Everything You Should Know to DIY Your Wedding Flowers
Flowers are instrumental to achieving the little touches that make a wedding — from the boutonnières to the bouquets and centerpieces to arches and flowers. Whether you’re looking to make a statement with an abundance of flowers or you’ve decided to downsize your floral, as is expected to be a trend this year, they are a necessity. And there’s a lot to be said for hiring a florist to design your pieces, but today we’re talking all about DIY-ing your florals. Yes, lovies, it can be done and we’ve got plenty of tips and tricks thanks to our friends at Flower Moxie whose entire mission is to serve DIY couples to create floral masterpieces on a budget via their online platform. Are your ready for this?!
Ways to DIY Wedding Flowers on a Budget
According to Flower Moxie, there are some things you can do to work within a budget when designing your wedding flowers. They are:
(1) Limit the selection of flowers, more variation increases costs.
(2) Choose the types of flowers carefully and thoughtfully (garden roses are more expensive than carnations !).
(3) Use hardy greenery as a base to stretch your product further.
(4) Select lay-flat greenery over pre-made garland for your tables.
And if you’re wondering if opting for one type of flower in a variety of colors can make things more cost-efficient, you might be surprised to learn it does not. In fact, Tiffany with Flower Moxie tells us: “Price depends more on the type of flower and its demand. A golden mustard rose that’s only grown with a handful of farms is going to be more expensive than a standard red rose that’s readily available.”
The Decision to Do It Yourself Wedding Florals
As with all decisions that need to be made during the wedding planning process, it can be stressful. To make things easier as you decide whether to do your wedding florals yourself, here’s what you should know regarding the amount of time it should take and what materials you’ll need (in addition to your blooms and greenery, of course).
The Time it Will Take
Ideally, it’s a 3-day process to properly handle your flowers. Starting on day one, you’ll need to be ready to receive your flowers and ensure “you have plenty of hydration containers (we find that small trash cans from Walmart or the Dollar Store are a budget friendly option),” according to Flower Moxie. Then, day two is design day where you’ll want your helpers “to get the majority of your flowers done on this day. Bust out your centerpieces, bridesmaid bouquets and your arch or ceremony pieces.” And day 3 is when you’ll finish all the little details, like “design[ing] your bridal bouquet, bouts and corsages and cut up any loose greenery being used for table and decor. Your goal is to have everything done before the day of the wedding!” Flower Moxie advises that on this day, you won’t need as much help as the day before.
With those days behind you, you might say the fourth day is when all the magic happens. You’ll get married and see all your hard work come together. Remember, again, to solicit the help of your friends and family to make sure everything is set up exactly as you intended.
The Materials You’ll Need
Here’s your checklist from the pros at Flower Moxie:
• Buckets
• Bunch cutters
• Ribbon
• Mechanics, like foam or chicken wire
• Vases, if you’re doing centerpieces
• Zip ties for securing arrangements to pergolas
How to Keep Your Blooms Healthy
So you’ve decided to order your flowers online and DIY your florals, but do you know how to keep them healthy and store them?
Tiffany explains that there are 3 things you should do upon receipt:
(1) Immediately cut and hydrate them.
(2) If you ordered roses, then let the flowers drink for at least 2 hours before removing the cardboard from roses. This ensures that the roses are fully hydrated before removing the wrapping, thus ensuring that the heads don’t droop over.
(3) Keep them away from direct sunlight and store in a cool room. A cooler is not needed but a refrigerator can be used, if necessary. Refrigerators can be helpful with delicate flowers during peak summer months.
And this last little tidbit about avoiding direct sunlight and storing in a cool room also applies once you’ve prepared your arrangements. “After designing, keep your flowers in a cool dark area — when I’m designing from home I like to keep my flowers in my basement. If you don’t have a basement, choose a room with the least amount of windows or close your blinds and crank your AC. . . . Turn it into a vampire room,” Tiffany suggests.
For florals that need to be dethorned, you will want to take the extra steps to avoid any mishaps. Tiffany suggests 3 options you can choose from to get the job done:
Option 1: Use floral shears to snip off thorns from the main stem.
Option 2: Thorn strippers like the ones Flower Moxie carries on their sister supply site, DIY Flower Supply.
Option 3: Wear heavy leather gardening gloves and hold firmly under the rose head with one hand, use your other gloved hand like a leaf stripper and pull straight down.
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DIY Boutonnières
This popular item may be something you’re wondering how to do. Luckily, we’ve got you covered. Tiffany explains, “Boutonnières can be extremely easy to make and requires minimal product. There are so many ways to make one but the most basic method is to start with 1-2 pieces of greenery and layer in little buds (ranunculus and spray roses are among our favorites!), and a single focal bloom like a spray rose or ranunculus.
Pro tip: Make the groom’s bout special by giving him a color or flower not seen in the other bouts!”
For an easy, no fuss tutorial, check this one out:
DIY Flower Crowns
While this was popular last year and is expected to be replaced in 2023 by different styles that incorporate florals into wedding hairstyles, we couldn’t help but ask for advice just in case you find yourself so in love with the look, wanting it in regardless of trends. Here’s what Tiffany suggests:
DIY Floral Centerpieces
There are plenty of ways you can design a centerpiece. Tiffany shares, “One of my favorite style of centerpieces is to do a collection of bud vases at varying heights. I love the dimensionality and variety that this style of centerpiece gives and it looks so beautiful on a round or rectangular table. Bud vases are also really easy to make. Bud vases should have a 1”-2” opening and can vary in height from 3”-14” high. Ideally each vase will hold between 2-3 blooms with sprigs of greens.”
Tips for Tall Centerpieces
If you’re looking for the recipe for a tall centerpiece, then here’s some advice from Flower Moxie: “The easiest way to create a tall centerpiece is to break it down into parts. You’ll have the tall vase or stand you’re using and then a Lomey Dish (clear shallow dish which will hold your floral foam).
Start with your tall vase or stand, place it on the floor and give yourself room to walk around it so you can see your arrangement from all angles. You’ll then place the Lomey Dish (filled with your wet floral foam) on top of your stand and design on top of the stand. Make sure to pay close attention to the base of the dish, as your guests are sitting, they’ll be looking up at the bottom of the arrangements so you’ll want to focus on draping greenery here. The top of the arrangement will be what your guests see the least — so focus your flowers mainly on the sides and bottom of the arrangement. After designing the finished arrangement, take the Lomey Dish off of the stand and place it in your transport boxes.”
Cover photo courtesy of Mariah Treiber Photography; video by Flower Moxie
Disclaimer: Mention of or referral to commercial products, and/or links to third-party product sites does not imply official Wedding Day Match endorsement or responsibility for the products.
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