As a rule, when I get a project in my head, I can't NOT do it. A few days ago, I had an idea for the bridesmaids' bouquets to have a sword hilt for a handle. I just finished the first one, version 1.0, and there are some things I want to tweak and change. But for the most part, this is it! Now, let me show you how I made it so that you, too, can wield your flowers on your wedding day.
Supplies
- A Dremel with a metal cutting tool or a metal cutting saw. I originally started to use my jeweler's saw, but this was taking way too long, so I moved to a Dremel.
- Flowers/leaves. These can be fabric, silk, or even real ones, whatever you prefer. Brooches might also work, with some tweaking.
- A sword or dagger with a hilt you like. The hilt is the only thing we'll be using, so don't worry about the scabbard or blade. I plan to use smaller daggers for my bridesmaids, and found some cheap options at this website, but feel free to use any sort. (Perhaps Machone's katana for a zombie themed wedding, or Link's sword for a geeky one? I personally plan to use a small version of Sting I think.)
- A ruler
- Safety glasses
- Safety gloves
- Styrofoam ball. I will probably get a bigger diameter ball in the future, for a fuller bouquet. I'd also recommend it be a whole ball or oval, as opposed to a half circle.
- Metal files/a sander tool for the Dremel.
Step 1: Cutting your sword
Now, this is not my first choice of sword. I would have much more prefered a T-hilted sword, rather than this one which has a finger guard. However, this was the only sword I was okay with cutting up.
We will only be using the hilt, so find one with a hilt you like. Take into consideration extra designs on the hilt that may interfere with your bouquet. This sword's hilt extended up into the blade past the hand guard at a weird angle, so that was kind of a hindrance, but once I added the leaves, you couldn't see it.
[related_post align=”right”]Now, we must cut the blade off, unless you'd prefer 8-30 inches of steel sticking out of your bouquet, which is totally fine if that's how you want to roll. On most swords, the sharpened blade is not the full length of the steel, like mine. You can see here how there are about 4 inches from the hilt to the sharpened edge. I chose to cut the blade off right before the sharpened part starts.
Start your cutting! Like I said, I originally started using my jeweler's saw, but after 20 solid minutes of cutting, I was only 1/4th of the way in. Clearly, it wasn't working. So, I got out my Dremel and, while my cut ended up being very icky looking, it only took about 10 minutes to cut the whole way through. Be sure to wear safety goggles and gloves. You're holding a blade in one hand, a Dremel/saw in the other, sparks are flying — be careful. Do not attempt this step if you do not feel comfortable with it. Seriously.
After you get your hilt off, you'll want to go back with either files or a sander tool on a Dremel, as the cut edge will be sharp. Please be careful here as well.
Step 2: Adding the Styrofoam
Okay! Now, we have a weird super short and useless sword hilt. Let us add Styrofoam.
Just stick the blade into the Styrofoam! Even when the blade has been sanded down, it was fairly easy to work the blade into the ball. Depending on the type and size of Styrofoam, this may be messy, and you may even break the ball in half. Once again, make sure your blade isn't too big for the ball. I didn't have either of these problems, but I was worried it'd actually split the ball in two, so be careful. I pushed the ball all the way to the hilt, so there is about two inches of blade sticking up from the ball, which in the end is hidden by flowers. Consider your blade height when cutting the blade, and compare it with diameter of your ball and how high your flowers will be sticking up.
Step 3: Adding flowers
Like I said, I made my own leaves and flowers out of fabric with a wire in the back that stuck into the Styrofoam. You can substitute anything though: feathers, silk flowers, even real ones if you get that special water-holding Styrofoam.
Just start sticking them in! I started at the bottom, by the hilt, and worked my way to the top. I personally put leaves on the very bottom, which draped and help hide the Styrofoam where the hilt meets it, then added flowers, then used smaller flowers as I went higher. Like I said, the blade was sticking up about two inches from the ball, but once my flowers were added, that was hidden and I don't plan to cut it shorter.
One more note: this is not terribly stable. If I shook my finished bouquet, I think the flowers would fly out. Try making your wire into a cork screw shape and screwing them into the Styrofoam, or once you are happy with your positioning, glue the flowers in.
Step 4: WIELD YOUR SWORD BOUQUET
You're done! Once I got my Dremel out, this took me about an hour from cutting the blade to finish. However, making the flowers has been weeks worth of work, but I'm making seven of these for my bridesmaids. I'll probably have one for myself as well, but bigger. Huzzah!
THIS IS SO BADASS!
Brilliant!!! This is the first thing I’ve seen that makes me wish for a time machine to go back before my wedding and add it into the deal. I salute your crafty skills, Renea!
This is almost enough to make me willing to have flowers at my wedding. Love it!
I would like to wield this on a day-to-day basis.
This of course brings up the important question of why do we not see more bride attendants with daggers/swords/axes in lieu of bouquets! An armed wedding party does make sense in case onyone “objects” to the union…..
Oh, we’ve seen a few…
More here:
http://offbeatwed.com/tag/sword
thanx for the inspiration! gives me all sorts of ideas for variations….
I suspect if you wanted to do this with less actual steel plastic prop and costume swords would do just as well with a little faux finish, and be lighter.
I actually thought to use plastic or wooden swords in the first place, which would have made cutting the blade off much easier, but I couldn’t find any I really liked. It’s not terribly heavy, though I probably shouldn’t use it for a tossing bouquet 😛
I tagged my friend who us getting married in the original post – her ideal hilt would have been links sword or a key blade from Kingdom hearts – both I suggested she use a different bouquet to toss!
I like that idea a bit better–especially because I’d feel so bad about cutting up a nice metal sword!
This is the best thing ever. You must be the most beautiful bride in the world.
HAH. Oh Aiden, you know me so well, you must be the most handsomest groom in the world! Which is super funny because your avatar photo is of a girl.
This, right here, is the first thing I’ve seen that made me regret not having a bouquet. Gawd damned amazing.
This is amazing!!!!!!! I’m actually having a fairy tale/rennfest wedding…so this is something I’m in love with!!! I was already planning on doing flowers with fairy tale broaches (found a bunch at hobby lobby 50% off!!!) will have to see if I can sneak this idea in as well
I am concerned that if I order 6 swords some CSIS man will show up at my door.
As resident armor-making blacksmith, I cried a bit about the cut blade, but this is still like, the #1 idea I Am Going To Steal With Ruthless Abandon at my own wedding. I met my SO when he offered to show me the armory at a Shakespeare company, so like…I kinda hafta.
I winced at the cut blade too, yet I want it with a passion. There is a solution that doesn’t involve cutting up a sword. Modern fencing weapons (reproduction and sport) are completely modular, and pretty much every fencing supplier sells furniture a la carte. I think all you need would be a guard, a simple hilt and pommel, and a threaded rod of the right bore from your local hardware store. Out of the sport weapons, saber guard would look most dramatic, but a foil guard could be nicely understated. You can of course get more elegant pieces that are intended for SCA rapier combat, but they cost enough that I’d only be inclined to go that direction if you happened to want a rapier as well as a hilted bouquet.
OR, or or or, you could just do two or three balls of flowers to make a nice and weird sword length bouquet, potentially one that could be taken apart later and kept as flower tower + sword.
I love this idea. My bridesmen carried swords, as did one of my bridesmaids and of course my wife. Our wedding was 19th century naval themed (think Horatio Hornblower) and my wife carried her father’s sword from the Naval Academy. He was actually the only male member of the bridal party who did not wear a period uniform and costume, brcause he said he had worm his naval dress uniform quite enough, thank you. My bridesmaid looked so badass in her flowy navy blue dress with her swordbelt.
I love this, I envy ur creativeness, I will try 2 make mine, though, I don’t know where to get that kind of sword.
This is gorgeous. Even my fiance thinks so. It’s perfect for our alice in wonderland theme wedding. I love this so much 🙂
I was trying to think of a way to make a waterfall bouquet out of this. Not sure if anyone has any ideas.
Love this – would rather commission the hilt with the intent that it’s used for this purpose – cutting the blade makes me cry on the inside.
I’m sure if you asked nicely a swordsmith would love to sell you just a hilt to make this. This has given me so many ideas!
This is my dream come true. Next time I break a sword (accidentally), I’m keeping the hilt for this!