7 Fancy Cocktail Bouquets

I love growing flowers, and often devote half of my garden space to a cutting garden. I bring in armloads of cosmos and zinnias for bouquets, and share with friends and neighbors, too. But here’s a confession: my arrangements are embarrassingly simple. While this doesn’t matter much when they’re destined for my dining room table, florals for parties and celebrations should be…well, a little fancier!

Turning those quick and simple flowers into fancy arrangements can be easier than you think. It’s all about the vase! For your next bridal tea or luncheon, create cocktail bouquets. (Or goblet arrangements, or zinnia shots…).

Here are some ideas:

A Goblet of Cosmos

Tuck a bit of floral foam into a goblet and arrange cosmos in pinks and magenta hues. Then tuck the fringy cosmos greens at the base below the blooms and allow to hang over the rim. Place in the center of each table.

Blooming Hurricanes

Raid the garden for snapdragons, phlox, statice, asters, cornflowers, and love-in-a-mist. Arrange in hurricane glasses with a few taller stems for height. These little nosegays have no extra foliage, just the flower’s leaves and stems for green. But you can always…

…start with the foliage. In this instance I cut some common ferns and tall iris leaves. (Daylily and rose leaves would also be pretty.) Then tuck in a few small stems of climbing rose blooms to complement.

For bold, bright arrangements that will last for days, choose daylilies. Cut stems with multiple buds for new blooms every day; simply cut off the previous day’s spent blossom each morning.

Add hosta for big green in an arrangement, and try different varieties for visual interest. (Those variegated leaves are stunning in a bouquet.)

A Shot of Zinnias

Shot glasses with river rocks allow for a striking arrangement of zinnias in different heights and colors. Try placing along the table runner for an eye-catching, colorful centerpiece.

This tiny shot glass arrangement includes mostly edible blossoms! Violas, Johnny jump-ups, and blossoming thyme stems make a pretty purple arrangement that would be equally as lovely in your cocktails. And speaking of cocktails…

Rose Cocktails

Roses are so special all by themselves, and this is a perfect way to share those blooms with the broken stems. Cut just below the base of each blossom and float in a cocktail glass. You can even add buds: they’ll continue to open as the day progresses. Float rose leaves below the blooms for a hint of green. You can even tint the water with a bit of food color for contrast or to coordinate with your theme.

Have you ever tried making floral arrangements in cocktail glasses? What are your favorite ways to create special or fancy cocktail bouquets? Please share!