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DIY versus florist: pros and cons?

Aray82Aray82 member
First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
in Flowers
I'm considering doing DIY bouquets for me and my bridesmaids for a few reasons: the ones I've seen at other weddings have been lovely--and one of my friends just got what was available at the grocery store the morning of!, I don't really have strong feelings about needing to have certain types of flowers, and expensive bouquets don't really do anything for the guests' experience either way--I'd really like to focus my budget on taking care of my guests. On the other hand, I could see that picking up, arranging, preserving, etc. could add some additional stress to the day. If you have any experiences or advice on the pros and cons of DIY or budgeting less for flowers, I'd appreciate it!
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Re: DIY versus florist: pros and cons?

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    Sue-n-KevinSue-n-Kevin member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment

    I think most brides determine where they want to spend their money, and where they want to save. If flowers and how they look, and what you pay aren't a priority, then your thought process is reasonable.

    I didn't make my own bouquets, bouts & corsages, but I did make my own centerpieces. I've arranged flowers before, so this was a no brainer. I got the flowers from Costco, but that was because I did want a specific look. If the colors and types of flowers you have are not that important, then go for it.

    The most important thing when putting them together is to make sure they are kept in a cool room, in individual vases of water with the stems in the water. I ordered the 20 piece white rose wedding package from Costco ($399) for the bouquets/bouts/corsages, and they arrived 3 days before the wedding. I had vases for the bouquets, put the corsages and bouts in the refrigerator. They weren't just perfect for the wedding, but lasted at least 7 days afterward. Proper care is the most important thing.

    I understand from prior posts I've seen there are many youtube videos about making bouquets. Just go for it and do your best.

    Good luck.

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    manateehuggermanateehugger member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    The only thing I have to add was that I was dead-set on DIY-ing until my sister did so at her wedding. Two days before the wedding we spent hours wrapping and rearranging flowers. It was very stressful - and she wasn't even doing anything complicated. I'd definitely recommend doing at least one dry run (we didn't) the week before the wedding. You also have to make sure you have a cool place to store them all. 

    I know it's been done time and again, so I wont be a total downer on DIY. But it was very stressful for us since my sister DIY'd so many other things. I recommend doing just centerpieces - those were very easy. Wrapping bouquets, bouts, and corsages was awful.  
    When I priced out DIY-ing compared to having a florist do it all (I shopped around for cheap but good florists), it was only about a $200 difference (especially if you cut the delivery fee out). To us, it was worth the extra money just to let someone handle it for us. Get at least a couple quotes so you have more data to make the decision with. 
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    AddieCakeAddieCake member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited June 2013
    One of my bridesmaids did grocery store bouquets for her wedding the day before, and they came out gorgeous!  However, she only had to make 2 of them! 

    My florist said she would never have attempted to do her own flowers for her wedding b/c it is just too time-consuming. 

    Plenty of people DIY bouquets and centerpieces, though, so I think it just depends on the time you have to devote to it. 




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