Ask Liz: Flower DIY, FTW?

Photo: Studio EMP Flowers: Ixora Floral Studio

Dear Liz, 

We’re planning a wedding for 150 guests at a hotel, and we’re trying to keep our costs down. I’ve done floral arrangements at my church, and I want to make the centerpieces and bouquets for my wedding. I’m planning to keep them small, simple and pretty, so it’ll be okay. I want to make sure that I’m not missing anything, though. Is there anything else I need to think about if I’m going to to DIY my flowers?

Signed, 

Floral Frenzy

Dear Frenzy,

Yes – finding a florist you can afford. No, seriously. One of the biggest wedding planning myths is that DIY’ing your wedding is easy enough to pull of and it’s the best way save both money and the stress that comes with spending that money. That is usually not true. I wrote about this on  Huffington Post a while ago. Flowers are a good example. You can’t just purchase the exact amount flowers you need for 15 vases, you have to buy  way more than that as back-up for when something design-wise goes wonky. And it always does, even if you’re a professional (Ask any professional). You have to buy all the containers and vases for them, and store them somewhere until you fill them. You have to store the flowers – enough for 15 centerpieces and however many bouquets and personal flowers you’re making – in a cool, cold space before you work on them, so they stay fresh and don’t wilt. Where is that going to be? You have to keep the finished pieces in a big enough space until you take them to the venue. How do you get them safely over there? You need a large enough car or van to transport them  to the venue. And then someone needs to place them on the tables once they get over there.

I’m not trying to be snarky or mean, but you should be aware of what this is going to involve in the weeks leading up to your wedding. Although you have made floral arrangements for your church, now you’re working in bulk, and you don’t know how to do this efficiently with a hassle minimum. You just don’t.  You’ll be working by trial and error, and that’s never a good time.  Yes, you can figure this all out, but it’s not going to be cheap or fun. And, it’s going to take up a lot of time and energy. Don’t drive yourself crazy. That’s my advice.

Find a florist who can give you what you want, at a price you can afford. If you are thinking about very simple arrangements – small, one kind of (IN-SEASON) flowers, start with a local florist in your neighborhood. Find examples of what you want online or on Pinterest and bring those pictures with you, Be very specific about what you want, so they can be specific about what is possible. Ask them if you can bring in your own vases to put your personal spin on the pieces, and if that would affect the price. Labor is still involved on their part, regardless, so that could be a “No,” but there’s no harm in asking.

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events

Fill out the contact form on the right, and I’ll get back to you ASAP so we can talk about your wedding, or you can contact me directly at
liz@silvercharmevents.com or call/text 323-592-9318