DIY flowers?

mariellern

is anyone going to try to make their own bouquets, or centerpieces...I am going back and forth on the idea...let me know what you guys think !

jenbat

I purchased my flowers on line at fiftyflowers.com. I used Metropole Peony Rose and white carnations (for a separate dispay). I did wrapped bouquets and flowers casually placed in cylinder vases for the tables. I got two extra large cylinder vases with 75 carnations each for the ceremony that were moved out to the reception (we had the perfect place to put them). I found the vases at TJ Maxx (large) and the close out sale at Illuminations (small). I only had to make my bouquet , one for my matron of honor plus 12 small vases of flowers and 2 large ones. DH and Best Man wore a pocket square - mostly because we preferred the look, but also to reduce my work. It was easy, but it does take time at the last minute. I received my flowers on Thursday for a Saturday wedding. I purchased a number of 5 gallon buckets to keep them in. A gal on here told me about putting ice cubes in the water once the flowers are blooming to slow down the blooming process - best advice I got. I made everything the day of the wedding. On the plus side; we got 12 dozen roses and 150 carnations for $390! Fiftyflowers was great On the minus side; I put everything together the morning of the wedding It would have been difficult if I took a perfectionist attitude about it. I just didn't care that much about having the "perfect" flowers - so that helped. I don't know how to post pictures, but there are some pictures of flowers in my bio....I'll try to add some more this afternoon.

mariellern

thanks so much...this really helps!! I have heard good things about fifty flowers before

uppsiedaisy

I thought about doing my own flowers and I talked to several people about it and decided not to. My planner said one of her florist did her own wedding because she does it for a living and wanted to make them exactly how she wanted and totally regretted it. I also went to a wedding where the bride was saving money and did her own flowers and the wedding was delayed 45 min. because she was back there making them. My suggestion is to have someone at least do the bouquets.

andilion

I would recommend it, but it does require a lot of planning and work at the last minute. It saved us quite a bit of money and the arrangements turned out exactly how we wanted. Tips: When transporting the flowers, make sure they are in a cool environment. This means AC in the car and so on. Jenbat's ice suggestion is good too. Ikea, Marshalls, Michaels, etc are good places to look for vases on sale. We got vases for $1.50 each at Ikea. If you're having a morning wedding, this can be a tough project unless you have someone volunteer to help you transport the flowers and set them up. We had a morning wedding, but a family friend offered to make our centerpieces and bouquets as well as decorate the cake for us. It would have been very stressful without her help. Be prepared to adapt. Some of our flowers held up very well during transport, but our mini green hydrangeas completely wilted. We had to improvise with the larger green/white hydrangeas that were left, but everything still turned out beautiful. A lot can go wrong with ordering bulk flowers wholesale or online so it's good go in with a receptive attitude...

portola

I am a mom of the bride...I have been talking a floral class for the last 8 months and helped 2 friends with their daughters weddings. The flowers turned out GORGEOUS!! One lady, who had recently been to a very high end wedding at the Montage, complimented the arrangements by saying they looked just as good has the ones she had just seen at the resort's wedding! That particular bride had a quote of 5400 ( it was a big wedding) and we did it for around 1000! In both cases the brides had little to do with the actually assembling of the flowers, friends, neighbors etc pitched in. I might also add along with the other suggestions: have a lead person who knows what the bride wants, she can then lead the team! Pictures of what the bride wants maybe even a mock up. The wholesale flower mart in Orange County and Carlsbad are great sources. I can't wait to do the flowers for my daughter and any of her friends who need help. It can save you alot of money!!!! Good Luck!

sabrinafair88

My friend purchased flowers from her local farmers market the morning of the wedding. They were absolutely beautiful. BUT, it was a lot of work that day.