As we move into the spring wedding season, we wanted to share a few tried-and-true wedding flower tips that will help you as you DIY your flowers!
Stay Organized
As you begin looking for inspiration for your DIY wedding flowers, we suggest collecting everything you find in one place. Using Pinterest or even utilizing the bookmark link on Instagram are great options, but we recommend sticking with just one. It can become overwhelming to have everything all over the place. Once you have curated a selection of photos, we suggest going through them and finding a commonality between them. For example, are the colors similar, are the arrangements organic looking, etc.? Once you can identify that, you can then select flowers and your color palette.
Selecting Flowers
Photography – Breanna Elizabeth Photography
When selecting your flowers, it is important to keep them simple by sticking with only a few colors and floral varieties. The flowers naturally flow well together with a small color palette for a cohesive look. If you aren’t sure where to start in finding florals in your ideal colors, we have a great tool on our site to search by color.
Before picking a particular type of flower, it is also important to know if it will be in season during your wedding. While some flowers can certainly be sourced at any time, the pricing will fluctuate if they aren’t in peak season. For instance, peonies are always a favorite, however, they have a limited supply and can only be found in May and June. So, your late summer wedding won’t be a good time to include this variety.
Your venue can also affect the best types of flowers for you. For example, if you have an outdoor ceremony or reception, certain florals will wilt faster than others in the heat. So, it is best to utilize hearty blooms like carnations and chrysanthemums. However, you can be a little less picky when you are inside since it will be temperature-controlled.
Plan for Care
Photography – Rebecca Burt Photography
When purchasing flowers from a wholesaler, it is important to know that leaves, thorns, and guard petals will still be attached. You will need to plan to remove these before you begin arranging. It is also important to cut 1-2 inches off each stem at a 45-degree angle to allow for the flowers to receive the proper amount of water. On that note, be sure to have buckets of clean, fresh water for your flowers after your prep work is done. Finally, you will want to ensure that they are kept in a cool environment out of direct sunlight to prevent wilting.
Practice Makes Perfect
We suggest purchasing a few more flowers than needed to make a practice arrangement, and this will allow you to work out the kinks before you are in a time crunch on the big day. This is also a great way to give your friends who are helping you a visual of the look you want to achieve.
Gather a Team
Photography – Elise Corrin Photography
It is important not to take on this task by yourself! Instead, gather your friends and family to help you with the arrangement process. This can be a fun activity with snacks, drinks, and even a little music. In addition, you can use it as a fun bonding experience.
Double-Duty
If you feel overwhelmed by cost or even the thought of DIYing all your flowers, you can make them pull double-duty! Ceremony flowers can be moved over to your reception by your planner or a designated friend or family member that is NOT in the wedding party. For example, aisle flowers in planters can flank the sweetheart table or the entrance to the reception. Bouquets are perfect for the cake table or even the wedding party’s reception table. An arbor or arch is stunning behind a cake table or can make for a great photo-op for your guests!
We hope these DIY wedding flower tips help you tackle your planning! However, if you are looking for more help, you can check out our How-To videos here!
Blooms Flower Pros
The Blooms By The Box team, including co-founders Joan Wyndrum and Larry Fox, combine decades of experience in all facets of the flower and floral design industry. Our staff has worked in both the retail and wholesale flower arenas, and live to share our expertise to make our customers' flower dreams come true!
