How To Make A DIY Wedding Bouquet (With Video) | Stem Story (2024)

A wedding bouquet is not just a floral arrangement; it's a personal statement that accompanies you down the aisle. However, getting a professionally crafted bouquet can be pricey. Here, we simplify the process of creating a budget-friendly DIY wedding bouquet.

Under the expert guidance of our founder, Elspeth Smithson-Tull, this guide provides a straightforward approach to selecting, preparing, and arranging your bouquet.

You can watch our dedicated video below, too.

1. Essential Tools

To get started creating your bridal bouquet, make sure you have the following on your workbench:

2. Selecting and Preparing Your Stems

Firstly, the choice of stems sets the bouquet's colour palette and overall style. The decision lies in your hands and makes your bouquet genuinely personalised and unique to your special day.

Secondly, the right preparation ensures the longevity of your flowers. Proper conditioning, such as removing excess leaves and thorns, and trimming the stems at an angle, helps the flowers absorb water more efficiently, keeping them fresh and vibrant throughout your wedding day. This step also reduces the risk of any wilting or discolouration, ensuring your bouquet looks picture-perfect from the moment you walk down the aisle to the final toss.

  • Start with 3-5 varied stems.

  • Check if further conditioning is needed.

  • Utilize cut-offs from buttonholes or bud vases.

3. Building Your Bouquet

  • Begin with one stem, slowly rotating as you go.

  • Don’t hold too tight; avoid damaging the flowers.

  • Focus on varying heights and levels.

Crafting your bouquet begins with one central stem, acting as the foundation of your arrangement. As you rotate the stem in your hands, gradually add in your selected flowers, one by one, at varying heights and levels to add depth and interest.

Remember to intersperse textures and colours evenly throughout. If you feel a flower isn't sitting right, don't be afraid to pull it out and try again, as the design process is all about adjustment.

4. Assessing and Adjusting

  • Each time you add a flower, view from above and the side.

  • Let the bouquet form naturally, adjusting colours and positions gently.

  • Re-tuck any slipped flowers and ensure a balanced look.

Continue to build and rotate until you're satisfied with the shape and volume of your bouquet. Once you've finished assembling, hold the stems together firmly but gently, careful not to crush them.

5. Experimenting with Design

  • Experiment with different designs, remember there's no right or wrong.

  • Take your time, breathe, and let the bouquet form naturally.

  • Ensure colour distribution is balanced, and avoid clustering the same colour

Experimentation is a vital component in creating your DIY bridal bouquet. Even with a preconceived notion of what you want your bouquet to look like, the final result may differ due to the unique forms and colours of each flower.

By allowing yourself the freedom to explore different designs, you give space to creativity and potentially discover arrangements that you hadn't initially considered. Experimenting with design also provides the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from them, enhancing your floral arrangement skills.

6. Securing Your Bouquet

  • Once satisfied, secure the bouquet using string and tape for extra hold.

  • Place it in a vase to maintain its shape.

Secure the stems with string or floral tape, leaving enough length at the end for final trimming. Finally, give your bouquet a good drink of water and store it in a cool, dark place overnight to maintain freshness and vibrancy. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't worry if your first attempt isn't perfect. The main thing is that it's uniquely yours and made with love

The benefits of making your own bridal bouquet

Creating your own bridal bouquet can be a rewarding experience both financially and emotionally, adding a personal touch to your special day. Here are the common benefits of creating it yourself:

  1. Cost-Effectiveness: Save on professional florist fees.

  2. Personal Touch: Customise to your exact taste.

  3. Creative Expression: Express your personality and creativity.

  4. Memorable Experience: Create lasting memories during the DIY process.

  5. Learning Opportunity: Acquire new skills in floral arrangement.

  6. Unique Outcome: Achieve a one-of-a-kind bouquet that's entirely yours.

How to source flowers for your DIY bridal bouquet using Stem Story

  1. Select a colour palette that suits your wedding theme on Stem Story.

  2. Use the flower calculator on Stem Story to determine the number of stems needed.

  3. Schedule a delivery day; ideally 2 days before the wedding for fresh flowers.

  4. Once delivered, condition your flowers as per Stem Story’s tutorials to ensure they remain fresh until the big day.

  5. Utilise Stem Story’s easy-to-follow tutorials to arrange your flowers into a beautiful bouquet.

With Stem Story, sourcing and arranging your DIY wedding flowers is simplified, making it a viable option for budget-friendly yet beautiful wedding bouquets.

FAQs

How To Make A DIY Wedding Bouquet (With Video) | Stem Story (2024)

FAQs

Is it cheaper to make your own wedding bouquets? ›

On average, you can save between 50 and 60% with making your wedding flowers versus having them done.

How to make a wedding bouquet on a budget? ›

If your bridal bouquet is something simple that you can handle, you'll almost always save money if you use fresh flowers. Use flowers that are IN SEASON. Not only will you pay out the kazoo for flowers when they're out of season, but they'll also never look as good as they do when they're in season.

How many days before the wedding should I make the bouquet? ›

The best time to arrange your flowers for the wedding is the day before. As long as the flowers will be kept in water weather it's in a vase filled with water, floral foam soaked with water, or a bouquet that has been wrapped but the stems are left in a few inches of water, they will hold up overnight without issue.

How many types of flowers should be in a bridal bouquet? ›

It all depends on the kind of bouquet you want. It can be a single type flower bridal bouquet or a mixed flower one. A mixed bouquet is one that has one or more types of flowers. You can make it with 2 or 20 different types.

How do you make a cheap bouquet look expensive? ›

The best way to make a bouquet look expensive is to mix different kinds of flowers together. Try arranging it so you have a consistent mix of smaller buds, larger focal blooms, and plenty of greenery to frame them.

Is $1000 enough for wedding flowers? ›

I usually suggest a minimum of $300 and upwards of $1,000. Unless you're getting married in a church, most ceremonies last no more than 30 minutes nowadays. Take your time frame into consideration when you're designing your ceremony flowers.

Is it tacky to use fake flowers in a wedding bouquet? ›

Using fake flowers or plants for a wedding is not tacky at all as long as you select high-quality artificial plants that look just as natural as the real ones. In fact, high-quality faux plants or flowers can even make your wedding appear more elegant while stretching the dollar.

How do you keep a homemade wedding bouquet fresh? ›

Make sure you keep your flowers in a cool, dark place until you're ready to use them. Also, keep them away from vented areas or rooms with a strong draft. Cut flowers will wilt just as readily under direct air as they will sunlight. Even once they're cut, it's very important to keep your flowers hydrated.

What size should a bridal bouquet be? ›

Balancing portability and eye-catching detail, standard bridal bouquets are typically 11”-13” in diameter and work well in a variety of shapes, from round to cascading.

How do you structure a wedding bouquet? ›

As you put together stems in your hands, start with a base and then add in larger, focal flowers. Then, continue to add smaller flowers and greenery, balancing the design as you build. Once you've constructed a bouquet you love, snip the stems to trim them back and wrap the entire bouquet with a rubber band.

How many stems are in a bridal bouquet? ›

How Many Flowers Do I Need to Make a Bouquet?
ArrangementMixed Bouquet (Focal Flower, Secondary Flower, Filler, and Greens)
Stem Count for Small Arrangement10 Stems
Stem Count for Medium Arrangement18-20 Stems
Stem Count for Large Arrangement25-30 Stems

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