Guest Blogger :: Gina

I love flowers, it is what I do. But fresh flowers are so fleeting, so fickle and often so expensive. Is mentioning this career suicide? Maybe, but I am now officially in love with paper flowers. No more worrying about wilting, timing the life-cycle of a bloom just right, or a heat wave ruining my handiwork. Make all the bouquets, boutonnieres and decorations out of paper and it can all be done months ahead of time. Have a flower-making party with friends while watching Mad Men and drinking manhattans. Talk your mother into pitching in and spending her free time folding paper instead of laundry--it is much more fun.

Image courtesy of Craftstylish.com

These little white beauties would look great grouped en masse in a bouquet, or just use a few stems for a boutonniere or corsage. For more impact around a ceremony site, go for larger paper flowers, or giant paper poufs:

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

These poufs are so festive and fun, and can be re-purposed as reception decor. To bring color to the dining tables, make centerpieces out of paper flowers and put them in a vase just as you would fresh. Since the stems of paper flowers are not the most attractive part of the craft, choose a container that is opaque, or cover a clear glass vase with even more paper. A pattern in a complimentary color would be a fantastic choice.

The centerpiece shown below is so colorful and artfully done--damn you, Martha! I may just have to add "paper floral designer" to my resume.

Guest blogger Gina Niemiec is the owner of Fiori Floral Design in Scottsdale, Arizona.