Graduation is a very special time for students who have worked hard for many years to complete their education. During graduation ceremonies, it is common to see students wearing beautiful floral necklaces called leis. Usually, these leis are given to graduates as gifts to celebrate their accomplishments. However, making your own lei for graduation can be a fun craft project that allows you to create something unique and personalized.
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What Is A Graduation Lei And What Does It Symbolize?
A graduation flower lei is something that many students who are finishing their schooling and graduating receive at their graduation ceremony. A lei is a garland or necklace that is traditionally made of flowers. For graduation ceremonies, leis are often made out of beautiful flowers like orchids, plumeria, or roses. Students are given these flower leis to wear around their necks as they accept their diplomas and complete their schooling.
A stunning graduation floral arrangement is the perfect way to congratulate your graduate on their hard work!
The flower for graduation has an important symbolic meaning as well. The flowers that make up the lei represent the hard work and accomplishments that the graduating students have achieved during their years of education. All the classes, assignments, exams, projects, and activities they have experienced and learned from are symbolized in these floral necklaces. In addition, the circular shape of the lei reminds the graduates that their education is now complete and they are ready to embark on the next chapter of their lives. Many feel the leis helps to honor all they did to earn their degree. So instead of ordering leis for graduation think making your own!
Select Your Floral Materials
Traditional Hawaiian graduation leis feature flowers native to the islands like orchids, plumeria, or ginger. However, you can use any flowers that are readily available in your area or according to what flower has graduation leis meaning for you.
Good choices include orchid leis for graduation, carnations, daisies, roses, or baby’s breath, and even sunflower lei. You will need a large amount, at least 50-100 individual blooms depending on the size of your lei. Make sure to select flowers that have not already begun to wilt.
Gather Your Supplies
In addition to graduation flower delivery, you will need string or thread for stringing the flowers together. Floral tape is very helpful for securely wrapping the thread or string where it attaches to the flowers. Scissors are needed for clipping stems. You may also want to have an instruction book or online video as a guide.
Prepare the Floral Materials
Trim the stems of your selected flowers that you can easily get via Same Day Flower Delivery so they are all about the same length, usually 6-8 inches long. Remove any leaves that will fall below the blooms. Be mindful not to cut the stems too short so the flowers still have enough stems to string on the lei.
Start Stringing your Flowers
Knot one end of the string or thread and begin stringing individual flower blooms, pushing the stem through so it folds back on itself and is secured. Space the flowers fairly close together but not overlapping. Add more flowers until your string is very full but still loose enough to fit over someone’s head.
Form the Lei into a Circle and Attach the Ends
After stringing all your selected blooms, bring the ends of the string together to form a complete circular fresh flower lei. Secure the ends tightly together by wrapping several layers of floral tape around both the thread and the overlapped stems. Trim off any excess tape.
Finish Decorating (optional)
If desired, you can add extra decorations to your graduation lei like personalized charms, beading, or ribbons. Use small safety pins, star charms, or letters to pin onto blooms spelling out a name or message. Be very careful not to damage the delicate flower petals. Ribbon can be threaded through and knotted at intervals or tied in a bow for a finishing touch.
Allow Your Lei to Dry Completely
Let the freshly made graduation lei hang undisturbed in a warm, dry place for a few days to thoroughly air dry and preserve the flowers. Make sure not to crush the blooms during drying. Proper drying will help the lei last much longer before wilting occurs.
Also Read: How to Dry Flowers Quickly at Home
Present Your Handcrafted Graduation Lei
On graduation day, proudly present your personalized real flower leis for graduation to the graduate to celebrate their achievement. Explain how you selected meaningful blooms and crafted them, especially for them with care and heartfelt sentiments. A homemade lei from someone special will be deeply appreciated and long remembered as a graduation keepsake.
Send your graduate a stunning floral arrangement to acknowledge all of their hard work and to wish them congratulations on graduating! Snapblooms offers a wonderful selection of thoughtful and professionally designed bouquets that are sure to wow. Send flowers online today!
