DIY Wedding Bouquet

When planning my wedding and pricing everything out, I knew that I was going to DIY my own flowers. Not only do I love being creative, but I also love saving thousands of dollars. Seriously, not hiring a florist is going to save us thousands!

I felt confident about making the centerpieces and other decorations, but I was a little nervous on how creating my own bouquet would work out. I thought that since they were so expensive to order from a florist that they must be super hard to create. Not the case at all! They can be super simple and CHEAP!

My specific taste tends to be very whimsical, relaxed, ethereal and boho-chic. I love pairing different textures, playing with accent colors and using effortless, flow-y finishing touches. Luckily for me, this was quite easy to emulate in a bouquet.

Now, if you are more into classic, rounded and streamline bouquets, this tutorial should at least give you an idea of how easy it is to DIY your bouquet!

DIY Bouquet – Less than $15

While purchasing Trader Joe’s car snacks for our engagement photo session trip, I fell in love with the new floral display. Trader Joes just replaced all of their wintry plants and wreaths with tons of flowers and greenery. I immediately thought, “What if I turned all of this into a bouquet?!” If I failed, it would at least be a great arrangement of flowers for a vase.

Luckily, this spontaneous project turned into a success!

This EASY bouquet tutorial is best for boho, whimsical looks. I am definitely not a florist, but I love any opportunity to save money where I can!

Note: The original bouquet was created in my car on the way to our engagement shoot up north. (Nothing like last minute inspiration!) I probably wouldn’t create a bouquet on the way to a wedding, but it’s doable… :-p Thankfully, my fiance is used to my random projects, so he didn’t mind the car mess. hehe! The day after the shoot, I dissembled the bouquet to create this tutorial. 

Spiral Eucalyptus – $2.49  |  Silver Dollar Eucalyptus – $2.49  |  Wax Flower – $3.49  |  Alstroemeria – $4.99

Materials I used:

• Greenery Fillers – I went with spiral & silver dollar eucalyptus. Seeded eucalyptus would look dreamy as well! (my Trader Joes didn’t have any. sad face.)
• Floral Filler – I used white wax flowers. They almost appear to have pine needles on them, it added a great texture with the other greenery! (fun fact: I can’t stand baby’s breath. Sorry baby’s breath lovers. Wax flower for the win!)
• Main Flower/Flowers – I chose peachy-orange alstroemeria. These flowers are not only super cheap, but they last forever! I love how they can feel boho and wildflower-like when paired with all of these greenery textures.
• Ribbon (optional) – I used champagne and wine colored ribbon that was wrapped around Christmas gifts we received over the years. (Thanks, Grandma!)
• Floral Cutters – I used kitchen sheers. The struggle was real with the woodier stems of the wax flowers, but I survived.
• Floral Tape/Rubber Bands – I used the rubber bands that came with each bunch. Floral tape sounded like an extra trip in the car and more money spent, so I just improvised.

Step 1: Cut/Trim all the leaves off of your main floral stems. I ended up keeping the leaves closest to the actual flower on the other stems for added greenery. That, and when I tried trimming all the leaves off of this floral stem, one flower actually fell off. woopsie! Did I mention I’m not a florist?

Note: I did not cut stem length until the entire bouquet was assembled. That way, I could adjust the height of whatever I wanted within the bouquet before committing to a certain length. 

Step 2: Gather a handful bunch of your filler flower. I arranged mine to have the taller pieces tapper off to the right as pictured.

Step 3: Add in greenery accent pieces in. I added in spiral eucalyptus stems and more filler flowers to create more greenery volume.

Step 4: Grab a large handful bunch of your main flower. Luckily, alstroemeria looks very voluminous when bunched  This step took literally no skill! I just grabbed the flowers and added them to the bouquet.

Note: for a more rounded bouquet, you can add equal bunches of your main flower all the way around. I was going for a more boho-like, flatter bouquet (if that’s a thing). I placed the majority of my main floral in the front and pushed some stems higher in the back. However, I still added some alstroemeria to the back of the bouquet!

Step 5: Add in your main greenery. I used silver dollar eucalyptus. This specific greenery is super easy to use! I just placed different stems to balance the overall look of the bouquet. The more droopy stems were placed in front to cascade a bit. The taller stems were placed in the back to frame the center of the bouquet.

Step 6: Make any additional changes before securing your bouquet. It helps to take a picture of the finished bouquet and look at it from a different perspective. Once you are happy with your design, secure your bouquet! Floral tape works well, but I didn’t have any on hand (in my car haha), so I ended up using the rubber bands that came with the bouquet.

Step 7: Cut your stems to desired length once bouquet is secure. Maybe this should have been one of the first steps, however I did not want to commit to the length until I knew how the overall bouquet looked. That, and I definitely liked having the freedom to adjust the height of certain stems within the bouquet.

Then, Voila! A $15, dreamy bouquet that will save you $$$!

Because of this Bouquet, you can go to Hawaii instead of San Diego. You can sleep on 1200 thread count sheets instead of 250. Endless possibilities :-p

Best wishes to you and your wedding!

               

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