Planning a wedding is hard. There is so much more to think about than you initially thought when you started out- from the vows, readings, music, food and drink, to the pretty things like dresses, decorations and favours (not to mention the guest list!). It all unfortunately comes at a pretty price too!
It certainly is tempting to DIY many aspects of the day in order to save money… perhaps you have a friend that takes great pictures (for the record I always recommend hiring a pro for this!), or a relative who can bake. It’s worth remembering though, that what you might save in cash, you definitely won’t save in time and effort.
The flowers are something that many folks try to DIY and the results can be great… or awful. Now obviously being a wedding florist, I could go on all day about why you should just book a professional, but you might want to have a go yourself and that’s cool; so here are my top tips for DIYing the flowers:
Do…
get the bouquets and buttonholes made by a professional florist. These will be seen in every picture and are vital accessories for your outfit. A perfect bouquet is fiddly and time consuming to create.
Don’t…
plan anything too complicated. Simple jars of flowers are best if you lack experience. For anything more involved, see a professional.
Do…
get your florist to supply you with the flowers for bits you are making yourself. This way, you can be sure they will be of high quality and match the flowers being used for the bridal party, but will cost you less because you’re cutting down on labour.
Don’t…
buy your flowers from a supermarket. The chances of walking in and finding what you’re looking for are practically nil.
Do…
leave enough time the day before to make the flowers and enlist helpers for the morning of the wedding. It all takes longer than you think and the last thing you want to be doing is running around setting up on the big day.
Don’t…
try to DIY your flowers unless you are confident you have the time and patience for it. It’s a time critical job and you may prefer to spend the day before the wedding relaxing with your family.
Do…
be prepared to get your hands dirty (literally). Flowers are messy and wet and your fingers will end up rather green… make the flowers up before your get your nails done!
Don’t…
try to use flowers that require time to bloom fully. It can be very hard to predict how long things like peonies, lilies and freesias will need to open and this is best left to a florist who knows what conditions are best and how to control the blooming of the flowers.
Do…
spend some time figuring out how you’ll transport the flowers to the venue. You’ll need to make sure everything is well packed so they don’t get damaged, won’t fall over and don’t get water everywhere.
Don’t…
expect it to be that cheap (sorry!). You’re likely to need a lot more flowers than you’ve ever bought before, and that costs money, regardless of whether you are paying a pro for their time and expertise.
And for more advice on planning your flowers, check out these posts about prices and how to get the best from your florist.