Silk wedding flowers can add such a delightful touch. This week I’m learning how to make gorgeous ones by master milliner Bridget Bailey. As we create beautiful concoctions that are almost lifelike, it got me thinking about how to use silk flowers for wedding or hats. The process would be the same but I would use a different colored silk. So close your eyes, and image a delicately tinted cream-colored flower.
The workshop is being held at the Chateau Dumas outside of Toulouse, France. It’s the perfect combination of fabulous location and amazing instructors. Every morning, after a French breakfast of flaky croissants, we head over to the old carriage house and climb a few stairs to the workshop. This particular workshop is all about creating silk wedding flowers for a wedding or perhaps something else. I first started to use the word “making” but that didn’t do justice to the process. It’s quite time consuming but OHHHH the results are well worth it. So far I have written down almost 200 steps to creating (see that word again) ONE silk flower. From making the petal template, to cutting an embossing plate, to dipping stamens in gold dust, to attaching each petal, to gently sewing the flower together. All-in-all it’s a labor of love and an exercise in supreme patience.
As a mother, I know ALL about patience. Just ask my teenage daughters. As a milliner, I understand a labor of love. Now maybe I have that backwards. Maybe it’s a labor of love with my daughters and an exercise of patience with millinery. Regardless, I have developed a new respect for silk flower making.
This knowledge is something that I will incorporate into my growing bridal business. There are times that it can be difficult to use fresh flowers and luxurious silk flowers for a wedding offer a wonderful solution. Since it is a labor of love (and an exercise in patience), I can only see myself creating a precious few concoctions. As a bridal headpiece or incorporated into a piece of jewelry would offer the right balance. A bridal bouquet would be out of the question for reasons of my own sanity. However the bride and I decide to incorporate the silk flowers for the wedding, it’s sure to be truly memorable.
