How to Wrap a Wedding Bouquet With Ribbon

A hand-tied bouquet looks finished the moment its stems disappear under a smooth band of ribbon. Learning how to wrap a wedding bouquet takes about ten minutes of practice, and the method is the same whether the flowers came from a florist or from your own kitchen table.

The wrap also does a practical job. It covers the tape at the binding point, gives a comfortable handle and keeps damp stems away from hands and clothes.

What You Need

• A hand-tied bouquet with its stems already bound
• Floral tape and sharp floral snips
• 2 to 3 yd (1.8 to 2.7 m) of satin or grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/2 in (4 cm) wide
• Two or three pearl-headed pins, about 1 1/2 in long
• Scissors and a clean towel

Satin gives a smooth, dressy handle. Grosgrain has a fine rib that grips itself, which makes it more forgiving on a first attempt.

Prepare the Stems

1. Tape the binding point. Hold the bouquet where it is tied, just under the flower heads. Wind floral tape around that point four or five times, stretching the tape gently as you go so it clings to itself.
2. Trim the stems level. Cut straight across so the stems are about 6 to 7 in (15 to 18 cm) long below the binding point: roughly a hand’s width for the grip plus a little bare stem.
3. Dry them. Take the bouquet out of the water and pat the stems thoroughly with the towel. Ribbon wrapped over wet stems shows dark patches and slips.

Remove any leaves or thorns left on the part you will wrap, so the ribbon lies flat.

Wrap the Handle Step by Step

1. Lay the ribbon end flat against the stems at the binding point, pointing down, with about 1 in (2.5 cm) to tuck under.
2. Wrap the ribbon once straight around the stems so it traps its own end.
3. Spiral down the stems, angling the ribbon slightly and covering half the width of the previous turn each time. Keep a steady, firm pull.
4. Stop about 1 in above the cut ends, or cover the ends completely if you prefer.
5. At the bottom, make one level turn, then spiral back up with the same half-width overlap.
6. At the top, make one last level turn over the tape. Cut the ribbon, leaving about 1 in, and fold that raw end under itself.

The second layer is what makes the handle look smooth. It hides any gaps from the first pass and gives the pins something thick to hold.

Finish With Pins or a Bow

For a pinned finish, hold the folded end flat at the back of the handle. Push the first pin through the fold and upward into the stems at a steep angle, toward the flower heads, until only the pearl shows. Add a second and third pin below it in a neat line.

For a tied finish, skip the pins. Instead of tucking the starting end under, leave a tail of about 15 in (38 cm) hanging free at the top and wrap over its base. When you spiral back up, knot the working end firmly to that tail, tie the two into a bow at the front and trim both ends at an angle. The guide to tying a neat ribbon bow shows how to keep the loops level.

Four Handle Styles

Full wrap

The method above: ribbon from the binding point almost to the cut ends. It is the tidiest choice and the most comfortable to hold for a long time.

Short collar

Wrap only the top 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) below the flowers, down and back up, and leave the green stems bare beneath. This suits garden-style bouquets and uses under 1 yd (90 cm) of ribbon.

Crisscross wrap

Center a long ribbon at the back of the stems, bring both ends to the front and cross them, then take them to the back and cross again. Repeat down the handle so a row of X shapes forms at the front, then tie off at the bottom. Leave small diamonds of stem showing between the crosses.

Long trailing ribbons

Finish any wrap, then knot three or four extra ribbons of 1 to 1 1/2 yd (0.9 to 1.4 m) each around the top of the handle at their midpoints. Mixing widths and textures gives the tails more movement.

How Much Ribbon to Buy

You can estimate it from your own bouquet. Measure around the stem bundle and the length you want to cover. With 1 1/2 in ribbon and half-width overlaps, each turn moves down about 3/4 in (2 cm).

A handle 5 in (13 cm) long and about 4 in (10 cm) around takes roughly seven turns each way. That is 14 turns of 4 in, or 56 in: a little over 1 1/2 yd (1.4 m). Add 1 yd for a bow with tails and you arrive at 2 1/2 to 3 yd.

A pinned finish with no bow needs only about 2 yd. Trailing ribbons are extra, so add up their lengths separately and buy a spare yard for practice.

Timing and Keeping It Fresh

Wrap on the morning of the wedding. Until then, keep the bouquet in a vase with a few inches of water, somewhere cool and away from direct sun.

Once wrapped, stand it in a jar with only about 1 in of water so the cut ends can drink while the ribbon stays above the surface. Dry the ends with a towel before the bouquet is carried.

Matching the Other Flower Pieces

Cut an extra length from the same ribbon before you start. A few inches will finish the stems when you make a matching boutonniere, and longer offcuts can trail from a floral hoop wreath carried by an attendant or hung behind the couple.

Using one ribbon across all three pieces ties them together more reliably than trying to match every flower.