Update April 2013: We’ve found a great way to get great DIY Wedding Flowers from Milwaukee’s Belle Fiori. Check out the article and their awesome service!
Last month, I undertook a most fortuitous task. I did my own wedding flowers. You see, I live in a rural part of the country and was having a wedding far from the city lights and most florists. I did locate a city florist willing to drive 3 hours to setup my wedding flowers for my special day, but 2 weeks before the actual event, my florist called to tell me the florist business was being closed due to the poor economic environment and needed to cancel our arrangement. I then frantically tried locating another florist but to no avail.
So it came upon me, after taking the advice of many online brides-to-be, to arrange my own wedding flowers. Less than two weeks before my wedding, I found myself poring through wedding flower books and magazines to learn the intricacies of floral wire, floral foam, stem cutters, thorn strippers, blah, blah, blah. I also read as much as I could online. And I interviewed many online wholesale flower companies to see what flowers were available in the market.
After a couple of stressful days, I finally came out with a list of flowers I thought I could arrange myself. Most consisted of flowers from my original plan with some adjustments to my bridal bouquet and bridesmaids bouquets (to permit easier setup). The bouquets were made from chocolate or deep burgundy calla lilies and dendrobium orchids. Aisle pew flowers consisted of oriental lilies while the floor runners were sprayed with fresh rose petals.
Reception tables were adorned with tall glass vases filled with water and tall, thick cymbidium orchids. Underwater lights in these vases helped illuminate the asian beauties and add a touch of elegance, befitting for an evening reception. The wedding cake was dotted with splashes of fresh rose petals and a few pink peonies strategically placed on some of the corners. Finally, the reception room was highlighted with a few master centerpieces consisting of white hydrangea, green hanging amaranthus, and pink garden roses that diffused an ever sweet smell of fresh perfume.
All in all, I was quite proud of the floral arrangements. Granted, they weren’t Four Seasons hotel quality but good enough to solicit inquiries from my guests which florist handled the arrangements. Ha!
So here’s some tips for any would-be DIY Flower brides, coming from my two week before wedding experience:
- Take as much time as you can to learn about how to arrange your own wedding flowers (until you feel confortable)
- Review online floral resources and books and magazines
- Make a trial run of putting flowers together if you can prior to your wedding
- Shop online for a good floral wholesaler that carries a wide assortment of wholesale flowers to give you the best flexibility. I chose WholeBlossoms.com after soliciting super pricing and friendly customer service.
- Use your creativity when putting flowers together and don’t hesitate to ask friends and family for help
- Have plenty of buckets ready for your flowers
- Order your flowers to arrive a few days before your wedding so they bloom in time for your wedding
My unfortunate situation (cancelation 2 weeks before my wedding) actually brought me a unlikely fortune: I now do wedding flowers on the side and who doesn’t mind some additional income on the side now and then?
For visual reference, here are links to some of the wedding flowers I ordered:
