Maybe it was ambitious, but it was totally achievable... when I told people that I was doing my own flowers for the wedding most of them asked me if it was wise! At first, I came up with the idea after I visited a florist and was told that an initial consultation would be £25. I thought it was an unreasonable charge just to have a brief chat and did some research into how I could achieve my vision myself and found it to be relatively simple. You don't have to be particularly experienced in floristry, as long as what you want is not too complicated, and you have the time and confidence to do it on your own. Florists are artists in their own rights and sometimes the right decision may be to have a professional handle your occasion, but if you want something simple is fairly easy to learn how to make a hand-tied bouquet and simple basket arrangements, and even boutonnieres.
In the end, doing my own flowers was a decision made for both the experience as well as budget.
I decided that I would make boutonnieres from artificial flowers to save myself time closer to the wedding day and also to create mementos that would last for my wedding party.
My first move was to try making hand-tied bouquets using cheap supermarket bought flowers, learning from videos on the internet. They're great for instructions and valuable tips. When I was sure that I could make a bouquet quickly and easily, I contacted a wholesale florist to ask about what I would need. My florist was great - all I needed to let them know was that I needed enough flowers for a hand-tied bridal bouquet, two hand-tied bridesmaids' bouquets, and seven medium-sized basket centerpieces; my colourscheme (vintage or dusky pinks), and the flowers I wanted to use: roses, stocks, ferns (leatherleaf). They suggested the variety and quantity, as well as greenery and other flowers that would complement my arrangements.
The flowers are bought at auction in Holland on your behalf and shipped directly to you.
I was thrilled when my boxes of flowers arrived by morning courier. They
were tightly packed and needed to be conditioned straight away to ensure that they were were at their best (delivered and conditioned on a Thursday for a Saturday wedding). Conditioning mainly involves unpacking the flowers carefully, then cutting at least an inch off the stem at right angles with a sharp knife. Foliage below the waterline must be removed, and the guard petals from the roses can also be carefully removed. I then sorted the flowers into clean buckets with lukewarm water and flower food.
I found the stocks the most delicate to handle, while the freesia needed coaxing to flower as they cam tightly budded. The roses and white stallion chrysanthemums, along with the greenery are easy! It took about 2 hours to condition my flowers.
Our little flat turned into a flower shop. I loved the fragrance, just the thing to help de-stress before the wedding! My rose varieties were 'Aqua Girl' (light pink) and 'Sweet Avalanche' (delicate vintage pink).
On Friday, I spent about 3 hours arranging my flowers into the bouquets and centerpieces. I had plenty of flowers and foliage, enough to make a tossing bouquet and an additional centrepiece for the registry table.
I really loved the experience of being my own wedding florist.
