Fancy and Luxurious Ostrich Feather Centerpieces

Fancy and Luxurious, Ostrich Feathers are the ultimate in feather trimmings! Very popular in the special event industry, Large Ostrich Femina Plumes and Drabs are a staple item for making opulent Feather Palm Tree Centerpieces and adding romantic details to bridal decor. Here at The Feather Place, we are asked everyday to source and help create these one of a kind beauties. Luckily we found a fabulous written DIY Ostrich Feather Centerpiece tutorial on Squidoo.com that we would like to share with you all along with some recommendations of our own…

Find Inspiration in with this Tall White Ostrich Feather Centerpieces

Without a doubt, The Feather Place is your go to shop when sourcing quality Ostrich Feathers. Ostrich Plumes and Drabs are available  by the dozen or by the pound in a variety of styles  (drabs, femina plumes, spads, and floss) and colors… The Feather Place is a step ahead of the competition in Quality, Competitive Pricing, Customer Service, and Product Options. Since price and availability can vary greatly, We recommend that you consider re-selling or storing your feathers for future use at your next event or rental.

Materials needed along with some of our own recommendations:

• 1- Per centerpiece you will need around twenty to thirty 12-15 inch white ostrich drab feathers (use even longer feathers to create a more luxurious centerpiece). The number of feathers determines the fullness of the arrangement. You can go with less or more depending on your budget and the look desired. A 50 feather centerpiece for example looks amazing, but I found 30 is still awesome, but much easier on the wedding budget.

*We Recommend: OP12: 9-12”, OP15: 13-16” or OP19: 17”+ Drabs by the pound or dozen from The Feather Place. A mixture of the OP12 and OP15 is best for your smaller arrangements and a mixture of the OP15 and OP19 for your larger arrangements. For extra drama use Ostrich Femina Plumes OP25 sporadically throughout your largest arrangements.

• 2- A belle-style bouquet holder with fresh floral foam. These should have a straight up and down handle. The floral foam is important as regular Styrofoam can damage the feather tips.

• 3- An Eiffel tower vase. These can be any height you prefer, but keep in mind a taller vase will allow your guests to see each other around the table. They come in clear and frosted.

• 4- (Optional) Sand to fill the vases for stability. I recommend using the clear Eiffel tower vases if going this route.

• 5- (Optional) A few Floralites on a string to light up the vase if not using sand. The frosted Eiffel tower vases work better if using lighting.

*Shop locally for these floral items; Here in Los Angeles you can find these at The Downtown LA Flower Mart just one block down from our showroom IN THE HEART OF THE FASHION DISTRICT.

Find Inspiration in with this Black and White Ostrich Feather Centerpieces

Written tutorial for DIY Feather Centerpieces

• 1- Keep feathers wrapped in tissue or plastic sleeves until ready to use. They can attract dust (hence feather dusters). Organize your feathers from longest to shortest. The longest feathers should fill in the bottom layer, the shortest feathers will go on top.

• 2- If using sand, fill up your vase. If using FloraLytes, measure out the length of string and tie to the bouquet holder handle.

• 3- Place the bouquet holder on top of the vase. The handle will keep the bouquet holder upright and secure.

• 4- Start pushing feathers into the floral foam of the bouquet holder at the base or bottom of the floral foam. Push the feathers in at about a 45 degree angle so they are slightly pointing down. They will fall a little on their own. Keep going around in a ring leaving a little space between each feather.

• 5- Move to the middle to create the next row, this time pushing them in a little straighter. Try to place the second layer of feathers so they are above the first row but sit in between the stems of the bottom layer. This will help fill in holes. Depending on how many feathers you work with you may put another row or two before moving to the top layer, but this isn’t necessary. You can also save the extras to push in as filler wherever a little more fullness is needed.

• 6- Place the top layer of feathers sticking out and up to give your centerpiece some height. I like to stick at least one going straight up at the top.

• 7- Now step back and fill in any holes with additional leftover feathers or smaller filler feathers if using.

• 8- (Optional) If working with fewer feathers, you may want to spray paint your floral foam to match the color of feathers you’ll be working with before assembling. This will help hide any holes.

Click below to see the full tutorial with links to find more inspiration.

http://www.squidoo.com/ostrich-feather-wedding-centerpieces