If you've found the dress, booked the venue but are panicking over having yet to find a florist then well, don't. It turns out although having one is traditional it isn't actually essential. Instead if you've got a garden or an allotment or simply friends with a spare plot you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. Think an average of £200 compared to a whooping £800. Plus gardening is said to burn an average of 400 calories per hour so you can save on the bridal gym membership too. We spoke to the experts at Wyevale Garden Centres to find out all about the DIY option. Here's how to do it...
Consider the season
The range of flowers you’ll be able to choose from for your wedding displays is of course going to depend on which season you’re holding your ceremony. While you’ll have an abundance of choice when it comes to your flowers in spring and summer, a winter ceremony is obviously going to be more restricting. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to create some stunning arrangements, just take a look on Pinterest for some inspiration.
Plan your colour scheme well in advance
For maximum impact, you’ll want to match your bouquets to the colour scheme of your wedding. This will create a gorgeous end result, but requires a lot of forward planning, as your flowers will of course take a while to grow. You may even want to choose the colour scheme of your wedding based on your favourite in-season flowers. If this is the case, make sure to check out our gardeners colour wheel, which will help you choose tones that complement one another perfectly.
Plant more than you need
Even the most experienced gardeners can struggle to get certain plants to thrive, even when providing them with their favourite conditions and lavishing them care and attention. With this in mind, it’s essential that you plant up a lot more flowers than you’re going to need, as you’ll no doubt encounter a few problems along the way. You may even consider asking a few close friends and family members to help you grow some of your chosen flowers, which will also give them a chance to get involved and contribute their own personal touch to your ceremony.
Keep your flowers fresh for longer
Once you’ve gone through all of the trouble of planting and caring for your wedding flowers in the build-up to your big day, the last thing you want to do is mess up at the final and most important stage: cutting. If they’re properly prepared, most flowers last around a week on display before they begin to wilt. Ideally, you therefore want to cut your flowers three or four days before your wedding to ensure they look their best. You should do this in the morning or evening if at all possible, as this is when your plants will be at their freshest, and you should get them straight into water. For the best possible results, make sure to follow the RHS’s guide to conditioning cut flowers.
