Sweet wedding flowers to have and to hold

Smart brides love daisies, but not just because they are simple and inexpensive. This cheery, festive flower lends itself to a full range of bridal uses, from boutonničres and bouquets to church and reception arrangements, to the cutest flower-girl baskets.

Used alone, or combined with other flowers, the daisy provides a charming, youthful, coordinated look.

Preparation

Look for fresh open flowers and remove leaves from stems. Select ribbons, pins and other novelty items from a fabric or craft store to coordinate with your wedding colors.

You can be classic and traditional with white satin ribbon, or more modern and casual with something fun and flirty in bright colors and patterns.

Arrangements

Wedding bouquet

First, remove the leaves, slip wire under each head and pull through and down, wrapping each stem in white florist tape.

Gather all the flowers together in a bunch in one hand, secure with rubber band or tape, and then wrap once more in florist tape.

Finally, wrap ribbon around the stem, secure with pins and wire "daisy" novelty buttons to the stem. Use fewer flowers for the bridesmaids' bouquets.

First, hold one or two daisies together and thread a thin wire just under the heads. Pull it through and twist together.

Run florist tape down about 3 inches and cut with pliers, then twist the bottom in a curl or straight end.

Finally, wrap a ribbon around the middle, secure with small pins or glue and wire a "daisy" or some other button onto the stem. I found wiring worked better than glue.

Corsages

For the mothers of the bride and groom, follow the same steps as the boutonničre and simply add a few more flowers to make a small nosegay or corsage.

Tips

For a similar but more sophisticated look, use white carnations, tulips, peonies and freesias or gerbera daisies.

If you can't find marguerite daisies, chrysanthemum daisies work well.

When designing the bridal bouquet, keep size in mind, as a large bouquet often overwhelms a petite bride. A smaller bouquet also presents a more casual look and feel.

Cost

Daises are inexpensive and, depending on the time of year, you will find them at supermarkets, florist shops or in your own yard.

Metropolitan Market featured a special on marguerite daisies in late May, selling two bunches for $10.

For this photo, I used three bunches of daisies and a few lilies of the valley from my yard. I found the ribbon at Display and Costume and the buttons at Pacific Fabrics. The ribbon and buttons were $15.50.

Source: From the book "To have and to Hold: Magical Wedding Bouquets" by David Stark and Avi Adler (Artisan, $27.50).

Budget Bouquets is an occasional feature in digs.