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DIY Florals

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Ok, so you have decided to do your own flowers, but don’t know where to start and what you will need or how to put together centerpieces…here are a handful of items to keep in mind:

Purchasing/Ordering

  • Wholesale
    • Depending on where you live there may be a florist that would work with you to order your flowers. OR some cities have wholesale flower shops where you can purchase them directly. Start calling flower shops and ask around!
  • From Shops/stores
    • If you plan to rely on shops/stores, most of the time the store/shop can’t guarantee a certain color or style of flowers that come in – BUT, ASK if they can pre order!
    • And if you are planning on purchasing 20+ bouquets, it would be helpful to talk to the store beforehand for them to up their numbers so the inventory isn’t depleted.
    • Ask the floral contact for any suggestions to keep the flowers alive.
    • Here are a handful of places that typically have flowers available:
      • Costco/Sam’s Club
      • Trader Joes
      • Local Grocery Stores
      • Whole Foods

Accessories

  • You’ll need a handful of accessories that can assist with assembly:
    • Floral Scissors
    • Green Floral Tape
    • Floral Wire (boutonnieres and corsages)
    • Floral Foam (for centerpieces)
    • Ribbon (to go around stems)
    • Straight Pins (to pin the ribbon into the stems)
    • Vessels (vase, container, holder) with a piece of floral foam that the flowers are stuck into

Creating the bouquets/centerpieces

  • PRACTICE!!!!!
    • Buy a handful of bouquets from the store, take them apart and put them back together and mix the various flowers as bouquets, boutonnières and centerpieces.
    • If you have a certain look you’re going for, assemble it and take a picture for when it’s go time!
    • Google or YouTube flower tutorials.
  • Helping Hands
    • If only doing a limited amount of simple bouquets (1-4), you can probably manage by yourself. Otherwise, arrange to have helping hands create the various items with you.
  •  Centerpieces
    • Can survive about 2 days.
  • Bouquet
    • Recommended to make the day before.
  • Boutonnière
    • The night before or the day of.

Keeping the flowers alive

  • Ask whomever you purchased the flowers from if they have any recommendations.
    • Even at a local grocery store there is someone who works in the floral department.
  • Coordinate the timing so flowers don’t arrive too soon.
  • Keep them in a cool place, but don’t let them freeze overnight. 

 Getting them to the venue

  • Arrange for transportation the day of the wedding i.e. a large van, multiple trips, truck etc.
  • If you have plastic tubs or boxes to put the vases in, it will help to ensure they arrive at the venue without falling over enroute.
  • Keep the boxes/tubs to transport at the end of the evening.

PRO TIP: If you are having an outdoor wedding, wait until closer to the wedding start time to put out the flowers – especially if it’s hot outside. Greenery table runners will dry out in the sun if left there all day long in the hot sun.