It’s no secret that the cost of a wedding can get high fast. From big things like venue and food to small details like party favors and place settings, it seems there’s something around every corner that will cost you money and eat into your wedding budget.
If you’re a frugal bride who wants to save a little cash here and there (maybe to use on your honeymoon instead?), one way to cut costs without sacrificing beauty is to learn how to make your own wedding bouquet.
While this might sound intimidating, don’t worry, we’re about to walk you through every step.
While the DIY bouquet process might look slightly different for every bride, there are many before you that know vital tips and tricks to make your day-of bouquet a showstopper.
Follow the steps below:
Pick a Bridal Bouquet Theme or Color Scheme
First, you’ll need to pick a theme or a color scheme for your DIY wedding bouquet. This might already be done for you via your wedding theme, or you may have more room to get creative with your bouquet.
Wherever you’re at in the process, get inspiration from colors and things you love so that you feel wholly yourself when walking down the aisle.
Some great themes/color combos include:
- Greens and whites
- Warm or cool tones
- Whites with a pop of color
- Neutrals
- All roses
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and choose something that makes you truly happy! Talk to a florist for advice on seasonal flowers and greenery to choose from. You can also consult a florists website for information
If you’re far enough into wedding planning that you’ve chosen colors to decorate your reception, consider getting the same color wedding flowers for your bouquets!
Find a Flower Supplier
Next up, you’ll need to find a flower supplier that won’t charge you an arm and a leg for your arrangement. You may be able to find a florist that will sell you flowers at wholesale price if you don’t need them arranged additionally.
Flower services such as Fifty Flowers sell fresh flowers wholesale, so you can make your DIY wedding bouquet with fresh blooms and stems on a budget. While it takes a bit more work, you can save money if you create your own bouquet of flowers for the big day.
Another option is picking wildflowers from nearby or simply using what you can find from your grocery store bouquets to make something magical.
It’s also possible to make your bouquet out of fake flowers! An artificial bouquet is cheaper and lasts forever.
Choose Your Flowers
A key aspect of creating your own wedding bouquet is the flowers you choose. If you select all different flowers, you’ll need to curate your bouquet’s shape and overall aesthetic carefully. If you’re staying within a theme or color, it may be simpler to create a gorgeous design. Some favorite wedding flower blooms are:
- Roses
- Baby’s breath
- Ranunculus
- Magnolias
- Peony
- Green trick dianthus
- Pink Limonium
And if you have a favorite flower, find a way to work it in! You can even use dried flowers instead of fresh ones to cut down costs even more and create a unique, boho-inspired look.
Look for online inspiration to get ideas for your bridal bouquet.
Gather Supplies
Next, you’ll want to gather the materials you’ll need in addition to your flowers. That could include floral tape, foam, or ribbon. Don’t forget scissors, which you’ll need to trim your flowers in preparation for the bouquet.
All of these materials should be pretty easy to find at your local florist or craft store. Once you’ve got them all in hand, set them up on your workstation and prepare to get to work.
Prep Flowers
Before you start building anything, start by prepping the flowers. This could mean trimming off thorns or cutting off unnecessary leaves, and trimming the flowers to roughly the same height.Trim around the stems so that they are even at the base of your bouquet.
One tip if you are keeping your bouquet in water before the wedding is to cut the stems at an angle – this can help them absorb water better.
Start Bundling
Now comes the fun part. Start bundling by selecting a few flowers as the “base” of your arrangement. Some brides pick a focal point flower, perhaps their favorite bloom or color, and work outwards from there.
You can tape these together to keep them in place by wrapping the stems with floral tape. Then, add more flowers around the sides and wrap them when necessary.
Add Fillers
Add a bit more ‘zhuzh’ to your wedding bouquet with fillers like eucalyptus, baby’s breath, or basic green leaves to add texture and contrast in between flowers. You can tuck them right into where you want them.
Once it’s as complete as you’d like it to be, hold everything in place as you prepare to secure the positions with floral tape.
Secure with Floral Tape
Floral tape is the glue you’ll use to hold everything together. You don’t want to wrap too close to the buds, or the spacing between the flowers might get disrupted. However, you also don’t want to tape too close to the ends. This will lead to a floppy and loose bouquet.
Instead, wrap firmly with green floral tape a few fingers’ lengths below the flower buds. This should fall where you naturally grip the bouquet to ensure the tape will be covered. You’ll also top it with ribbon, but that comes after this.
To secure the ribbon, you can pin it or use double sided tape for a seamless look.
Decorate
Once you’re wrapped and ready to go, you can start to decorate your bouquet as you like. Most people will wrap ribbon around the floral tape again in a color of their choosing to fit their wedding day’s theme. Others may choose a different material, such as jute string, if that’s more their style.
Some people choose to secure their bouquet once around the middle, leaving the stems to breathe freely at the ends. Others wrap the bouquet stems entirely. This choice is entirely up to you!
Store Your Bouquets
If you’re making your bouquet before your wedding day, you’ll want to preserve your flowers to keep them looking their best for their big reveal.
If your stems are left loose on the bottom, find a container that you can fill with water and place the stems’ base in it. Be sure the water doesn’t go high enough to wet the ribbon, or simply wait to add it until right before your ceremony.
You’ll want to keep them out of extreme heat or cold weather as well as direct sunlight. An ideal storage place would be in a garage, away from wind or any harsh elements.
If you’re creating DIY bridesmaid bouquets or other floral arrangements, make sure you have room and vases to properly store all of them.
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