Creating A Wedding Bouquet: A Guide To Color Palettes

Creating a DIY wedding bouquet is a fun and unique way to express your creativity and add a personalised touch to your wedding. It can also be a memorable experience to share with your loved ones. In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about making your own bridal bouquet, from choosing the right flowers to assembling and decorating your bouquet. By the end, you will be able to create a stunning arrangement that reflects your style and vision for your special day.

Choosing your flowers

The flowers you choose for your DIY wedding bouquet are dependent on your taste, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Firstly, consider the style of your wedding dress and your colour palette. Think about whether you want complementary colours to create a subtle, balanced look, or if you'd prefer to use contrasting colours to add drama.

Next, decide on the style of your bouquet. Are you going for a classic, tight bouquet or something more whimsical like a cascading arrangement? If you're going for a modern and simple design, stick to one to three varieties of florals, very little greenery, and flowers with lots of textural interest. For a garden-style bouquet, choose five to seven varieties of florals and greenery, and select flowers with different textural and gestural qualities.

When selecting the flowers for your bouquet, it's important to choose blooms that are in season and will last throughout the day. Popular flowers for wedding bouquets include roses, peonies, hydrangeas, ranunculus, and dahlias. If you're on a budget, picking flowers that are in season will also help to keep costs down. For example, peonies are in season in the spring and are therefore much cheaper than in other months.

If you're looking to add interest and volume to your bouquet, consider adding filler flowers in complementary colours. Fluffy baby's breath, spiky statice, and delicate Queen Anne's lace are great options. You can also use these to fill in any gaps or spaces between your larger flowers.

Finally, don't be afraid to mix and match suppliers. There's no flower-buying etiquette, so get your roses from Costco and your greenery from the flower market if that's what works for your budget!

Selecting your tools

Selecting the right tools is essential for creating a beautiful and long-lasting DIY wedding bouquet. Here are the key tools you will need and some tips on choosing the best ones for your project:

Floral Scissors or Flower Shears

When selecting your floral cutting tool, it is important to choose a sharp and precise instrument. Floral scissors are designed with special ridges that can cut through flower stems without crushing them. Using regular kitchen scissors can damage the stems, shortening the vase life of the flowers and affecting their ability to draw up water. Alternatively, flower shears are an excellent option for cutting flowers and greenery, ensuring clean cuts that preserve the stems.

Floral Tape and Wire

Floral tape and wire are essential for securing your flowers and creating a sturdy base for your bouquet. Floral tape is flexible and conforms to the shape of your bouquet, while the wire provides added support and helps create a consistent composition. When wrapping your stems, leave 1 to 1.5 inches of the stem exposed and visible. You can also use the wire to secure ribbons or other decorative elements to your bouquet.

Ribbon

Ribbons add a decorative touch to your bouquet and can be used to cover the floral tape or wire. Choose a ribbon that complements the colours and types of flowers in your bouquet. You can experiment with different colours, textures, and patterns, such as satin, lace, or silk. Cut the ribbon to the appropriate length, allowing enough for a bow or knot, and secure it to the stems with floral wire or tape.

Corsage Pins

Corsage pins are small pins used to secure the ribbon in place and create designs on your bouquet wrap. They can also be used to attach embellishments like charms, brooches, or beads to your bouquet. When using corsage pins, insert them at a steep diagonal angle to ensure they do not poke through the other side of the stem.

Buckets

When preparing your flowers, it is important to keep them hydrated. Buckets filled with water will help your flowers remain fresh during the bouquet-making process.

Workspace

Set up your workspace in a kitchen or outdoor area with ample counter space. This will make flower preparation and clean-up easier. Keep all your flowers in buckets and have a designated area for assembling your bouquet.

With these tools and a bit of creativity, you'll be well on your way to crafting a stunning DIY wedding bouquet that reflects your unique style and vision.

Prepping your flowers

Before you start constructing your bouquet, make sure the flower stems and greenery are prepped and ready. Remove all the leaves from your floral stems and the bottom halves of your greenery stems. You can use your hands or flower shears to do this.

Next, you'll want to cut the stems. Cut the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle and keep them in a bucket of water as you assemble your bouquet. The stems should be about 1.5 times the height of your vase or holder. The optimal length for a bouquet is around 7 to 8 inches, but you can cut them to your preference.

If you're using roses, make sure to remove all the thorns, too. You don't want bleeding fingers on your wedding day!

Be sure to consider your current climate and the flowers' natural habitats. If temperatures are soaring or you're using tropical blooms during a dry spell, research the best way to keep them vibrant until (and through!) your big day.

Timing

One of the key considerations of making your own wedding bouquet is timing. Ideally, you should make the bouquet the day before the wedding. If your wedding is on a Saturday, source your flowers on Thursday, create the bouquet on Friday, and then add the ribbon on the day of the nuptials.

Assembling your bouquet

Now that you've selected your flowers and have all the materials you need, it's time to get creative and put together a bouquet. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you create a stunning DIY wedding bouquet.

Step 1: Choose your flowers

Select flowers that represent you and your wedding. Keep in mind the season and colours of your wedding. For example, if you're having a summer wedding, consider sunflowers or daisies, while a winter wedding could feature anemones or hellebores. It's also important to include fillers such as greenery, baby's breath, or pom-pom flowers.

Step 2: Prep your flowers

Using either your hands or flower shears, remove all the foliage from the stems. If you're working with roses, don't forget to remove the thorns! This step is important for both aesthetics and the preservation of your bouquet.

Step 3: Start building your bouquet

Begin by choosing 2-4 flowers to be the "base" of your bouquet. Then, add flowers around this base, creating a bunch. Think about the focal point of your bouquet and mix textures and colours to make it interesting. Don't forget to stand in front of a mirror while you work, so you can see exactly what it looks like from the front.

Step 4: Secure your bouquet

Use floral tape or wire to wrap around the stems, securing the flowers in place. Leave around 4 inches of the stem exposed at the bottom. This will help keep all the pieces intact.

Step 5: Add ribbon

Decorate your bouquet with a ribbon or other decorative wrapping. Wrap the ribbon around the stems several times, covering the floral wire completely. You can choose a ribbon that complements your colour scheme or the type of flowers you've used.

Step 6: Trim the stems

For the final touch, cut the stems of your bouquet to your preferred length. Make sure they're all the same length to create a neat finish. Around 7 to 8 inches is a good length for a bouquet, but you can cut them shorter or longer depending on your preference.

And that's it! You've assembled your DIY wedding bouquet. Remember, it's okay to experiment and have fun with it.

Finishing touches

You're nearly there! Just a few more steps to go before you've created your very own custom bridal bouquet.

Secure the stems

Now that you're happy with your bouquet's design, it's time to tidy up the stems. Tie a piece of wire around your stems to secure them, then trim the excess away with wire cutters. Make sure that you leave the stems long enough to hold comfortably during your wedding, but not too long so that they interfere with your wedding dress.

Bundle the stems

After trimming your stems, some pieces of wire might be exposed. To protect your hands while you walk down the aisle, encase your stems with floral tubing. This will create a professional finish. Take a piece of floral tubing and insert 2-3 of your stems inside. Keep going until you've encased all the stems in your bouquet.

Secure the stems with floral tape

Now, let's conceal the exposed wires near the base of your bouquet. Wrap any remaining exposed stems with a layer of green floral tape. Start near where your floral tubing ends, then wrap the stems up to the base of your bouquet, where the flowers and greenery begin to branch out. This will help your bouquet stay in place and protect your hands throughout your wedding day.

Create a handle

Take a satin ribbon in your choice of colour and hot glue it around the base of your bouquet. This will create a "handle" and give your bouquet a polished finishing touch. Use an opaque ribbon to hide the glue better. Sheer ribbons are better reserved for the next step.

Tie a ribbon around your bouquet

Take 2 ribbons and tie a bow around your bouquet, near the handle. Leave a fair amount of excess to create a flowing, elegant effect. You can also experiment with ribbons of different colours, or hot glue accents onto the middle of your bow. You have the freedom to add any other finishing touches you'd like at this point, making your bouquet truly your own.

Frequently asked questions