DIY Wedding Flower Guide
Hi There, I’m Angie Zimmerman, the Wedding Flower Diva. I’ve been doing wedding flowers since 1991 and if there is a trick or technique that can make it easy for you to do your own wedding flowers, I’ve included it in my Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Guide.
You see, I know that some of you are really stressing out about your BIG DAY….it can be very expensive to have a nice wedding. But, it doesn’t have to be expensive and I can show you one way to save a lot of money on your wedding flowers…as much as 75% of the cost. REALLY! The national average cost of wedding flowers is $2,000-$3,500. So, that means I can save you between $1,500-$2,600 of that cost! You could use that money saved towards something else you really want, like bar service, or food or the gown you really want or maybe even towards that fun and pretty candy station you so desperately want at your reception.
I’ve had so many brides tell me they are losing sleep over the cost of their ideal wedding flowers. I’ve also seen the results when brides decide to do their own wedding flowers without knowing the right way to do them….I will NEVER forget one wedding I saw where the bride and her bridesmaid made their own tulip bouquets. Tulips are inexpensive and beautiful spring flowers, but they can be extremely difficult to work within a bouquet.
Tulips have a mind of their own and continue to grow even after they have been cut from the bulb. Tulips are both geotropic (effected by gravity) and phototropic (affected by light). Tulips will grow against the downward pull of gravity and towards the light. What this means to YOU is tulips are unpredictable if left on their own.
When I use tulips in a bouquet I often have to wire and tape them to control how they look. This poor bride obviously did not know this and didn’t wire and tape her tulips. The girls all walked in with drooping tulips that looked like they had seen their last day. If only she had known to wire and tape these flowers, their bouquets would have looked so much better!
Do you love calla lily bouquets? They look easy enough to do, but again, there are tips and tricks you need to know so that your flowers look their best for you on your special day
Wouldn’t you like to learn about making your own wedding flower bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres, and centerpieces? I can show you how to make your wedding flowers look like a professional created them. It’s all covered in my Do It Yourself Wedding Flower Guide. If it is not in the workbook, it will be covered in one of the DVDs. You get 5 DVDs all covering different subjects.
The Workbook
The workbook will be covered in one of the Vidoes. You get 5 videos
covering different subjects.
Bonus Resources Video
This is an essential Video because you need to know these things before tackling your own wedding flowers. This is where I show you:
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all the tools you will need
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how to use those tools, so you get perfect results every time
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where to buy those tools
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I show you and discuss different types of ribbons and when and why you would use them to get the best results…some ribbon types are better than others for bouquet wraps, and others are better for making pew/chair end bows.
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I tell you how to get a wholesale/resale license (which is the BEST way to save the MOST money on your flowers and supplies)
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Do you know the difference between bowl tape and corsage tape? I show you the difference and explain how you use each type.
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I show you various types of rose/stem strippers and how to use them; if you misuse them, you can cause damage to the flower stem, which ultimately affects how the flower will hold up for you.
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I show you different types of preservatives and hydrating solutions and how to use them.
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Did you know that there is glue made JUST for flowers? There is, and I show you what it looks like and how to use it.
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Many of the flowers you will use for your wedding will need to be wired and taped…I show you the various sizes and types of wire and show you when you would use the various types and sizes.
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Do you know the difference between a corsage pin and a boutonniere pin? You will when you are done watching this video.
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Maybe you are dreaming of a bouquet with stephanotis in it, and you love the little pearls or rhinestones you’ve seen in the centers…well, I show you how to do that as well. I also show you how to attach a stem to stephanotis because they don’t grow on much of a stem, and you have to give it an artificial stem if you want to use it in a bouquet, corsage, or boutonniere.
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Thinking about using a bouquet holder for your bouquet? Did you know there are many different shapes, sizes, and styles? Again, I show you a variety and explain the difference to you.
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Which are the best flowers to use for corsages, boutonnieres, and bouquets because if you use the wrong type of flower for the corsage, boutonniere, or bouquet, they won’t hold up for you.
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How to process every single flower type (this is another one of those areas that you MUST know and DO if you want your flowers to hold up for you on your special day).
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I show you how to order flowers…flowers are ordered in bunches, and each flower type comes in a different bunch count. If you don’t know the bunch counts, you won’t know how many bunches to order.
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I show you industry secrets to avoid staining your gown with the flowers you just designed; miss doing this step and you risk getting that orange pollen on your gown, hands, linens, or shoes.
Bouquets Video
There are many different styles of bouquets. When I use the word bouquets, I mean the flowers that the bride, maid of honor, bridesmaids, and sometimes the mothers will carry.
Some people refer to these as the “carry bouquets”. I make this distinction because some people use the word bouquet generically to mean any flower arrangement. In this video I provide instructions to make 10 different styles of bouquets as listed below:
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Hand-tied bouquets
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Cascade bouquets
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Crescent bouquets
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Biedermeier bouquets
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Composite bouquets
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Nosegay bouquets
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Tussie-mussie bouquets
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Toss bouquets
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Pomander bouquets (Balls of Flowers on a Ribbon Handle)
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Presentation Bouquets
I show you how to wrap the stems of a hand-tied bouquet with a ribbon treatment and then show you variations which include a ballerina wrap and how to use decorative pins to bump up the look of your bouquet handle. I show you how to bind your stems together so that they stay together and maintain the shape you create.
Many brides like to add orchids to their bouquets with Cymbidium Orchids being the most popular. Those orchids MUST be wired and taped … of course, I show you how to do that! Did you know that there are reasons why you would carry a cascade bouquet vs. a hand-tied bouquet, besides personal taste? Well, there is and, of course, I talk about that with you in the video.
In the end, I always say do what you like, but professional opinions are still shared with you. I show you how to dress up the back of a cascade bouquet, which is the part that YOU see. I show you how to soak bouquet holders and how to make the bouquet holder stationary while you are working on the bouquet.
You are going to learn so much about making bouquets, that you will be the go-to girl for all your friends when they get married and want to save a ton of money. Pomanders are SO POPULAR, not necessarily for the bride and the bridesmaids but for the flower girls and as centerpieces. You will learn what to do so that these balls of flowers don’t fall apart on you and they will if you don’t reinforce them!
Corsages & Boutonniere Video
In this video and workbook section, I discuss which flowers are best for this type of use….corsages and boutonnieres don’t have a water source, per se…so it is really important that you know what you are doing with these or they WILL wilt and fade away on you.
I share with you which filler flowers work best for corsages and boutonnieres. I show you how to wire and tape the following flowers:
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Roses
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Spray roses/baby roses
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Mini calla lilies
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Dendrobium orchids
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Freesia
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Hypericum berry
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Stephanotis
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And I group all other flowers into categories so you know which model to use for wiring and taping that particular type of flowers…because they are NOT all wired and taped the same way!
You’ll learn when is the best time to make these and how to store them before you’re ready to use them. I don’t recommend doing all of this the night before your wedding….you can, and for the flowers, it might be ideal, but for you, it is probably the WORST time to do this.
You don’t want to be stressed out the night before your wedding wondering if everything is going to turn out okay and will you get it all done in time. You want to be enjoying your rehearsal dinner and getting a good night's sleep the night before your wedding, don’t you?
I give you a timeline to get it all done and still be able to relax and have fun the night before your wedding! In the end, you will learn how to put together both corsages and boutonnieres, including corsage bows. I show you how to make what I call a Pig’s Tail with the stems of the corsages and
Ceremony Video
This is the shortest of all the videos, but I still cover quite a bit pertaining to decorating your church or ceremony site. I DO NOT cover large floral pieces in this section; to be honest, I think those are just a little more than an amateur could handle.
But, I give you lots of ideas and instructions on things you can handle including:
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How to make pew/chair end bows
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Shoestring bows
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Three loop bows
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Five loop bows
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How to measure and swag fabric on the chair/pew ends
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How to use ribbon vs. organza or other fabrics like tulle
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How to order and measure how many roses you will need to decorate your aisle with rose petals
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How to remove the rose petals from the rose head without damaging them
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How to store those rose petals
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