Ribbon and Craft Supplies for Florists and DIY Flower Arranging in Ireland

Flowers do most of the work themselves.

A good bouquet, arrangement or floral display does not need to be buried under decorations. In many cases, a small amount of ribbon or a simple finishing touch is enough to make the whole thing look much more complete.

That applies whether you are a professional florist preparing arrangements every day or somebody arranging flowers yourself for a wedding, party, family occasion or simply because you enjoy doing it.

Over the years, I have supplied ribbon and other craft materials to a number of florists around Ireland, and one thing I have noticed is just how differently the same basic supplies can be used.

A roll of satin ribbon might finish a bridal bouquet one day, decorate a flower box the next and be used for a completely different project after that.

So rather than looking at ribbon purely as something for tying a bow, here are some of the ways it can be useful around flowers and floral arrangements.

Bouquet of flowers with satin ribbon and florist supplies for flower arranging in Ireland

Image assisted by AI.

Why Is a Woodturner Writing About Florist Supplies?

If you've arrived here through a search for florist ribbon or craft supplies, you might reasonably wonder why a woodturner in Kerry is writing about them.

Alongside my woodturning work, I've been selling ribbon, bows, organza bags and other craft supplies for years. Many of those products are bought by florists, wedding suppliers, crafters and people putting together their own floral arrangements, so I've developed a fairly good idea of what people actually use and buy.

It's an unusual combination, admittedly, but there's a story behind it. I've explained more in Why a Woodturner in Kerry Sells Ribbon, Bows and Craft Supplies.

Finishing a Hand-Tied Bouquet

Probably the most obvious use for ribbon is around the stems of a hand-tied bouquet.

Florists will have their own preferred methods, but from the customer's point of view, the final ribbon is often what makes the bouquet look properly finished.

Satin ribbon works particularly well where you want a smooth, neat appearance.

The width you choose can make a surprisingly large difference too.

Narrower ribbon can add a subtle finishing detail, while wider ribbon creates a much more obvious decorative wrap around the stems.

For bridal bouquets in particular, the ribbon often becomes part of the overall colour scheme rather than simply something functional.

Bridal and Wedding Flowers

Weddings are probably where ribbon and flowers become most closely connected.

A bride may already have a very particular colour in mind, perhaps matching bridesmaid dresses, invitations, table decorations or other elements of the day.

Ribbon can then be used across several parts of the floral work to tie everything together visually.

That might include:

bridal bouquets
bridesmaid bouquets
buttonholes
corsages
pew ends
chair decorations
floral arches
table arrangements
flower baskets
presentation boxes

It does not necessarily have to be the exact same ribbon everywhere either.

Using different widths of the same colour can often give a much more natural result.

Flower Boxes and Presentation Arrangements

Flowers presented in hat boxes, gift boxes or other containers often benefit from a small amount of ribbon around the outside.

Sometimes a simple band of ribbon is enough.

Other times a bow works better.

This is particularly useful when the container itself is quite plain and you want to bring it into the colour scheme of the arrangement.

A florist can also change the appearance of the same style of box simply by changing the ribbon colour.

That can be useful for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays, Christmas and other seasonal occasions without having to stock completely different packaging for everything.

Ribbon for Vases, Jars and Containers

DIY flower arranging does not have to involve specialist florist containers.

Jam jars, glass vases, small bottles and simple pots can all look very different once a little ribbon is added.

This is particularly useful for weddings and parties where several matching arrangements are needed.

A plain glass jar with a ribbon tied around it can be transformed surprisingly easily.

It is also one of those projects where people arranging their own wedding flowers can achieve a polished look without needing a huge amount of experience.

Bows as a Quick Finishing Touch

Not everybody enjoys making bows.

Anyone who has ever tried to produce twenty or thirty identical ones will probably understand why.

Ready-made bows can be useful where you need consistency, particularly when decorating a larger number of gifts, arrangements or containers.

They can be attached to flower boxes, baskets, favour bags or other decorative pieces without having to make each bow individually.

For busy florists, sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.

Organza Bags for Small Floral Gifts and Extras

Organza bags are not directly part of a flower arrangement, but they can work very well alongside flowers.

Small thank-you gifts, favours, dried petals, keepsakes or other little extras can be presented in an organza bag and included with a bouquet or floral gift.

They can also work particularly well for weddings, where small items are often being coordinated around one colour scheme.

Matching the organza bag or ribbon to the flowers can help everything look as though it belongs together.

DIY Wedding Flowers

More couples are willing to tackle at least some of their own wedding decorations.

That does not necessarily mean creating the entire bridal bouquet from scratch.

It might simply mean arranging flowers for tables, decorating jars, making pew ends or preparing little floral displays for around the venue.

Ribbon is one of the easier ways to make DIY flower arrangements look coordinated.

Choose a small number of colours and use them consistently rather than trying to make every arrangement completely different.

A simple satin ribbon around several jars or vases can be enough to make them feel like part of the same display.

Seasonal Flower Arranging

Flowers change with the seasons, and the ribbon around them can too.

Spring arrangements can suit lighter colours.

Autumn arrangements can work well with deeper tones.

Christmas flowers give you the opportunity to use richer reds, greens, golds and festive ribbon.

The flowers remain the centrepiece, but changing the finishing materials can completely alter the mood of an arrangement.

For florists, keeping a selection of useful colours and widths around can therefore be much more practical than buying ribbon for one individual job at a time.

Choosing Ribbon Width

There is no single correct ribbon width for flower arranging.

It depends entirely on what you are trying to achieve.

A narrow ribbon can be useful for small details, tying tags or delicate arrangements.

Medium widths work well for many bouquets and general decorative jobs.

Wider ribbon becomes more of a visual feature and is particularly useful where you want to wrap stems or create a larger bow.

If you are buying ribbon for several different floral projects, having two or three useful widths in your most frequently used colours can give you far more flexibility.

Looking for More Craft Supply Guides?

This article focuses mainly on supplies for florists and DIY flower arranging, but many of the same ribbons, bows and accessories have uses well beyond floristry.

I've brought my other practical advice together in Craft Supplies in Ireland – Ribbon, Bows, Stickers and Practical Buying Guides, where you can find more help choosing ribbon widths, materials and other craft supplies for weddings, gifts, decorations and general craft projects.

Buying Florist and Craft Supplies in Ireland

One of the reasons I wanted to write this post is that quite a few of my ribbon customers are florists, flower arrangers or people preparing decorations for weddings and events.

I stock a broad range of satin ribbon along with bows, organza bags and other small craft supplies from here in Ireland.

For a professional florist, that can mean having another Irish supplier available when you need a particular colour, width or finishing item.

For somebody arranging flowers themselves, it means you do not necessarily have to buy huge quantities or order everything from large overseas craft websites.

I am not going to pretend ribbon is the most important part of a flower arrangement.

It isn't.

The flowers should always be the star.

But the right finishing touch can make a good arrangement look that little bit more complete — and sometimes that is all it needs.

Thanks for Reading,

David

About the Author

I’m David Condon, a small business owner and blog writer based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. Running my own woodcraft business means I’ve seen first-hand how much confusion there can be around shipping times, delivery dates, and what “business days” actually mean. That’s why I wrote this post — to share a bit of what I’ve learned and hopefully save you some frustration.

Every so often I step outside the workshop to write about wider business topics like this one. If you’d like to know more, you can follow the link in the Note from the Author section below or visit my About Me page to learn more.

💬 Note from the Author
This post was written specially for David Condon Finds. If you enjoyed it, you might also like my other projects:

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