Three Kisses for Kissing Balls

Pomanders, also known as kissing balls, are making a big splash in contemporary weddings.

Once upon a time, they were relegated to very young flower girls, or perhaps an ornate wedding arch. But these days, you’ll find them taking center stage.

What are they? Nothing more than balls made of florist’s foam with special moisture-retaining properties, completely covered with fresh blooms. Or sometimes, they’re the heads of silk flowers. Either way, they’re beautiful. And a prime target for DIY brides.

Pomanders are showing up as lighthearted accents, scattered around nuptial lawns, entrances and corners. They’re also making a showing as centerpieces. For example, one dramatic way to spice up your tables is a string of gently-fragrant pomanders stretching from end to end, and connected with romantic satin ribbon.

Popular flowers for pomanders are English daisies, with their carefree look, and carnations, whose tightly-packed petals create a delightful snowball effect when arranged around a foam core. Once a redheaded stepchild in weddings, carnations wield powerful charm in kissing balls, especially in single-color arrangements.

Try stacking them from large-to-small, like a tree, for a whimsical topiary-style centerpiece with some verticality. Stacked golden pomanders of marigolds or carnations — in romantic purple vases — would set off a wedding with Indian or Moroccan overtones to perfection.

Or follow a hot trend and use a small, funky pomander as your cake topper. Just use a flower that matches your wedding colors.

If you’re having a winter wedding, you can fashion amazingly romantic floral “snowballs” from affordable white carnations and floral balls. Spice up your Winter Wonderland pomanders with crystal bouquet picks.

Or for an autumn wedding, take a cue from the pomander shown here, and accent your roses with wheat and evocative oak leaves.