How to Make a DIY Wedding Bouquet That Looks Professional

Adding a bouquet to your wedding-day ensemble is one of the best ways to make a statement. Whether you keep it simple with just a few blooms or opt for a decadent arrangement, all of your guests will be able to see your beautiful flowers as you make your way down the aisle. However, selecting a bouquet can feel overwhelming and stressful, particularly if you're on a tight budget when it comes to your nuptials. Instead of turning to a florist, consider a DIY wedding bouquet, full of blooms handpicked by you.

While it may sound intimidating to make your own wedding bouquet, it's not nearly as challenging as it seems. With simple materials and a few steps, you’ll be able to put together a stunning, custom arrangement to serve as the perfect accessory for your big day. Read on for everything you need to know.

The Benefits of a DIY Bouquet

If it fits within your wedding budget, opting to have a floral designer create a gorgeous bouquet is a great option. However, much of the cost of a professionally-crafted bouquet comes from the labor involved. Yes, there are expenses associated with sourcing the best fresh blooms, but the priciest aspect is the amount of time a florist spends on crafting your masterpiece, as well as the complexity of the chosen design. As a result, if you're able to do the labor yourself, you’ll definitely be able to shave quite a bit off of your floral budget. 

How Much Does a DIY Wedding Bouquet Cost?

While a typical bridal bouquet usually costs around $250, the DIY version will be much less expensive. How much your arrangement will be depends on a number of factors, including whether or not your preferred flowers are in season, the desired size of your bouquet, and the type of flowers you select. To make your dollar stretch as far as possible, pick your flowers based on the timing of your wedding. Daffodils, peonies, lilacs, and tulips bloom in the spring, while chrysanthemums and dahlias are best in fall. And while you can order them online, consider buying them from a local grocery store or flower market. You'll likely only spend around $25.

How to Source Flowers for a DIY Bouquet

To start, decide on the type of blooms you want to incorporate into your bouquet. According to Caroline Eells, the founder and lead designer of Passiflora Studio, it’s important to consider the style of your wedding dress, as well as your color palette. She suggests weighing whether you’d prefer complementary colors to bring some subtle balance to your décor or if you’d rather integrate contrasting colors to add a bit of drama. 

Determine Your Style

Are you hoping for a classic, tight bouquet or something a bit more whimsical, such as a garden-inspired, cascading arrangement? The decision is important, as the style you opt for will dictate how you approach your flowers. “If you're going for a more modern and simple design, I suggest only using one to three varieties of florals, very little to no greenery, and florals that have a lot of textural interest,” Eells says. “For more of a garden-style, I suggest five to seven varieties of florals and greenery and flowers with a lot of different textural and gestural qualities.” 

Source Fresh Blooms

Once you’ve crafted the plan for your gorgeous bouquet, you’ll need to source your flowers. If you have access to someone's garden, Eells suggests looking at what’s blooming there. If you don’t have a friend's budding garden to peruse, look at local farms or grocery stores to source the floral varieties you’re hoping for. You can also check online to order flowers in bulk. 

How to Prep a DIY Wedding Bouquet

One of the key considerations of making your own wedding bouquet is timing. “I like to make the bouquet the day before the wedding,” Eells says. If a wedding is on Saturday, she typically sources her flowers on Thursday, creates the bouquet on Friday, and then adds the ribbon on the day of the nuptials. “For your wedding day, you want the blooms to be at their best,” she advises. 

Materials for a DIY Wedding Bouquet

Once you've selected your blooms, you’ll need a few other tools to create a stunning bouquet. Be sure you have the following on hand to set yourself up for success:

• A bucket with water
• A sharp pair of floral snips for trimming
• Rubber bands
• A beautiful ribbon or floral tape  

Flower Preparation

Before you start constructing your bouquet, make sure the flower stems and greenery are prepped and ready. Remove all of the leaves from your floral stems—and the bottom halves of your greenery stems. Snip the bottom of each stem at a 45-degree angle and keep them in a bucket of water as you assemble your bouquet.  

How to Assemble a Bouquet

Once all of your stems and greenery are prepped, you’re ready to assemble the bouquet. Start by building the shape and framework of your arrangement, thinking about dimension along the way. Eells suggests standing in front of a mirror while you assemble the bouquet, so you’ll be able to know exactly what it looks like in the front. 

As you put together the stems, start with a base before adding in larger, focal flowers. Continue to add in smaller flowers and greenery, balancing the design as you build. Once you’ve constructed a bouquet you love, snip the stems to trim them back and secure the entire bouquet with a rubber band. Be sure it’s tightly wrapped before adding floral tape to hide the rubber band. Loop a ribbon around the stems for a clean, classic look or allow it to cascade down the side of the bouquet for a more relaxed, garden-style aesthetic. 

As you build your bouquet, keep in mind that it’s not worth stressing over. “I can't tell you the number of times in 10-plus years of designing with flowers that I've ripped apart a bouquet and started over,” Eells says. “Just take a deep breath and enjoy the moment in time that you get to create something beautiful with your hands. And remember, flowers are very resilient.”

How to Make a DIY Wedding Bouquet Special

Even though you're crafting your wedding bouquet, don’t be afraid to get creative with it. For example, a typical bouquet follows an odd-number rule of design, meaning three or five stems of a certain bloom are intentionally added. But you can certainly break that rule if it feels right. “Sometimes it's that one stem of something from the garden that sets it all apart,” Eells says. If you're looking for other ways to make your arrangement special or unique, consider these tips.

Add in Your Birth Flower

Each month of the year has a specific flower associated with it. To make your bouquet unique to you, consider integrating the bloom of your birth month into your arrangement. If you don't want to represent your birth month, consider honoring a loved one by intentionally adding a flower from theirs.

Attach a Charm

Your bridal bouquet doesn't have to be limited to flowers and greenery. To lend a unique, interesting element to your arrangement, consider adding a charm. This trinket could be vintage (your something borrowed!)—or new, depending on your personal preference. It could also serve as a way to honor a loved one who has passed.

Use a Sentimental Color

Whether it's your favorite color or that of your partner's, adding a sentimental or beloved tone to your bouquet can be a great way to lend meaning to the blooms you select.