Creating Wedding Flower Arrangements With Fresh Blooms

Creating your own flower arrangements for your wedding can be a fun and cost-effective way to add a personal touch to your big day. While it may sound intimidating, making your own wedding bouquet is not as challenging as it seems. With simple materials and a few steps, you can put together a stunning, custom arrangement.

The first step is to decide on the type of blooms you want to use and create a plan for your bouquet. Consider the style of your wedding dress and your colour palette. Do you want complementary colours for a subtle look or contrasting colours for added drama?

Once you have a plan, it's time to source your flowers. If you have access to a garden, see what's blooming there, or look at local farms, grocery stores, or online retailers to find the floral varieties you're looking for.

When it comes to assembling your bouquet, start by building the shape and framework, using floral tape to secure the stems. Add in larger, focal flowers first, followed by smaller flowers and greenery. Continue to balance the design as you build, and don't be afraid to break the odd-number rule of design by adding in a single stem of something special.

Finally, wrap your bouquet with a beautiful ribbon or fabric to hide the tape and give it a clean, classic look.

With a little time and know-how, you can create gorgeous flower arrangements for your wedding that reflect your shared style and save you money.

Choosing flowers: Select blooms that complement your wedding dress and colour palette

Choosing flowers that complement your wedding dress and colour palette is a fun but challenging task. Here are some tips to help you select the perfect blooms for your big day:

Define Your Colour Palette

Start by defining your wedding colour palette. This will guide your flower choices and ensure a cohesive look. Consider the colours of your wedding dress, bridesmaids' dresses, and the overall theme or style of your wedding. Do you want a neutral colour palette with creams, whites, and golds, or do you prefer bolder colours like burgundy or navy? Are you having a seasonal wedding, and do you want your flowers to reflect the time of year? For example, peach, sage, and light blue could be a lovely spring palette, while terracotta, ivory, and sage green are perfect for a fall or winter wedding.

Choose Your Blooms

Once you have a colour palette in mind, it's time to select your blooms. You can choose specific flowers that match your colours or go for a mix of blooms and greenery to create a romantic, garden-like look. If you're on a budget, consider using more greenery as filler, as it's usually cheaper than flowers. Think about the types of flowers you want to include. Are you dreaming of a classic rose bouquet or something more unique like dahlias or orchids? Do you want to incorporate any special flowers with personal meaning? Remember that some flowers have different costs, and the price can vary depending on the season and availability. For example, peonies can be expensive and challenging to source outside of their season.

Create a Vision Board

Creating a vision board, whether on Pinterest or a physical board, can help you visualise your flower choices and ensure they complement your wedding dress and colour palette. Collect images of flower arrangements you love, including bridal bouquets, centrepieces, and ceremony decorations. This will give you a clear idea of the types of flowers and colours you want to use and help communicate your vision to your florist or wedding party if they are helping with the flower arrangements.

Be Flexible and Open-Minded

While it's great to have a vision, it's essential to remain flexible and open-minded when choosing your wedding flowers. The availability of specific flowers can vary due to seasonality, supply chain issues, or other factors. Have a backup plan and be open to substitutions. For example, if you wanted peonies but they're not in season, consider a garden rose or dahlia instead. Flexibility will help ensure you're not stressed if your first choice of flowers isn't available.

Consider DIY Options

If you're crafty and want to save money, consider creating your own flower arrangements. You can buy wholesale flowers or order them online and arrange them yourself with the help of your wedding party. This option gives you more control over the types of flowers and colours you use and can be a fun activity to do with your bridesmaids. However, keep in mind the time and effort required to create your own arrangements, and don't be afraid to ask for help if needed.

Budgeting: Pick your flowers based on the timing of your wedding

Picking flowers that are in season is a great way to save money on your wedding. While it's possible to source most flower varieties all year round, they will be at their absolute best when in season. However, this doesn't necessarily mean they will be cheaper. According to florist Jessica De Corse, "seasonal flowers do not cost less; they offer a better value".

Amanda Theodoropoulos, co-owner of Twisted Willow Flowers, agrees, but adds that working with local, in-season flowers can result in a small saving. "When we purchase local flowers, we eliminate travel miles, which means there's less cost to ship and less time from cut to the vase," she says.

If you're working with a tight budget, it's a good idea to avoid huge flower weekends like Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, when wholesale flower costs skyrocket.

Spring weddings

If your wedding is in spring, you're in luck, as some of the most stunning flowers are readily available at this time of year, including peonies, lilacs, tulips, and garden roses.

Summer weddings

If you're tying the knot in summer, you'll have a plethora of flowers to choose from. However, it's important to think about where they'll be used, as some flowers are more sensitive to intense heat. Anything that will be out of water (like your bouquet, boutonnière, or a ceremony backdrop) should contain mostly hardy blooms.

Autumn weddings

Dahlias are a popular choice for autumn weddings, as they don't always tolerate heat well, so they tend to fare better during the cooler months. Chrysanthemums (or mums) are another affordable option, as florist-quality varieties are widely available.

Winter weddings

You might not think of winter as an incredible season for wedding flowers, but there are still plenty of amazing options, from colourful ranunculus and anemones to the florist-favourite hellebore.

Sourcing flowers: Check local farms, grocery stores, or order flowers in bulk online

When it comes to sourcing flowers for your wedding arrangements, there are a few options to consider. Checking local farms, grocery stores, or ordering flowers in bulk online can be a great way to get started. Here are some tips to help you source the perfect flowers for your special day:

Local Farms:

• Flower farms are a great option to source fresh and high-quality flowers. Look for farms that offer wholesale flowers, as buying in bulk directly from the farm can save you money.
• FlowerFarm, for example, offers wholesale flowers with fast shipping via UPS. They have farms in South America and the US, ensuring the freshest selection.
• When buying from local farms, you support the farmers directly, and the money you save by cutting out the middleman can go towards the quality of the flowers.

Grocery Stores:

• Grocery stores like Sam's Club can be a convenient option to source flowers at wholesale prices. You can often find flowers for less than a dollar per stem, making it an affordable choice.
• Buying from grocery stores may not always provide the same variety as a flower farm, but it is a good option for popular blooms, greens, and fillers.

Ordering Flowers in Bulk Online:

• Online flower delivery services like FiftyFlowers offer convenience and a wide selection of flowers. They ship flowers directly to you, and you can choose from a variety of blooms, including roses, carnations, lilies, and more.
• FiftyFlowers also provides guidance on flower care and has excellent customer service. They will help you figure out the best time to get your flowers delivered, so they are fresh for your big day.
• Online wholesale flower providers often have tutorials and guides to help you create your own arrangements, and they may offer free shipping for larger orders.

Whether you choose to support local farms, opt for the convenience of grocery stores, or utilise the wide selection offered by online flower delivery services, there are plenty of options to source beautiful flowers for your wedding arrangements.

Timing: Make the bouquet the day before the wedding

Timing is everything when it comes to creating a bridal bouquet, and it's ideal to make the bouquet the day before the wedding. This gives the flowers time to be at their best on the big day while ensuring they don't wilt. Here's a step-by-step guide to creating a bridal bouquet the day before the wedding:

Step 1: Source Your Flowers

Decide on the types of blooms you want in your bouquet, considering your wedding dress style and colour palette. Opt for seasonal flowers to save costs and ensure availability. If you have access to a garden, see what's blooming there, or source flowers from local farms, grocery stores, or online.

Step 2: Prepare Your Flowers

On the day before the wedding, source your flowers and create your bouquet. Remove all the leaves from the floral stems and the bottom halves of the greenery stems. Using a sharp pair of floral snips, cut the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle. Keep the stems in a bucket of water as you work.

Step 3: Assemble the Bouquet

Start building the shape of your bouquet, considering the dimension and overall design. Stand in front of a mirror to ensure you like the front view of the bouquet. Begin with a base of greenery and larger, focal flowers, then add in smaller flowers, continuing to build and balance the design.

Step 4: Secure the Bouquet

Once you're happy with your bouquet, snip the stems to your desired length and secure the bouquet with a rubber band. Wrap floral tape around the stems to hide the rubber band.

Step 5: Add Ribbon

Finish off your bouquet with a ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the stems several times, covering any floral wire or tape. You can either loop the ribbon for a classic look or let it cascade down the bouquet for a more relaxed, garden-style feel.

Step 6: Care for Your Bouquet

Keep your bouquet in a cool place and store it in a bucket of water overnight to ensure the flowers stay fresh and vibrant for the wedding day.

Prepping: Remove leaves and bottom halves of stems. Snip stems at a 45-degree angle and keep in water

Prepping the flowers is an important step in creating a beautiful flower arrangement. Here are some detailed instructions to help you with this process:

Firstly, remove any leaves from the floral stems and the bottom halves of the greenery stems. This will ensure that the flowers can absorb water more effectively and prevent the leaves from wilting. Next, using a sharp pair of floral snips or pruning shears, cut the stems at a 45-degree angle. This specific angle is important as it provides a larger surface area for the flower to drink from, helping to keep them fresh for longer. Place the flowers in a bucket of water as you continue to assemble your bouquet.

If you are working in a warm climate or using tropical blooms, be sure to research the best methods to keep them vibrant. It is also important to note that flowers should be kept at a temperature between 34-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Frequently asked questions