When I mentioned to my close friends (and Maid of Honours) that I would not be getting a florist for our wedding.. they were shocked and horrified as you can imagine.
Them: "What do you mean? You need a florist for your flowers!"
Me: Do we?…
My mum was also shocked..So I showed them all the email we'd received from the only florist we had ever contacted via a wedding fair (where we actually booked our photographer and cake baker!)
Flower Storytime
We'd been to a wedding fair and were looking at all the different options that were presented on the tables and on the florists stand.
We told the florist what we were thinking, which, funnily enough, was actually very similar to what they had on display at the wedding fair.
We wanted red flowers. We were having a summer wedding, but I didn't want the flowers to necessarily scream summer wedding. I wasn't interested in having everything in lilacs, pale blues and yellows just because those are the colours you might traditionally associate with a summer wedding.
A few days later, we got an email. It included a link to a personalised Pinterest board with our names on it.
I opened it and it was... basically the exact opposite of what we'd asked for pastel everything. I am not a pastel type of girl..
And then there was the price list.
Bouquets/Buttonholes
Bridal bouquet @ £120
Bridesmaid bouquet @ £65
Buttonhole @ £9.50 (Groom's £10.50)
Staircase
Trailing greenery and gypsophelia @ £220
Trailing greenery and florals @ £440
Ceremony
Urn display with stand @ £250
Ceremony spray @ £220
Aisle flowers (6 pieces) repurpose onto mantelpiece and front of top table @ £450
Reception
Bud vases (3 pieces) @ £65
Low bowl display @ £75
Tall display @ £120
All that PLUS Delivery, setup and collection @ £120
HA! No.
Now, I actually think those prices were probably fairly typical for what we were asking for. This isn't me saying florists are expensive or that you shouldn't use one.
It just wasn't something we wanted to spend our money on. The thought of spending £120 on my bouquet alone, something that would be in a some of our photographs but would really only be used for a few seconds down the aisle was an absolute no for us.
So we decided to do our own.No experience. No florist training. And, if I'm being completely honest, not much practice either.
I absolutely loved my flowers. I loved what they looked like and I loved that my husband and I bought and made them together.. so here are some tips!
You Don't Have to go to a Florist
I think people sometimes assume that a wedding needs to look a certain way.
You need a florist. You need elaborate flowers. You need everything professionally styled. You really don't.
If having a florist is important to you and you have the budget for it, absolutely get one, but if it isn't important to you, you don't have to spend the money.
For us, spending £120 or more on a bouquet simply wasn't something we wanted to prioritise. We spent that money elsewhere - DJ, food etc.
So if DIY flowers save you money that you can put towards something that matters more to you or simply means you start married life with a little more money in the bank, I'd say give it a go.
Plan Ahead & Practice
This doesn't mean you need to become a florist six months before your wedding but I would recommend doing a little bit of planning.
Have a look at the flowers you like, look at different bouquets and arrangements, think about the colours and overall feel you want and then look at what flowers are in season around your wedding date.
This is particularly useful if you're planning to buy your flowers from supermarkets as you don't want to have your heart set on one very specific flower and then discover that you can't find it anywhere. Instead, have an idea of the look or general colour you want and be prepared to work with what's actually available.
Once you have an idea, pratice!
This is something I would definitely recommend, despite the fact that I didn't really do it. I bought flowers in the run-up to the wedding and played around with them.
It wasn't complicated. I was basically just figuring out:
Do these flowers look nice together?
Do I like this colour combination?
Does this vase look full enough?
It gave me an idea of what I wanted before the actual wedding flowers were bought.
Go Simple
This is probably the biggest thing I'd recommend if you're considering DIY flowers.
Don't make it harder than it needs to be. I chose white, blush pink and burgundy red roses with babys breath. Simple, classic and easy to find.
You don't need to recreate a £5,000 floral installation you found on Pinterest and you don't need flowers cascading down every surface.
Pick a few things you like and work with them. Your bouquet doesn't have to look like something from a luxury wedding magazine. You're getting married. The flowers are there to be part of the day, not to become the main event.
Have a Backup Plan
This is especially important if you're buying from supermarkets.
You can't guarantee exactly what will be on the shelves on the Tuesday before your wedding, so have a few options in mind.
If they don't have the red flowers you wanted, what else would work? If one particular variety isn't available, can you use something similar? Could you change the balance of the flowers?
The more flexible you are, the less stressful it will be. We for example wanted red, but if we couldn’t find red, we would have been happy with white!
You're making your flowers yourself partly because you want to save money and have some control over what you're getting.
Don't then give yourself a meltdown because the supermarket doesn't have the exact variety you saw on Pinterest.
Day42 DIY Flower Tips
Plan ahead. Know roughly what you want before you start buying.
Look at what's in season. This will make finding flowers much easier.
Buy some flowers beforehand. Have a play and see what you like.
Keep it simple. You don't need complicated arrangements.
Be flexible. Work with what's actually available.
Have a backup plan. Don't rely on finding one very specific flower.
And most importantly, don't worry about making them perfect.
I had no experience doing wedding flowers.
I bought mine from supermarkets two days before we got married.
And somehow, it worked.