What a bridal bouquet! Saija crocheted an incredible gift for her sister—“Some guests thought the flowers were real”
At first glance, the bouquet appears to be a typical floral arrangement, but upon closer inspection, you realize it’s entirely crocheted! Saija Taipalus crafted a delightful bridal bouquet for her sister and matching boutonnières for the groom to complement the bouquet.
Where did the idea for the crocheted bouquet come from, Saija?
The idea for the bridal bouquet came from the bride herself—that is, my sister Sonja. Crafts are our shared passion; she knits and I crochet. We had talked about crocheted flowers before, but Sonja made the actual request for the bouquet when we were in a yarn shop looking for something else. We immediately began searching for suitable yarns for the flowers.
How did you make the bouquet, and what was the experience like?
I began making the bouquet one flower at a time, experimenting to see which flowers worked and which didn’t. I didn’t really use any patterns; instead, I looked at pictures of bouquets to figure out how to achieve a similar shape.
For some of the green leaves, I referred to patterns to get an idea of how best to create the desired shapes. I also used pictures of real flowers and even visited a flower shop for inspiration.
Altogether, I had a couple of months to make the bouquet, and it was ready a few weeks before the wedding. At its best, making the bouquet was wonderful and creative, but I have to admit that making the same green leaves over and over became tedious at times, and I almost lost faith in finishing the project.
Did you have a specific color theme in mind? And what kind of yarn did you use?
The bouquet’s colors were based on Sonja’s wishes. I chose cotton and merino wool yarns because I’ve used cotton before, and I knew merino wool would add softness and elasticity. I added thin wire to the stems and some of the larger petals to help the flowers stay upright. I used hot glue to attach different parts together, but all the flowers and leaf stems are connected to each other with string used for tying bouquets.
How did the bride react when she received the bouquet? And what about the wedding guests?
During the project, Sonja received pictures of the bouquet, but she didn’t get to hold it until less than a week before the wedding. Her reaction was very restrained, as is typical for us, but I knew she liked the bouquet. My sister was very grateful that I made it for her.
The bouquet truly got to shine on the wedding day beside the pink wedding dress; the colors matched perfectly, even though the dress hadn’t been chosen yet when we selected the yarns. The bouquet received admiration during the celebration. Some guests initially thought the flowers were real—and that was the illusion we wanted to create!
How long have you been crocheting? Have you crocheted other items related to celebrations before?
I started crocheting in my early twenties, but my enthusiasm properly started three years ago when I found out I was going to become a godmother. I crocheted the first gifts for my godchild before they were even born. From there, my passion grew, and I realized how many things can be made by crocheting. I haven’t had other projects directly related to celebrations, but I’ve crocheted all sorts of other things.
Do you plan to crochet bouquets in the future?
I haven’t planned to crochet more bouquets, per se, but you never know; if inspiration strikes, flowers might start to bloom again. And if someone requests, I’m quite bad at saying no.
