At Rose of Sharon we love those large statement pieces at receptions and while they are big, sometimes the most difficult part is transporting them. Often they use the same design principles and elements as smaller arrangements, just on a larger scale. Everyone once in a while, however, we get an order for something so out of the box that it takes the whole shop to plan out the piece. These are our favorite pieces. Our most recent challenge was a large orchid peacock, a Pinterest picture brought to us by a recent bride.

With the three types of orchids ordered, it was time to find the perfect peacock head and plan the base of the tail. We were able to find a peacock head on a craft site but when it arrived we realized the head was too small for the grand entrance piece the bride was looking for. With a little searching, we found that Eventures Party Rentals had two large peacocks and we were able to use one for the wedding. When they came in the heads were the perfect size but the tail was a little too long, there was no base for the peacock to stand on and it was a neutral brown color.

With Eventures’s permission we painted the peacock gold to add a little elegance to the look. With the base painted we had to figure out how to weight this peacock to stand, as the tail would be hanging off the table it would sit on. Plaster of Paris seemed like the best way to weight down the base of the peacock but we had to carefully wrap the feet of the peacock since we need to return the peacock to its owners after the wedding.

Sometimes the best plans are not what happens in the end. Originally the frame for the tail was going to be made from chicken wire but when shopping for supplies, we found a pliable plastic mesh that was easier to manipulate and did not have the sharp edges of the chicken wire.

We weaved the Dendrobium Orchid stems through the plastic mesh after the ends of each stem was sealed. Once the stems were in, we needed to cover out mechanics with loose orchid buds, cover the wings with individual Cymbidium Orchid petals and gave the peacock an orchid necklace from the throats of the Cymbidium Orchids and the Dendrobium buds.

* Photos by Jim Kennedy Photographers and Rose of Sharon Floral Designs.

On site the final touches were added once the peacock was in place. We filled in any gaps with loose Dendrobium Orchids, added some Phalaenopsis Orchids as an accent. This pieces had a 360 degree design; as onlookers were able to walk on all sides of the table.