Weddings are special and one should not ever let go of an opportunity to make it even more special. One of the ways you could do that is, of course, by making your own weddings flowers. The flowers have been serving as wedding décor toppers since forever and the tradition, although has had its fair share of variations and changes (trends and updates), is still pretty much at large in wedding décor circles of the world.
One of these changes or trends has been the DIY culture. As DIY would have it, people are coming up with new and unique ways to make flower arrangements for their wedding décor and give their own personal touch to the wedding flowers of the big day. Since the prices of wedding flowers have gone up quite a bit in the last decade or so, making your own wedding flowers does not seem like a bad thing to do at all and that too when you get to spend that all quality time with your friends and family while doing so.
But the question arises here is that how to actually go for the DIY wedding flowers if you have no experience at all? How to make sure that you avoid the mistakes that are closely associated with making your own wedding flowers? How to find out if bulk roses or bulk sunflower would be better for your wedding décor arrangements? Well, there could be all sorts of confusion for a first-timer. If you’re too confused about it and want some pointers on how to go about making your own DIY wedding flowers – well, we have the perfect tips to give you some insights about the same.
Here are a few tips that could help you in choosing your wholesale wedding flowers and making gorgeous flower arrangements with them the DIY way:
- Set a budget:
It is said that the flower arrangements and decorations details should account for no more than 10 percent of the total wedding expenses and this could easily be one the pointers that you could look up to in terms of selecting or making your own wedding flower arrangements. Some wedding flowers like peonies would always cost more than, say, carnations and if you’re tight on a budget or pricing was actually the driving factor or motivation behind the DIY project then, you’d be better going in with more affordable options. Just remember, there are enough alternatives available in the flower industry to make just as beautiful flower arrangements with affordable options too.
- Get inspired:
Take a cue from bridal guides, Pinterest pins, wedding magazines, live weddings around you to develop a basic understanding of wedding flowers and arrangements and your likes, dislikes and preferences about them. You could even visit farms, floral shops, and botanical gardens to learn about different types of flowers, their meanings and even the season of blooming to help you out in making your own wedding flowers. Just be practical and remember that the designs and inspiration would not strike you in the middle of the night all of a sudden and you’d need a daily dose of inspiration to come up with your own floral designs and displays for the big day décor. For instance, if you love red rose centerpieces, look them up and collect pictures, photo cuttings and everything you could manage and then make up your mind. Having enough inspiration and flower ideas could very well be the key to making perfect wedding flower arrangements.
- Stock up on supplies:
What is a workman without his tools right? Well, get your floral supplies always ready before you even think of achieving those complicated designs or patterns. The common floral supplies like; floral tape, scissors, floral foam, ribbons, floral wire, pins, floral food, and a few other things are what could get you started on making your own wedding flowers efficiently. It’d be good to even stock up on buckets, vases, containers, floral glue, knife and some other things to make sure you don’t need to make any last time arrangements for storing or working with flowers. You could find all of this stuff online or even buy it from an offline store.
- Choosing flowers:
Choosing hardy and less sensitive flowers could easily make your DIY project a little bit easier. Different flowers have different vase lives and need different caring too. For instance, hydrangeas need a lot of frequent hydration even in normal weather conditions than probable sunflowers or even bulk roses. When you’re doing it all yourself, you would never want to risk money on flowers that die easily or even on ones that need more caring than normal. After all, what is the use of doing it all, if they could not even last for more than 24 hours or especially when you need them (on the big day) to turn up well. When you get your hands on the flowers, work on their stems (make a cut diagonally) store them in clean water and get rid of the extra foliage or leaves below the water line. Also, do not forget to keep them stored in a cool and dark place until further use.
- Don’t complicate things:
The key to an ideal DIY wedding project is to keep it all simple. The Pinterest pins or the elaborate cascading bouquets might not be that practical in the end when you consider the fact that the wedding flowers are going to be made from someone who is not a professional. Floristry is an art and so is making those ornate wedding centerpieces and wedding bouquets and this is why keeping your designs and flower arrangements simple would serve you better. Sticking to simple and small floral arrangements like potted succulents, mason jars, and posy bouquets might really be the key here.
- Be more flexible:
Be flexible in your choices and do not set your heart on particular flowers or even floral arrangements. You could get a whole lot of carnations for decorating the whole ceremony and reception at a price of buying wedding bouquets for you and the bridal party consisting of peonies. Use flowers that are in season and are locally grown or easily available than going for the stored and imported varieties. The fresh and locally grown flowers also look better than non-seasonal varieties in wedding décor and flower arrangements. There are enough alternatives available in the wedding décor circles for each and every flower depending upon the seasons and locations and it might serve you the best in terms of making your own wedding flowers for the big day.
- Get help:
Unless you’re doing just a bouquet or a boutonniere, you’re going to need a lot of help in making your DIY wedding project a success. Get as many pairs of hands as you can for helping out in arranging wedding bouquet and centerpiece flower arrangements. Have as many sets of floral tools and supplies ready as you may require and begin the floristry sessions. You might also want to have some pictures on board to decide how the flower arrangements should look at the end and distinguishing between them. Setting up a timeline might also be a good idea and use the day before the wedding to do all the arranging.
- Set you timelines well:
Be practical and realistic about your timelines when it comes to making your own wedding flowers and even arranging them and the most important part, keep them. The centerpieces could be prepared two days prior to the wedding and you’d do really well by assigning two people to work on 10 to 15 of them for 2 or three hours. The bouquets must be prepared just a day before the big day and give at least about 45 to 60 minutes time for a single piece. And last but not the least; give at least 2 hours or so to those tricky and small boutonnieres and corsages to complete the set of your wedding flower arrangements for the big day.
- Arrange for transportation:
Transportation could be a tricky part in the DIY wedding flower arrangements. Plan in advance for those vans and mini truck so that you do not have a problem at the last moment and if you can assign the responsibility to a trusted friend. Transporting the wedding centerpieces could get quite difficult as they up space and could not be stacked up. Creating your centerpiece flower arrangements in opaque vases and floral foam could be a really good option. This will ensure that they do not fall over and stay in one place. You could also try emptying your vases and packing everything compactly to avoid something spilling over. Always remember, it is always good planning ahead than pressing the panic button at the last moment.
- Do not expect perfection:
Just like making food is an art which takes time to learn, you would not make a florist in a few months. And this is why it is wrong of you to expect perfection at any stage of making your own wedding flowers. The stuff you buy from stores is prepared from professional florists and experts and you can’t expect to match it by trying to work hard for a couple of months or so. Remember your motivation behind the DIY project and you’d certainly do well. What does it matter even if your wedding flower arrangements do not look as polished as you see in the floral stores and that too especially when they are doing the job, look decent and have your personal label and touch to them.
- Practice:
Making your wedding flowers would not come that easy and that too especially if you’ve never done this before. It is going to take a lot of time, patience and hard work to pull the DIY project off and you need to be prepared for it before you take on something like that. Get you floral tools ready and start practicing months prior for being able to have just enough time on your hands in terms of making your wedding flowers as close to perfection as manageable. Involve your friends and take up a workshop if you want. Have flower making session and parties regularly and get the fun element going with the proceedings. If you have a friend that has done a lot of wedding flowers, get him on board to help you out. Get all the help, references and practice that could manage.
- Prepare for the arrival:
Prepare in advance for how your wholesale flowers may arrive. Get in touch with the flower service from which you’re ordering flowers and know the specifics of state of your wedding flowers that they may arrive in. Most probably the flowers would arrive a few days earlier and they’d look sleepy and closed on arrival. You’d have to care for them well while they bloom. Invest some time in caring for them by hydrating them properly (every once in a while) and cut extra foliage and greenery above the water line of the stems. Use floral food if you want to make them retain their health for the big day.
Remember Rome was not built in a day and you’d need a proper plan and strategy to make your own wedding flowers in a well-coordinated and organized manner. Select flowers that have a special meaning to you and go for flower arrangements that are simple to make but are as much beautiful as the elaborate ones. Visit a florist to know more about the costs of wedding flowers and which would suit your DIY project more. Prepare a list of hardy and in-season flowers and make notes regarding the project to reflect on consistently. And in the end, just remember, if you do put your heart and mind to it and have good intentions it’d all work out perfectly.
Have any better steps or pointers for making your own wedding flowers for the big day? Please share them with us…
Until then happy DIY wedding flowers for the season folks!
