DIY hanging eucalyptus wreath centerpiece

For all of our previous centerpiece DIYs, we’ve typically focused on the table itself. Always on the quest for sharing an unexpected floral design with you guys, we brainstormed and decided on suspending a eucalyptus wreath from the ceiling over the dining table. Because Joanna wanted the table to feel simpler and pared down, I thought that hanging the centerpiece would be a good way to achieve that look. Plus, eucalyptus provides the most gorgeous, subtle fragrance!

Hanging Eucalyptus Wreath Centerpiece

Materials:

• 18-inch grapevine wreath
• Eucalyptus – I used a mix of gunni and feather eucalyptus
• Broad-leaf busty miller
• Baby’s breath
• 1 1/2-inch green velvet ribbon
• Floral scissors
• Floral wire
• Wire cutters

During the planning stages of this DIY, I assumed I would use a wired wreath frame. In fact, this was the plan until the day before the shoot, when I was standing in the floral wholesaler wondering how to create a full, lush wreath and hide the ugly wire backing which would be below eye-level when guests were standing. I called Joanna and we decided to use a grapevine wreath, which was so perfect for this project! Not only is it so easy to add materials to a grapevine wreath (barely any wire needed!), but the grapevine itself is really pretty and doesn’t need to be hidden at all. And it can be re-used year after year, long after the greenery has wilted.

To prep, I cut a lot of stems of eucalyptus, dusty miller and baby’s breath. It’s way easier to get everything cut beforehand so you can just keep adding material to the wreath once you get started. As I was putting together this wreath, I kept in mind that we wanted to be able to repurpose the finished product as a door wreath after it had served it’s purpose above the table. Because of this, I began adding eucalyptus to the base, which would later be the front of the wreath, before hanging it. I started with some larger stems of eucalyptus to create a good base and used wire to attach these thicker stems to the grapevine. Next I wove smaller eucalyptus stems in through the twisted grapevine and created sections that were fuller than others just to create some dimension.

After the bulk of the eucalyptus was added, we (this part took three of us) hung the wreath from the light above the table. I tied the velvet around two points of the wreath directly opposite, leveled it out, let go and… it was lopsided! (Partly due to an imbalance of weight in the wreath and partly due to Joanna’s house being crooked…) We didn’t have anymore ribbon, plus we agreed it looks a lot prettier with only the one length of ribbon rather than two attached to four points on the wreath, so guess what? We used metal spoons to add weight to the side that was lighter than the other. This worked surprisingly well and we easily hid them with a couple sprigs of eucalyptus. If you’re having trouble balancing out your wreath, definitely try this tip!

Once the wreath was hung, I added dusty miller into the sides of the wreath. Next I began filling in the top and sides with more eucalyptus. Finally, I sprinkled in sprigs of baby’s breath which just add such a pretty, snowy look to this green wreath.

After using it as a hanging centerpiece, we can remove the dusty miller (it doesn’t hold up for more than a day or so out of water) and hang the wreath on a door. The eucalyptus and baby’s breath will begin drying and look beautiful both fresh and dry.

photography by Meghan Klein. DIY by The Stemmery for Jojotastic.

Get more DIYs here and check out the Scandinavian-modern tablescape here!