I Did My Own Wedding Flowers for Under £200. Here's Exactly How.
Let me start by saying I did a LOT of DIY for my wedding. And I mean a lot. But if there's one thing I'd tell every bride considering the DIY route, it's this: do your own flowers. Seriously. I know that sounds terrifying. It really isn't.
Now before I go any further, I want to be clear about something. I have enormous respect for florists. Wedding flowers can cost thousands of pounds and I completely understand why, the skill, the time, the sourcing, the expertise. If a florist is in your budget and it's not something you want to tackle yourself, absolutely go for it, there's a reason wedding flowers are such a staple in a wedding budget. But if flowers feel out of reach financially, or like me you just want to add as many personal touches as possible and this feels like one you could take on, I promise you it is far less intimidating than you think.
I've now done my own flowers for two weddings. My own intimate dinner for twenty, and our larger wedding celebration afterwards. Both times I came away thinking the same thing; I'm so glad I did that!
Here's exactly how I did it, what I made, and what it cost me.
What I actually made
For my wedding I made my own bridal bouquet, two smaller bridesmaid bouquets, eight buttonholes, and filled an entire long dining table with individual bud vases scattered from one end to the other. For both flowers and supplies all in, the whole lot cost me under £200.
The shopping list
You don't need much. Genuinely.
- Bunches of filler flowers from M&S (yes, really!)
- A few showstopper stems from a local florist for the wow factor
- Flower tape
- Two large buckets to keep everything fresh in water overnight
- Twine and raffia for wrapping
- Bud vases in a mix of heights and widths
- Buttonhole pins
- Sharp scissors
The M&S secret
Here's the thing nobody tells you. You don't need to buy all your flowers from one place. M&S sells gorgeous bunches of roses, gypsophila, greenery and filler flowers that look genuinely luxurious. Buy several bunches of those as your base, and then visit a florist for just a handful of real showstopper blooms, the ones with drama, unusual shapes, beautiful colour pops. You don't need too many. A few special stems amongst the M&S flowers and the whole thing looks like it cost a fortune.
When to make them
The afternoon before your wedding. Get everything made, then put it all straight into buckets of water overnight to keep everything fresh and perfect for the morning. They'll be absolutely perfect by the time you need them. The flowers were also still in pristine condition the day after our wedding so you could possibly do them 2 days before the wedding, but the day before is most ideal to guarantee freshness.
One tip nobody mentions (and I fell victim to on my button holes) is to wait until the morning of the wedding to add your twine, ribbon or whatever you're wrapping over the tape on your bouquet. Do it the night before and you'll end up with a soggy bouquet. Trust me on this one.
The bouquet trick nobody tells you
If you want a round, structured bouquet, don't try to build it alone. Get someone else to hold it for you. Pop a stem in. Ask them to twist their hand lightly. Pop another in. Twist again. Keep going, varying the heights, building outwards. It sounds almost too simple. It works every time.
I had family helping me the afternoon before the wedding and we just sat down and got on with it. Surrounded by flowers, a bit of music on, it was really grounding and brought me a sense of calm in what was a super busy build up to the big day. The whole thing took just under 2 hours.
The bud vase table
I bought a mix of bud vases, filled each one with a small handful of mixed flowers and scattered them along the full length of the dining table. No two were the same which was quite fun to make. It looked abundant and considered and genuinely beautiful, and anyone who wasn't involved in helping asked who did the flowers.
And afterwards, dry your bouquet
This is the tip I didn't know I needed until I did it. After the wedding, hang your bouquet upside down in a cool dry place and leave it. We went away on a mini-moon for a week after our wedding so I hung my bouquet from clothing hangers in the bathroom. Within week it had dried into something completely different and completely beautiful. If you have an airing cupboard, that's the perfect spot for it but I live in a flat and didn't have that luxury but the bathroom worked just as well. Mine bouquet looks nothing like it did on the day, the colours have changed, the textures have shifted, but I love it just as much. It lives in my living room now and every time I look at it I'm right back there.
If you've never considered drying your wedding bouquet, consider this your sign.
The honest truth
I'm not a trained florist. I just have an eye for what looks good and I trusted myself. You probably do too, even if you don't know it yet. Flowers are forgiving. If something doesn't look right, take it out. If you need more height, add it. There are no rules and there is no wrong answer.
Honestly? I'm just really proud I did it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, and I saved an absolute fortune in the process!
At Milestone Moments we're big believers in doing things yourself when it brings you joy, and knowing when to treat yourself when it doesn't. More DIY bride stories coming soon.