DIYing Your Wedding Florals? Here are some common mistakes to avoid!

Photo by Rosendhal Photography

Are you DIYing your florals for your wedding, or having someone DIY them for you? Here are some common pitfalls I see DIYers make, so you can avoid them and make sure everything goes smoothly.

Not having a clear plan

A lot of times I see people try and wing it on the DIY, but just like you might write an outline for an essay or a book, it's best to have an outline for what you're planning for your floral. You need to know things like what kind of elements do you want, how many personal florals, how many centerpieces, how many flowers per centerpiece, how many flowers total do you need, etc. It's always best to make a plan before you start.

Taking on work beyond your skill set

The times that I've seen DIY florals turn out really well is when it is within your skill set. So often people take on more than they can handle. Keeping it simple is often best, something like several bud vases on each table with just a few blooms in each vase. If you are looking for complicated and grand and you’ve never done anything like this before, you might consider going with a professional. Their expertise (as well as their time) is really going to make them worth the money.

Assembling on site

At first it seems like a great idea. Flowers wilt, so why not assemble them as close to the event as possible? Turns out it's not such a great idea for many reasons. First of all, the venue will hate you for it because the process actually makes a huge mess. Secondly, you've probably never done this before and don't know how long all the floral will take you and there really is never enough time for everything. Third, you might be in the way of other people trying to set up the venue, people with big tables, chairs, DJ equipment, etc. and you definitely don't want to get in those people's way. I always recommend assembling ahead of time and bringing them to the venue ready to go.

Not having cold storage

Especially if you are having your wedding in the summer time when it's nice and hot, heat equals wilting flowers and the best way to make your flowers look the best for the longest is to keep them in some kind of cold storage.

Not doing any research

The best part of working with a professional florist is all of their knowledge, but if you want to DIY you've got to put in the time to learn what you don't know. What flowers are best for the season? What flowers are going to wilt easily? What flowers are more hearty? What flowers give off a pungent smell? What flowers are harder or easier to source? Doing this kind of research will help you out a lot.

Not thinking about the end of the night

Many venues do not allow you to dispose of your floral on site or some just have a maximum amount of trash that you can leave, so be sure to make a plan. Are you going to take it all home? Ask all of your guests take them home? Are you going to donate it? Compost it?

If you are going to DIY fresh florals for your wedding it will take some planning and preparation and I hope these tips helped.

Happy wedding planning.

Andy <3