DIY Project for the masses!

Any budget bride will know that DIY (do-it-yourself) projects save a ton of money...most of the time.  While there are several tasks that you should let the professionals handle (i.e. Cake, Wedding Dress etc...) I'm going to discuss an idea that will actually make sense, save money and be a fun project for you and your family, friends/bridesmaids etc.

When I met with the in-house wedding coordinator for my venue, she gave me some excellent advice.  So good in fact, I will share with you time and time again.  She said...one thing to remember the most is to spend good money on a professional photographer and that's about it.  Her reasoning...at the end of the day, the music has stopped, the guests have left (some even without their favors), the food is eaten and the flowers are wilted.  All you will have remaining is the memories as captured through your photography (and videography, obviously). 

Flowers, to me, seem like a wedding staple.  I mean, centerpieces...decorations...and BOUQUETS!  It's apparent that most, if not all weddings will have some elements of flowers.  Do me a favor.  Ask any bride you know about how much they spent on flowers and if they think, in reflection and memory, if the flowers they purchased were worth it. The answer is, unless you have a botonist bride, will be NO.  Personally, I have opted to try and use the beauty of my venue, bring in candles (that can be used again or sold to another bride later), and keep my flowers to a minimum because although I love flowers and think it would make for an amazing setting - I ultimately decided that I can do without them (for the most part).

One thing that every bride couldn't and shouldn't live without is a beautiful bridal bouquet.  Also, how fun is it for your bridesmaids to be carrying them down the aisle as well to match!  Many brides and bridesmaids alike will end up preserving the flowers in a memory book or something of the like, so it's not something you should do without. 

Bridal bouquets can cost upward of $100 dollars, well into $250.  To me, that just seems outrageous.  First and foremost, you may be selecting flowers that are typically more expensive, or have to be specialy grown (think, seasonality) and in addition to the actual flowers and mark up, you will be paying your florist for the creative design as well as the labor that goes into creating the arrangement.

Here is an idea for you and your girls to do a night or two before the wedding and save a ton of money doing so!  A DIY Bridal Bouquet. 

What you will need:

1. A variet of flowers (unless you are doing something like all red roses which is also very pretty and easy to boot!)

2. Scissors or pruning sheers (scissors work JUST fine - just make sure it's a good pair)

3. Floral Wire (can be purchased at a local craft store or probably from a flower shop too)

4. Floral Tape (again...see above)

5. Ribbon, twine, lace or anything you'd like to wrap your bouquet in to make it personal to you, your style, your colors, theme etc

6.  Glue Gun or Pins to secure the decorative piece around the stems.

7. Charms, gems, glitter (totally optional!)

8. A water bottle (to spray the bouquet when done)

9. Jar or somewhere to store the bouquet in water, and/or preferably a refridgerator to keep them chilled before the wedding

Now are you ready - let's get started.

Step one:  Preparation

Now that you have your materials ready and together in front of you.  Cut the stems of your flowers at a 45 degree angle at the bottom (ideally under water) so they are nice and ready to begin.  Also, remove thorns and foliage off of the stem (you'll need a nice clean stem to wrap in later steps).

Step two: Create a base

Start with two or three of your favorite (and preferably some of the larger flowers you're working with) as your base.  Wrap those two or three flowers together with some floral tape to keep them together as you begin to add on.  This will help you hold the bouquet as you work to add flowers around the base.

Step three: Continue to build

Keep selecting flowers to wrap around the base flowers you've created.  While holding the bouquet in your left (or right) hand, use your other hand to add the flowers as you go, rotating the bouquet around and keeping an eye on the blooms (not the stems).  Keep in mind that you want to keep crossing the stems so that eventually they are all crossed (again this will help hold them together).

Step four: Build to preferable size

Depending on the bouquet size you want, you'll continue to add blooms until you've reached the desired size.  Also, when adding the blooms and turning your bouquet as you go, continue to add flowers lower each time to make a rounded effect.  Wrap with floral tape as you go to secure flowers in arrangment.

Step five:  Decorate

When your bouquet has reached the desired size and you are ready to finish it off, wrap the stems firmly with floral tape to really secure it as a whole.  Then, use pins (at top and bottom) or hot glue to secure a ribbon that you wrap around the base.  At this time you can add charms or any additional pieces you would like to really personalize your bouquet.

Step six: Finishing touches

When done, cut the stems at the bottom so they are all the same size and even on the bottom.  Spray the bouquet with a light mist of water and put in a jar (tips in water) and store some place cool (your fridge).  Make sure to keep the bouquet away from the fridge racks or sides otherwise you may cause your flowers to brown or wilt.

Now that you have the perfect bouquet, saved probably $100, have a great memory of doing this...go have some fun, or relax and get married!!

Here is an awesome book by my favorite, The Knot that can help give you some idea of planning your wedding flower bouquet!

And some others, if you didn't like that one!

As you try this, please feel free to post your experiences, or any other fun ideas you may have for other brides.  Finished pictures are encouraged!!