Real bouquets Diy?

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... stuff from a wholesale site like 50 flowers or flower moxie, then getting some realistic faux flowers for the arch and stuff like that. Do you think I could pull it off and do bouquets/bouts the night before? If so, any tips?

I have heard of people doing their own flowers. I believe they had to refrigerated them. And they generally still need water. Just be careful and do your research. The last thing you want is to make some beautiful bouquets and centerpieces just to have them all wilting when the wedding starts.

It can be done, but it's quite time intensive (and requires creative talent)! My cousin did all her florals. She ordered bulk from Costco. They arrived 2 days before the wedding. Everything had to be put in water so it wouldn't wilt - her kitchen and living room were lined with buckets full of flowers. They then had to transport everything to the venue the night before and she arranged all the bouquets there (so they wouldn't get damaged in transport). (Tip: make a list of every last item you need, like pins, wire, etc. because it's easy to forget small items and have to go back home to get them). Once done, each arrangement had to be put in a vase of water and stored in the walk-in refrigerator over night. I will say, arranging flowers beautifully is definitely a skill not everyone has! I would suggest practicing beforehand.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for the tips!

View Quoted Comment I forgot to ask, how far in advance did she order?

If you do this, I would definitely make sure to start making practice versions months in advance. That way you either perfect your strategy and have time to learn what you’re doing, or you have time to go a different route if you discover this doesn’t really work for you.

View Quoted Comment That's smart! I'll buy Hobby Lobby flowers that look like my flowers so that I don't have to worry about water or anything for this

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I'd also suggest to buy artificial ones second hand like from offer up or facebook market place. I found some greenery for a steep discount compared to what they are new at hobby lobby. I'm probably going to do some of the florals my self and pay for some. Thus why I'm reading this! haha practicing first is a great suggestion!

View Quoted Comment By this, do you mean loose florals or a whole faux bouquet? And what do you search for?

We diy'd our bouquets with live flowers, and it's definitely doable, depending on how much it actually is. I bought flowers from a nearby farm. We picked them up 2 days before the wedding, made my bouquet and a flower wand for the flower girl the day before, and the bouquets and H's boutonniere the morning of the wedding (the groomsmen didn't get boutonnieres). My bridesmaids were a big help with my bouquet, and they helped each other make bouquets during "getting ready" time. I would recruit help if you can, because it can be a big undertaking to try to do alone, and give yourself lots of time to finish them. If you do them the day before, make it the only thing you do the day before aside from the rehearsal. I read somewhere to plan for about 45 minutes per bouquet. Timing wise, I think it probably took me about 20-30 minutes to do H's boutonniere.

In terms of caring for the flowers, I just had to change the water twice a day (morning and night) and keep them in a cool, dark room (no refrigeration necessary). Keeping the bouquets in water until you need them should help them stay perky. I don't know about the boutonnieres, sorry! Using sturdier flowers and greenery will definitely help.

The most helpful thing that I read about diy'ing the bouquets was that it's ok to start over. If you don't like the way a bouquet is looking, put the flowers down, and start again. I also think that if you're doing them the night before, you should give yourself permission to not be exact. You don't want to get hung up on one bouquet because the greenery wasn't sitting exactly the way you want it and end up staying up all night. In the end, they will be something that you made (or you and your closest friends/family), and that's something you can be proud of.

View Quoted Comment Thank you! May I ask what kinds of flowers you used?

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Oh gees, I'm bad with the names. We got what was in season, so lots of zinnias, a couple of dahlias, cosmos, and celosia are the ones that I know. I was more interested in color than flower type, so I got several different types of flowers that matched my color palette. As far as greenery, I know that we got basil and sage (because I knew how they smelled). I loved having the basil, but it was definitely one of the first things to wilt. I would just put it in the middle of the bouquet so that the other things can help to hold it in. The sage lasted longer. We definitely had other things, but I can't tell you what they were. Here are some pictures in case someone else can identify them. Pretty much everything lasted throughout the day, but we did keep them in vases when we weren't actively holding them for pictures or the ceremony.

View Quoted Comment Okay, thank you! I was asking because I know some flowers are easier to work with than others

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Not a problem at all. Some of the zinnias were more fragile than the others, but I think that they must have opened earlier (?), because other zinnias were perfectly fine. Other than the basil getting wilty, we didn't have any issues with the flowers (at least the ones that I can name) being unwieldy.

View Quoted Comment Okay, good to know