By Melanie Brooks
Each November, my sister, mother, and I host an Annual Wreath Making party and invite our friends to come over and get crafty. It got me thinking—balsam wreathes would make such a beautiful (and fragrant) design element for a Maine wedding. Plus, you could throw your own wreath making party and enlist your friends and family to help you out...

Sure you can buy your holiday wreath from L.L. Bean—but it's so much more fun (and cost effective) to make one yourself. The supplies you will need are as follows:

• Green floral wire
• A round frame (you can buy them in multiple sizes at your local craft store, or you can simply bend a wire coat hanger into a circle)
• Wire cutters
• Pruning shears (to collect the tips)

If you live on land that has a bunch of pine trees, you're golden! If not, make sure you ask permission from the landowner before you start tipping their trees. As you will see in the above photo, you want to literally just collect the tips of the branches for your wreath.

Once you have a collection of tips, lay out your frame and grab your spool of wire. Grab three or four tips in your hands as a bunch, and then lay them on top of your frame. Wrap the wire around them tightly to secure. DO NOT cut your wire. You are going to wrap around and around until you are finished. Grab another bunch of tips and lay them on top of the first bunch about an inch further down on the frame. Wrap your wire spool around the second bunch tightly to secure.

You are going to continue this process until you have gone all the way around your frame and finished the circle. From here, have a friend hold up your wreath and take a look at it from afar. If there are any weird holes, fill them in with a few more tips. You should also feel free to trim any pieces that stick out. You are going for a uniformed look.

Looking for something less traditional? Collect more than just balsam for your wreath. My sister made a gorgeous wreath using cedar and pine needle bunches. Make a square wreath by bending your forms. Make multiple identical wreathes in varying sizes.

I thought a large wreath with a pretty good sized hole in the middle would make a beautiful centerpiece. You could set an array of candles in the middle of the wreath for a warm glow!

Here are some ideas for winter weddings from Martha Stewart...

Use a wreath to hold escort cards for your guests or even as a nontraditional bridal bouquet. They last longer than flowers and you can show them off in your home all winter long!