DIY Wedding Flowers

DIY Wedding Flowers: it is time to stop giving the florists license to print money! You will be amazed at what you may achieve with little or no experience. If you have an artistic flare then there is nothing holding you back. The average sum spent on flowers is between $800 - $12,000, or between 5 – 10% of your wedding budget. Here are some ways to dramatically reduce your costs.

DIY Wedding Flowers: Planning Tips

First it is necessary to decide whether to do some or all of the flowers yourself. If a beginner, it will be easiest to make the button-holes and reception table decorations yourself, leaving significant arrangements such as the bouquets to a professional. You may want to try making your bridesmaids garlands. Bear in mind:

- do a trial run of each arrangement
- calculate the time it will take to prepare all the arrangements
- research the lifespan of the fresh flowers you have chosen
- consider whether to substitute some silk flowers, particularly for the junior bridesmaids hair flowers
- unless marrying in winter ensure you have access to cold storage
- organise friends to deliver the flowers to the different parties and venues

DIY Wedding Flowers: How To Reduce Your Costs

- grow your own flowers
- ask friends to contribute flowers from their gardens
- choose flowers that are in season
- bearing in mind preservation laws, see what nature provides
- consider other non-floral decorations for your table settings
- instead of fresh cut flowers use potted flowers that may be reused, e.g. in your garden, as wedding favours, etc.
- consider hiring potted flowers

DIY Wedding Flowers: Making A Bridesmaids Garland

For a bridesmaid’s garland, or floral tiara, made of rose buds, you will require:

- florist’s wire
- alice band, or high comb, and hair grips
- rose buds
- green fern, gypsophilia, even variegated ivy
- coloured ribbon

Make a circle of the florists wire to the size of the child’s head. Secure the flowers using the wire. You may either do so by piercing the stem, or wrapping the wire around the stem. Alternatively you may use coloured ribbon as an anchor, securing the stems with small bows. Make sure any wire ends are wrapped with ribbon so they do not stick into your bridesmaid’s heads. You may wish to have some ribbons trailing down the back, particularly if the junior bridesmaids have long hair.

For those too young to keep a garland in their hair consider putting their hair up in a bun and fix some rose buds with hair grips around the bun.


Making a daisy chain garland:

The daisy flower heads should be no more than an inch apart. Cut the stems to size and make a slit in the end of each stem. Pick up two daisies and thread through the stem of one daisy through the other. Pick up a third daisy and thread it through the stem of the second. Repeat this process until the daisy chain is large enough. Secure the daisy chain with white ribbon. You may wish to wrap a fine string of beads round the stems for added decoration or white/green ribbon.

DIY Wedding Flowers: Making Button-Holes, Or Corsages

Button-Holes are usually made of Carnations, Roses or Orchids with a spray of fern and gypsophillia. You will require:

- the flower of your choice
- ribbon
- florists wire
- box of pins
- plastic bottle with fine mist spray nozzle

Take a spray of fern. Place the flower on top. Cut stems to size. Bind the two stems with the florists wire. Wrap the ribbon over the bound stems. Place on a tray in a cool (or cold) room. Spray with a fine mist of water. Repeat this process according to the number required.

To make a corsage follow the same procedure as above. The difference is that a corsage involves more than one flower. It may also be worn on the wrist and secured with ribbon and a bow.

DIY Wedding Flowers: Making Table Decorations

Collect various low dishes, e.g.: shells, fish bowls, flat dishes, terracotta pots, miniature metallic buckets, etc. The easiest decorations to make are to float blooms in the dishes with floating candles.

If you are having candelabra as a centerpiece variegated ivy is excellent to twist around the ‘arms’ or base. Other blooms may be attached with coloured ribbon.

If making a floral arrangement ensure they are low enough so that seated guests may see each other over them. In addition to the various low dishes you will require an oasis, (plastic water reservoir), cut to the size of the bowl/dish. For a beginner it is easier to make an effective display with one variety of flowers, e.g. roses. Alternatively you may use tulips, lilies, orchids, daisies, freesias, gardenia, gerberas, lisianthus, etc. For those whose stems tend to droop you may fix this by inserting fine florists wire to hold them erect.




DIY Wedding FLowers