Rhiannon Hendricks
Wedding flowers are a key part of the big day, with personal flowers, ceremony flowers, and reception flowers all requiring different arrangements. When putting together wedding flowers, it is important to have the right supplies to create beautiful, long-lasting arrangements. The essential tools include buckets or vases for hydrating flowers, floral scissors or knives for precise cuts, and floral tape to bind stems together. Floral foam provides a stable foundation, while ribbon, hot glue, and decorative elements like pearls or crystals add a sophisticated touch. Flower food and hydration sprays ensure flowers stay fresh, and for boutonnieres, floral pins are a must. With careful planning and creativity, DIY wedding flowers can be a fun and unique way to celebrate your special day.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Flowers | Carnations, orchids, lilies, roses |
| Containers | Buckets, vases, bowls, compotes, ice cream dishes, planters, candle holders |
| Tools | Scissors, floral scissors, floral knife, cutters, clippers, gloves, flower press, ribbon, hot glue, floral foam, floral tape, floral wire, flower spray, finishing spray, floral adhesive, flower food, chicken wire, pins |
| Flower preservation | Silica beads, plastic flower frog, floral putty, ramekin, nitrile disposable gloves, flower press, microwave flower press |
| Other | Drapes, cake flowers, petals, corsages, boutonnieres, bouquets, centerpieces |
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What You'll Learn
Buckets, vases and bowls
Buckets, vases, and bowls are essential for creating beautiful wedding flower arrangements. They provide a place to store, hydrate, and display your flowers. Here are some tips and suggestions for choosing and preparing these containers:
Buckets
Buckets are crucial for storing and hydrating your flowers. Ensure you have enough clean buckets to accommodate all your flowers without overcrowding. Flowers with longer stems may require taller buckets for support. It is also important to recut the stems and remove any foliage before placing them in the water to promote proper hydration. You can purchase buckets or even reuse and repurpose buckets from your local hardware store or home.
Vases
Vases are ideal for displaying your floral arrangements. When choosing vases, consider the style and size that will complement your flowers and the overall wedding décor. For a simple square glass vase arrangement, create a tape grid with Scotch tape. For a tall or low centerpiece, use plastic designer dishes, floral foam, hot glue, and waterproof floral tape. A compote centerpiece often uses a shallow dish, requiring floral foam and possibly some tape for extra security. Gold compotes are perfect for larger centerpieces, while ice cream dishes are great for smaller, more affordable options.
Bowls
Bowls can be used as creative alternatives to traditional vases. Clear ramekins, for instance, can be used with plastic flower frogs to create the illusion of floating flowers. Ceramic cereal bowls are another option, as they mimic pottery and can be found at various retailers. Bowls can be prepared well in advance, so feel free to wash and prep your bowls weeks before your wedding.
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Scissors, cutters and knives
When putting together wedding flowers, it is important to have the right tools to cut flowers and other materials to the right size. Using the wrong tools can lead to crushed stems, which can prevent the flower from getting the right amount of hydration. To avoid this, you will need scissors, cutters, and knives.
Floral scissors are an important tool to have when putting together wedding flowers. They are designed to cut stems without crushing them, which ensures that the flower gets the right amount of water. Regular scissors can be used, but they may not be as effective and may damage the stems.
Cutters are another important tool for putting together wedding flowers. They can be used to snip the ends of stems and to cut floral wire and ribbon. Multiple sets of cutters are recommended, as they will ensure that you have a sharp tool to work with at all times.
Knives can also be used to cut stems, but it is important to use a sharp, non-serrated blade to avoid crushing the stems. A sharp knife can also be used to cut floral tape, which is used to secure bouquets and corsages.
When choosing scissors, cutters, and knives for your wedding flower arrangements, it is important to consider the type of flowers you will be using. Some flowers, such as roses, have thicker stems that may require a stronger cutting tool. It is also important to have multiple tools on hand, as they can become dull or damaged with extended use.
Overall, having a variety of sharp scissors, cutters, and knives will ensure that you can cut stems, ribbons, and floral wire to the desired length without damaging your flowers.
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Floral tape, wire and glue
Floral tape, wire, and glue are essential tools when creating floral bouquets or boutonnieres. They help you in the process of creating and designing your wedding flowers.
Floral Tape
Floral tape is a long, waxed strip of paper used by florists to wrap around the stems of fresh flowers, often together with steel wire to stiffen the flower stems. It gives a very smooth, wax-like surface, which suits some flowers well. The light green colour of the tape blends in with the stems of the flowers. The wider tape is preferable as you can quickly make thicker stems with it. However, the downside of using floral tape is that the wax does not adhere as well as glue, and it can be a bit sticky.
Floral Wire
Floral wire is steel wire with a thin layer of paper on it. It is used to stiffen the stems of flowers and for decorations on cakes. If you cannot get hold of floral wire, you can also use any normal wire instead. It is good to have some thick wire for stems and some thin wire for inside leaves.
Floral Glue
Floral glue is used for heavy-duty projects and to adhere paper to wire. When creating paper flowers, a glue gun can be used, but as you become more practiced, you may prefer to use liquid glue. Tacky glue is a good option, and Aleene's Tacky Glue comes recommended. Their "fast grab" glue is even thicker and adheres very quickly.
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Flower food and finishing spray
Flower Food
Flower food is a powder that is added to water and helps to nourish and protect the flowers. Floralife Flower Food Powder is a popular choice and can be purchased on Amazon. It is important to follow the instructions on the packaging when using flower food. For example, one person who reviewed Floralife Flower Food Powder on Amazon noted that they "prepared a deep pot with fresh water + Floralife powder" and then "soaked bouquet holders that had wet floral foam centres and 6-inch wet floral foam disks in the pot, one at a time".
Finishing Spray
Finishing sprays are applied to the finished floral arrangement and help to preserve the flowers, promote flower opening, colour development, foliage quality, and hydration. They are particularly useful for arrangements that will be used for longer durations and have limited or no access to water, such as corsages, boutonnieres, and hand-tied bouquets.
There are different types of finishing sprays available, each yielding different results, so it is important to understand what each product is designed to do before applying. Floralife Crowning Glory and Floralife Finishing Touch are two popular options that work in different ways and should be used for different purposes. Floralife Crowning Glory provides a clear polymer coating to the blooms, stems, and foliage, helping to reduce water loss. It is important to note that finishing sprays should be evenly applied to the arrangement and allowed to dry before holding in a flower cooler.
Finishing sprays can be purchased from florists or online from sites like Etsy and Amazon.
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Corsages, bouquets and boutonnieres
Corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres are a fun and easy DIY project that can save you money and give you the freedom to add personal touches to your wedding. It is recommended to set aside a morning two days before the wedding to make all the arrangements. You can also make them a few days before the wedding and store them in an airtight container covered by damp paper towels to preserve their freshness.
For boutonnieres, select one to two small focal flowers, such as spray roses or ranunculus, along with three to four small pieces of greenery and an accent flower like a wax flower. You can also add a leaf as a backdrop for a tiny bouquet. Use floral tape to attach the leaf to the boutonniere, and then wrap the stem with satin ribbon, adding a tiny bow for a couture touch.
For corsages, double the number of flowers, greenery, and accent flowers used in the boutonnieres. You can also use a wristlet as the base and attach the flowers to it.
When creating bouquets, it is recommended to use three or four different types of blooms and add something from your garden. For the bride's bouquet, fill a vase or mason jar with water and place three or four hydrangea stems in it. Then, add a focal flower, such as roses, and complementary flowers like dianthus or sweetheart roses. Stand back to study the height and depth of the bouquet, and make any necessary adjustments. Finish the bouquet by covering the stems with ribbon, securing it with corsage pins, and adding a bow.
You will need sharp and comfortable tools for cutting, such as pruners, snips, and shears, as well as floral tape, florist's wire, corsage pins, and ribbon. Fiftyflowers.com and Ling's Moment offer tutorials and pre-made floral arrangements for corsages, bouquets, and boutonnieres.
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Frequently asked questions
The supplies you will need depend on the type of arrangement you want to create. For bouquets, you will need floral tape, ribbon, and boutonniere pins. For a simple square glass vase arrangement, you will need scotch tape. For a tall or low centerpiece, you will need plastic designer dishes, floral foam, hot glue, and waterproof floral tape. For a compote centerpiece, you will need floral foam and possibly some floral tape. For a planter centerpiece, you will only need floral foam. For a boutonniere, you will need floral tape and a boutonniere pin. For a corsage, you will need hot glue and a corsage band. You may also want to include flower food, finishing spray, and a paring knife.
Personal flowers are any arrangements that the couple, wedding party, or close family members and friends will carry or wear. This includes the bride's bouquet, the groom's boutonniere, petals for a flower girl, and corsages for the mothers of the bride and groom. Ceremony flowers are any arrangements that will be used during the ceremony, such as decorations for the aisle or backdrop and flowers for a post-nuptial petal toss. Reception flowers can include centerpieces and arrangements on cocktail tables.
It is important to have the right tools for precise and clean cuts, such as pruning shears and floral scissors. Floral foam provides a stable foundation for arrangements and keeps flowers hydrated. Choose vases that complement your wedding theme and hold the floral foam securely. Floral tape and wire are essential for creating secure and durable arrangements.
