How to Make Paper Flowers for a Wedding Bouquet
Did you know that the average bridal bouquet costs around $200? And with a large chunk of that price (around 30 percent to be exact) coming from labor costs, there’s no question that creating your own bouquet could potentially save you some big bucks. Not a floral expert? No worries. With these flower arranging tips and a little practice, a picture-perfect DIY bridal bouquet is totally doable. Watch the video below to learn how to make three on-trend bouquets, then read on for some need-to-know tips.
5 Tips for Ordering, Arranging + Caring for Wedding Flowers
1. Choose In-Season Blooms
To ensure your bouquet features only the freshest, prettiest blooms, choose flowers that are in season in your area. In-season flowers will also cost less because they don’t have to be shipped in from another locale. For example, sunflowers will cost significantly less in the summer and early fall than in the winter when their natural growing season is over. But if you absolutely MUST have sunflowers during the off-season, just be aware that they will cost a little more and may not be as lush and pretty as normal.
Liz Gray
2. Know How to Order
Put in your flower order with a local grower, grocery store or florist at least two months in advance and order 20 percent more than you think you need. This allows for broken stems and mistakes you might make along the way. Arrange for a pick-up date of two to three days before the event to ensure your flowers are at their absolute freshest. (See itemized order lists for each bouquet at the bottom of this post.)
3. Take Care
As soon as you get your flowers home, re-cut the stems with very sharp garden pruners and place in buckets of fresh, room-temperature water to keep them hydrated and healthy. Store in a dark, cool place, like a basement or hallway, until ready to use.
4. Learn Arranging Basics
Photo: Liz Gray, Design: Morgan Faulkner
Carve out time the day before your wedding to assemble your bridal bouquet. Before arranging, give each flower a quick quality check, removing brown petals and stripping the stems of all unnecessary foliage.
Arrange your bouquet from the inside out, starting with feature flowers like hydrangea and roses first, then adding smaller blooms as you go. Finish your bouquet with a ring of greenery around the edge and a few sprigs of greenery dispersed throughout.
Stand in front of a floor-length mirror with your bouquet to check your progress along the way. If featured blooms aren’t as prominent as you’d like, tease them out by grabbing the bloom with three fingers and gently pulling it up and out into a more visible position.
Tightly wrap stems just below the blooms with wired twine or waterproof floral tape, then cut stems flat for a clean look.
5. Store It Right
Photo: Liz Gray, Design: Morgan Faulkner
Place your finished bouquet in a vase of fresh water and store in a cool (not freezing) location. If you’re storing it in the refrigerator, place it toward the front of the fridge out of range of any cold air seeping in from the freezer.
A few hours before the ceremony, take the bouquet out of the water and wrap with a decorative element like satin ribbon or lace, leaving about one inch of stem showing below the wrapping. Place in a vase filled with just enough water to cover the bottom of the stems, being careful not to soak the wrapping.
When it’s time to say “I Do,” take the bouquet out of water and dab stems lightly with a paper towel to prevent water from dropping on your dress.
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