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There are so many good reasons to create your own wedding flowers, and it is something you can achieve, if it is important to you. Having a small budget does not mean you have to sacrifice the look you envision. Instead, it is an opportunity for creativity and a fun project to tackle with your bridesmaids, sisters and friends. Today, I want to dissect why you should DIY your wedding flowers, as well as some reasons that it may not be the best option for you.

Pros:

Save money

Probably the most common reason brides research how to DIY wedding flowers is budget constraints. Florists’ services are expensive, and rightly so… flower arranging is a lot of work and fresh flowers are expensive.  By opting to arrange your own wedding flowers, you can really stretch your budget. There are several affordable options for buying flowers in bulk, including wholesale stores, online suppliers or even local flowers farmers who will sell to non-business customers. For tips and resources about where to buy flowers, read my article about buying flowers in bulk.

Pro Tip: Shop around to compare prices for raw materials and arranging services.

Add uniqueness to your wedding

Arranging the flowers yourself means you can really create the style you want and incorporate the unique, meaningful elements that matter to you and your soon-to-be-hubby. Similar to a photographer, florists usually have a style of their own that they've developed, but charge big bucks for that look and it may not really fit your style. DIY allows you the creative freedom that the florist typically enjoys.

Pro Tip: Create an inspiration board or folder to help solidify your style. Collect photos that are attractive to you, then review the collection as a whole to notice similarities among the photos, such as flower types, colors or other specific elements.

To create beauty

The most gratifying aspect of doing the flowers yourself is the process of creating something beautiful to enhance one of the most important days of your life. Flowers are inherently beautiful in themselves, so there's no need to worry about whether or not your arrangements will turn out. The best advice is to simply follow the guidance of your flowers and don't stress if the arrangement doesn't look exactly like what you saw on Pinterest. If you like the arrangement, most likely your guests will too.

Communal effort

Some DIY wedding projects can be done without much help, while binge watching Netflix (such as sealing and stamping your invitations). However, arranging your flowers requires lots of help because the fresh flowers can't be arranged weeks in advance. The advantage of this is that it presents a great opportunity for your bridesmaids and family members to join in. Most people I've known relish the thought of a flower arranging party, even if they are a bit uncertain about their skills. The first time I attended a wedding where the bridal party had made the floral arrangements, the bridesmaids could not stop talking about it at the reception. They'd had so much fun with it! For tips on throwing a memorable and productive flowers arranging party, read this article.

Pro Tip: Clearly communicate your desires or needs for help with your helpers…. help them help you! A good way to do this is to print photos of arrangements you like.

Cons:

Obviously I think it is totally worth it to create your own wedding flowers. However, I also think that it is important to be realistic about what sort of an undertaking it is. Continue reading for a few reasons you may not want to DIY your wedding flowers or common challenges of choosing to go this route.

Time consuming

Flower arranging takes time, and it is a time sensitive activity because the flowers begin dying as soon as they are cut. There's a lot that goes into making gorgeous arrangements and it needs to happen close to the event so the flowers still look fresh on the day. Add all this to the dress rehearsal and dinner, guests arriving and other tasks that are left to the last minute, some brides would prefer to pay a florist than deal with the stress of such an undertaking.

Requires research, planning, managing people and communicating

Even if you are experienced with flowers, there are a ton of small decisions to make, should you chose the DIY route. Pinning photos on Pinterest is fun, but beyond the visual decisions, you still need to figure out the mechanics of the various arrangements, create a sufficient estimate of materials needed and costs with in your budget, plan for the prep, arranging, logistics and set up of the flowers, and communicate with your volunteers to ensure a successful outcome. That's a lot! Especially on top of all the other wedding tasks.

Can’t be led by the Bride

Due to #1 and #2, it is a good idea to recruit someone to help with the day-of project of DIY wedding flowers. While the bride may be able to make some arrangements (such as her own bouquet or her fiance’s boutonniere), having a creative person you trust to oversee the arranging really relieves the pressure off of the bride. You have enough going on in the days leading up to your wedding already. For some, paid help, such as a florist, if preferable.

Pro Tip: Appoint someone to be the day-of coordinator to ensure things progress smoothly without your direct involvement.

Requires trust of family and friends

Because there is an art to arranging flowers, it does take some skill - either natural creative ability, arranging guidance or experience. As the bride, with so many things on your plate, you have to trust your friends’ and family if they are going to arrange flowers with and for you. If you are a perfectionist who needs everything to be just so, you may be better off paying a professional florist than jeopardizing important relationships.

So, are you up to the task of DIYing your wedding flowers? If you are, you will find tons of resources here for your research and planning. Check out the blog for some helpful articles to get started. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out for extra help!

Tips:

1. Create an inspiration board or page to solidify your style

2. Be realistic about the DIY commitment and do your research.

3. Appoint someone as the “day of” coordinator to ensure things progress smoothly without your direct involvement

4. Shop around and compare prices for services or raw materials

5. Clearly communicate your desires or needs with your helpers

6. Have Fun! You can do it!