Making or decorating a Christmas wreath can be a fun way to deck the halls for the holidays. But sometimes, the wreath that ends up on our door doesn’t quite look like the idea we had in our head. Don’t worry, with a few easy tips; you can take your wreath from ho-hum-handmade to “Which florist did you buy your wreath from?”
Whether you’re making a wreath from scratch with a wireframe and evergreen cuttings or you’re adding decorations to a prefab wreath, these tips will help you create a piece that stands out and gets compliments all season long. Let’s dive in!
1. Evergreens – Plural
It all starts with a good base. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a wreath with live greens, using an undecorated faux wreath and using floral picks, or a mix of both – use more than one type of greenery for the base.
Most wreaths are made from fir tree branches. They have smooth, flat needles that aren’t too stabby. Your standard faux evergreen wreath will have the same look.
But if you want to bring your wreath up to designer level, it’s important to use more than one type of evergreen. Again, it doesn’t matter if you’re using real cuttings or floral picks; adding more than one type of green creates both visual and textural interest.
A few great options are:
- White pine, with its long, slender needles
- Cedar, which has a more rustic look
- Boxwood, these smooth round leaves are great for changing it up a bit
- Cypress, they’re smooth and flat branches have great visual appeal
- And, of course, holly and ivy are classics, as the Christmas carol says.
You can use fir for the majority and add a few sprigs of other types of greens or create a diverse wreath (like my example) that uses a bit of everything.
2. Light It Up!
If you plan on adding lights to your wreath, it’s important to get the spacing right. It might take a couple of tries to get the light string to fit around the wreath evenly. Take your time and keep adjusting until you get it the way you like it.
Once you get the string on, adjust the evergreens and the individual lights a bit. You want to move them so that some sit on top of the greens and some are nestled inside the greenery to create a lovely glow. This will help break up the stark line of lights.
3. Nature is Not Symmetrical
Photo Credit: Tracey Besemer
When making your wreath remember that nature is not symmetrical, nor should your wreath be. When it comes to greenery, you shouldn’t have a perfectly smooth circle. It will look odd. Spread out greenery so it’s slightly uneven or sticks out a little here and there. You want to maintain the overall shape of a circle, but not a perfect one.
The same goes for your ornaments. Space whatever ornamentation you’re using so it’s slightly off-center, or vary the distance between each cluster. If you split your wreath in half, the sides shouldn’t mirror each other. Having a slightly asymmetrical wreath will give a more natural look that’s more appealing to the eye.
4. Get a Little Odd
When adding different types of greenery, berries, pinecones or ornaments, odd numbers are your friend. Again, this has to do with symmetry in nature, where even numbers tend to look out of place. Let’s say you’re adding clusters of holly berries. Add three or five clusters rather than four or six, likewise for Christmas baubles and other decorations.
If you’re using a grapevine (like mine), gold wire or similar style wreath, where you only plan to decorate a portion of it, stick to an odd-numbered portion of the overall wreath – decorate one or two-thirds. (I decorated two-thirds of mine.)
5. To Bow or Not to Bow
I suck at making bows. I have watched countless YouTube tutorials, but mine still end up looking like a drunken T-Rex made it. If you want a great-looking bow, buy one. Many craft stores, florists and garden centers will happily make you a bow in your chosen style and ribbon.
Or you can skip the bow entirely.
I opted to use three (Odd number!) large, flocked poinsettias for my wreath. Because they are the main focal point, I don’t need a bow. If you’re a traditionalist, a bow is the way to go. But experiment with using other pieces as the main focus and see what you can come up with. You might be surprised by the finished results.
If you’re one of those amazing people who can make bows, don’t forget to go the extra step and finish the ends to give it that professional touch. There are two popular ways to do this. The first is to cut the ends at a 45-degree angle opposite from each other. The other way is to cut out a triangular notch from the bottom of each end. Both give your bow a little extra wow factor.
6. Easy Does It
It’s easy to get carried away when you’re in the craft store, and you’re bombarded with gorgeous floral picks, each prettier than the last.
Say it with me now, “Just because I bought them doesn’t mean I have to use all of them.”
There’s a fine line between visually interesting and an assault on the eyeballs. If your wreath looks too busy, remove a few pieces and readjust the layout. It’s always a good idea to put your finished wreath down and walk away for an hour or two. Revisit it with fresh eyes, and you’ll make a better judgment call as to whether it’s just right or a lil’ too much.
Of course, the most important tip of all is to know when to break the rules. Remember, these tips are just suggestions do what’s going to make you happy with your finished wreath.
And that’s that! With these easy tips, you’ll have a gorgeous wreath to hang on your door this holiday season. Just don’t be surprised when friends and family start asking, “Um, hey, could you make me one, too?”
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