When doing your own wedding flowers it’s important to make you take the time to plan and organize your flower strategy properly. You’ll need to figure out exactly what types of floral arrangements and bouquets you want to create, what you can achieve with your budget, and what the best flowers for your arrangement are.
We’ve teamed up with bulk online wedding flower suppliers and sponsor, Blooms by the Box, to provide a guidelines wedding flower timeline to help you tackle all of the important things to keep in mind when planning and ordering DIY flowers for your wedding.
Your DIY Wedding Flower Timeline
Your DIY Wedding Flower Timeline:
3-6 Months Before the Wedding
- Decide if DIY is Right for You: DIY isn’t for everyone, but it’s an opportunity for you to create the bouquet of your dreams, on your budget. If you’re up for it, you can cut that cost by more than half by taking on the responsibilities of a professional florist and creating your own arrangements with DIY flowers.
READ: Watch out for these 10 DIY wedding flower mistakes - Confirm Your Budget: Work out an estimate of the total funds you’ll have, who will be paying for what and how much can you realistically afford. Once you have an overall budget, figure out what elements are most important to you as a couple. This will allow you to decide where you can cut costs and what to splurge on!
- Get Inspired: Find photos of wedding bouquets and centerpieces you like, what flowers will achieve the look you’re going for, and pick your color palette. Remember, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of trendy weddings on Pinterest, but at the end of the day your personal style and taste is what matters most for your special day.
READ: Check out the 15 most durable (and pretty much fool proof) DIY wedding flowers here. -
Consult A Professional: Contact someone with floral experience (for example, Blooms by the Box’s friendly floral experts are available to help with any of your floral needs). Ask them what will be in season, how much you should order given the number of arrangements you want to make, and inquire about any cost-effective alternatives to your wish list.
READ: Learn how to save on wedding flowers with these clever hacks - Create your flower project master list:
- Write down all the types of arrangements which you’ll be creating yourself and how many you’ll need of each. Eg: 5 x bridesmaid bouquets, 2 x flower girl crowns, 10 centerpieces, 6 boutonnieres, etc
- Determine the exact types and numbers of flowers used in each project to give you the total number of each bloom you’ll need to order. Does this amount fall within your budget?
- Work out a time estimate needed to create each arrangement. Then calculate how long it will take in total to create all of the projects that you have planned on. Now, look at your wedding day timeline, and determine if this is this a realistic goal? You’ll likely discover that you’ll need some help. Figure out who you’ll ask to help you, and when you’ll need their help.
- Create your DIY wedding flower project plan, including:
- who will be responsible for which arrangements
- where you will store the supplies
- where the arranging will be done
- who will transport the supplies
- by when each individual should have their respective arrangements ready
- where the completed arrangements will be stored
- how they will be transported to the venue, and
- who will set the arrangements up at the venue.
- Review Everything: Now that you have all of the research and information you need, finalize your flower wish list and figure out exactly how much you want to order and throw in a little extra.
- Read Articles & Watch Tutorials: Learn everything you can about flower care and design over the next few weeks! See if there are any tutorials for recreating the arrangement you want or tips on making your flowers last.
READ: Learn how to create a DIY hand tied garden bouquet - Consider a DIY wedding flower practice run with the people who will be helping you.
3 Weeks Before the Wedding
- Place Your Order: It’s time to place your order! Since flowers are greatly affected by natural factors, ordering at least 2-3 weeks in advance will give you some notice if anything is suddenly in or out of season. Remember to select a delivery date of 2 days before your event so you have time to rehydrate and prep.
- Prep your helpers: Print and give (or whatsapp) each person a picture of what you want each finished arrangement to look like, along with detailed instructions.
2 Days Before the Wedding
- Get Your Supplies Ready: When your flowers arrive, they’re going to be tired and thirsty from their travels. Make sure you have all of the necessary supplies to care for them. This means plenty of buckets and access to fresh water, a cool space to keep them, and essential tools like floral scissors.
READ: Guide to DIY Wedding Flower Supplies + Tools - Prep Your Flowers: Your flowers are here! Unbox them immediately and begin cutting the stems at a sharp 45-degree angle. Pull off any low hanging leaves and place them in buckets of fresh water, let them rehydrate for at lest 6 hours before you start arranging, letting the sit overnight would be ideal.
READ: 11 Tips for Preparing and Storing DIY wedding flowers
1 Day Before the Wedding
- Make Your Arrangements: Your flowers should be bloomed and beautiful by now! Gather your family and friends and start arranging all of your centerpieces and bouquets. Be sure to keep the arrangements in shallow water overnight.
The Day of The Wedding
- One Last Thing: Transport the finished arrangements to your venue and hand out the bouquets and boutonnieres to your bridal party. Now pat yourself on the back and enjoy the beautiful arrangements you made for your special day!
DOWNLOAD THE ULTIMATE DIY WEDDING FLOWER CHECKLIST HERE
Purchase your DIY wedding flowers and supplies online here: Blooms by the Box.
WEDDING FLOWER TUTORIALS:
Easy Fall Burgundy, Cream + Peach DIY Wedding Boutonniere Tutorial
Sweet + Simple Lavender Mint & White DIY Wedding Centerpiece Tutorial
MORE HELPFUL WEDDING FLOWER RESOURCES
Wedding Flower Dictionary:
- White Wedding Flowers Guide: Types of White Flowers, Names, Seasons + Pics
- Purple Wedding Flower Names and Seasons
- Types of Yellow Wedding Flowers, Names and Info
- Greenery for Weddings + Green Wedding Flower Names
- Pink Wedding Flowers Guide: Types of Pink Flowers, Names, Seasons + Pics
Wedding Flower DIY:
- Learn how to create a DIY hand tied garden bouquet
- See how to make an easy babys breath boutonniere
- Get flower names + recipes for bouquets and centerpieces