouquet is just fantastic and you all look wonderful. So glad it went well and you had your perfect day. Congratulations to you both. After reading all this and seeing the pictures, I still don’t understand what steampunk is though???
nicole spring says
Congratulations!!! What a wonderful reason to keep quite for a bit 😉 I love the bouquet, it’s truly breathtaking! Thank you for linking up <3
Rachel @ The Philosophers Wife says
Congratulations and best wishes to you! That bouquet is awesome. It’s so unique!
Johny@ Flower Station says
Wow!! You are really so beautifully design paper banquet, which is never wither and always look beautiful. I am so happy with your paper making banquet idea.
Sally says
Many congratulations on your marriage. You looked very beautiful on your wedding photos.
Anonymous says
Congratulations, what a fabulous idea for a wedding theme. You all look wonderful. The pictures are lovely.
Michelle says
Well, congratulations!!! I can’t WAIT to see your wedding pictures. Did you make your own wedding cake, too?
sustainablemum says
Wow, many congratulations! Your bouquet is beautiful 🙂
I would never in a million years have guessed that was why you were taking a break from your blog!
Ai Lin Leow says
Congratulations Elizabeth! I saw the wedding photo on the Taste of Shetland website, everyone looks lovely. Great theme! Welcome back, I missed your blogging!
Magnolia Verandah says
Wow that bouquet is amazing. Congratulations!
Johanna GGG says
congratulations – I had visited your blog just a day or two ago wondering that I had not seen you on my feed lately and wondered at how quiet you were. The wedding sounds so perfect for you and those flowers look amazing – makes me want to have a go as I have a dream that one day I will be able to do paper flowers or craft flowers (not sure why I feel compelled but I do)
janet says
what a wonderful surprise – many congratulations to you both – no wonder you were quiet!!!!!
Steampunk – well who would have seen that one coming – brilliant…
Janice Pattie says
Elizabeth, that is absolutely stunning! What a work of art, and that paper folding is not easy to get right, you have to be so accurate. Your Steampunk theme is so interesting and right up there in crafty fashion. Can’t wait to see more.
Ruthdigs says
Wow – huge congratulations to you all! I love the idea of a steampunk theme; your bouquet is truly inspired. Wishing many many happy moons to come. 🙂
Laura Denman says
Congratulations and this looks amazing. And congratulations again because I’m so happy for you!! =)
Corin Leach says
This is amazing! Congratulations Elizabeth. What a great way to start the new year 🙂
Anneli Faiers (Delicieux) says
Congratulations and that is just beautiful 🙂 Clever clever you xx
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Congratulations Elizabeth, you bouquet is gorgeous and I love the wedding photo too. Congrats too on your new wriiting gig. It looks like 2014 will be a good year for you xx
Jen Price says
I’m so impressed you managed to keep this a secret from everyone, I never guessed that this is what you were up to. Massive congratulations to you and your husband!! The bouquet is absolutely stunning, made even more special by the fact you made it. Also congrats on your first Shetland post, looking forward to seeing many more from you this year 🙂 xx
Elizabeth S says
Heehee, it did take some effort to keep it secret! I wanted to spill the beans so many times on Twitter! Thank you for your well wishes and I’m glad you like the bouquet:) xx
belleau kitchen says
this is just simply stunning Elizabeth… I really want to see more pics. I am a HUGE steampunk fan.
Elizabeth S says
Thanks Dom! 🙂 There will be photos soon – just waiting on the photographer to upload a special selection onto an online gallery so I can share them! I can’t wait! 😀
vohnmcg.com says
Beautiful bouquet Elizabeth – you are a genius! I couldn’t have cut up the 1883 sheet music either! Vohn x
Elizabeth S says
Thank you Vohn xx It felt sacrilegious thinking about cutting that old music paper up! Glad I didn’t. 🙂