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DIY Bouquets

marleyjustinemarleyjustine member
First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
in Flowers
Have any [DIY] brides ordered flowers in bulk and made their own bouquet and bouquets for their bridesmaids? I am giving this option a lot of consideration but it would likely mean picking up the flowers and putting together the bouquets the night before the wedding. How would I keep the flowers fresh/alive/in good condition/etc... overnight and the next morning before the wedding?

Marley
www.marleyjustine.com
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Re: DIY Bouquets

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    mrssurselymrssursely member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Comment
    If you order the flowers online, they're typically delivered to your door days prior to your wedding. You just trim the ends and place them in buckets until you arrange them the morning of the wedding.
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    klk111415klk111415 member
    First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Answer
    A friend of mine purchased her flowers from trader joe's and the filler greens from a florist.  She picked them up the morning before her wedding and put the bouquets together with the help of a couple of her bridesmaids before the rehearsal dinner.  They placed the bouquets in buckets with water and I believe trimmed the stems the day of.  It worked out very well and the flowers looked amazing.  

    I would google DIY bouquets and see what people recommend, but you could always put them together, place they in shallow water in buckets and put them in a dark spot overnight.

     
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    Lauderdale PinkLauderdale Pink member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment First Answer
    If you do not have a ton of experience with arranging flowers, first, buy some and see what you can do with them.  Also, for a novice, hydrangeas make a great, brainless, base and look wonderful with a variety of other flowers.  Baby's breath is also a no-brainer.
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    bunchesdirectsuebunchesdirectsue member
    First Comment

    Hi Marley Justine,

    It's great to see more DIY brides and especially those that ask about flower care! It's absolutely possible to make your own bouquets from bulk flowers, I've seen amazing bouquets made for about $25. It's also important to make sure the flowers get the right TLC upon delivery. Here are some tips:

    Firstly, it’s important to remember that your bulk flowers have come directly from the farm. Chances are they have traveled a fair distance, and they will need a good drink so they can perk up. They many not look at their best right away, but don’t panic–this is normal.

    box2

    Another general tip to recall is that exposing flowers to warm environments (outside, hot room in the house, etc.) will help flowers open up and bloom, but if you like the way they look then try to maintain them. Placing them in a cooler environment will slow down the opening process. Your choice of temperature ultimately depends on the timing of your delivery and the big event.

    If you follow these tips, you’ll see what a huge difference an overnight can make!

    For Bulk Flowers:
    1. Remove flowers from the box.
    2. Keep protective wrapping on the bunches or stems, but remove any netting from around the blooms.
    3. Remove any foliage that will be below the water line.
    4. Get a bucket and fill it with three (3) inches of water. Add the flower food. Use warm water for roses, and room temperature water for other flowers.
    5. Cut one inch off the ends of the stems. Cut on an angle, and place the stems into the water. Allow the flowers to hydrate for at least 12 hours.
    6. Remember, the optimal temperature for flowers is 40 degrees F (4.5 degrees C). If you don’t have access to a cooler or a fridge, put the flowers in a basement or a cold room.
    7. Avoid direct sun and drafts.

    box3

    After the minimum 12 hour hydrating period:
    1. Remove any remaining protective wrapping.
    2. Farm-packed roses usually require removing two or three of the outer guard petals for a fresh, manicured look. This is normal! All the roses you see in a florist shop window have had outer petals removed.
    3. Re-trim stems daily as needed for optimal flower development.

    There are some great YouTube videos to show you how to make bouquets and flower arrangements. Get the bridesmaids or other family members to help you!

    Good luck and have fun :)



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    badbnagdwaybadbnagdway member
    First Comment First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    The ladies here can give you some good advice, but my experience with diy flowers was not good. I was in a wedding where the flowers were diy, which really meant the bride's female relatives were enslaved for many hours in the days before the wedding. The bride ordered hundreds of roses and the bouquets and flowers for the reception were made from them. The roses were not de-thorned and arrived two days before the wedding. 

    On the morning of the wedding, the bride's mom and I spent several hours finishing this project and making the bouts. None of the bouquets had been properly de-thorned, so I spent considerable time at the venue picking off thorns so no one started bleeding. The flowers were not that great looking and the white roses had already started to yellow/brown. I would warn people against white roses for diy flowers as they show damage very easily. 

    I think diy projects are great, but think carefully through how complicated they will be and how much time you will spend on them right before your wedding. It seemed a shame to me that the bride passed all the work on to others and those others therefore got to spend less time celebrating. 

    If you do want to diy, flower moxie has some good ideas and apparently gives good instruction on how to do it: https://www.flowermoxie.com/. 50 flowers similarly sells sets of mixed flowers for combining yourself into bouquets. 
    image
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    iloveu4everiloveu4ever member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    I plan on doing my own. Might need help with boutonnieres

     
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    jjtobe10032015jjtobe10032015 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    I plan on doing my own bouquets and centerpieces, with the help of my BM's, but I will be leaving the boutonnieres to the professionals to save myself and others hours of work and headaches! Thank you @bunchesdirectsue for all the great advice! I'll e coming back to this board once it comes time to order mine!  
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