Grandma's Attic

For my wedding in Italy, I had the most beautiful bouquet of black calla lilies I'd ever seen. I loved them so much, I had the crazy idea to send them home with my mother-in-law to be preserved. Of course, somewhere along the 15 hour plane ride, they not only wilted, but molded. And all I could salvage was a 2" strip of ribbon to hopefully give to my daughter someday. While tradition calls for the bride to wear "Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Something Old and Something New"...whatever happened to the Something we can Pass On? Flowers wilt, food gets devoured, our dancing blisters heal, and the night ends. And while the memories are everlasting, I am partial to having something tangible to hold on to (besides my husband!).

So, with the determination to find an heirloom quality bouquet, I came across not only one, but a few different ideas that incorporate sustainable elements sure to last until death do you part.

Using renewable, recycled materials like wool felt and antique vintage buttons from local stores, Princess Lasertron (above) creates everlasting bouquets sure to make your heart skip a beat. Jamball on Etsy (below) also does amazing work using old materials, and incorporates plenty of hand -sewn details for the texture lovers out there.

What about using paper for your bouquet? (recycled, of course!). There are plenty of paper options available, leaving no limit to the imagination. Really Bad Kitty from Etsy does colorful arrangements (bottom left), or for the DIY'ers, there is always the Martha Stewart Paper Bouquet Kit.

Another one of my favorites was incorporating vintage fabrics and lace. I love the idea of using grandma's old dresses to create the bouquet of your dreams. Not only would you be re-purposing those old slips, but also creating a new tradition of your own.

from left to right: Jilliann's, Bedouin and Hapitat

Now, the most unusual sustainable material I found was clay. Yes, Petal by Petal does some intricate, detailed work. Perhaps when you are done, you can take it back and get it fired in the kiln .

It's good to know that there are so many options available to us if we take a minute to look around and re-use/re-purpose things we may already have. So, go ahead and tackle Grandma's attic... it may be full of treasures you never knew existed. Laura