DIY Floral Arrangements

The cost of flowers can be outrageous. If you’re one of those people who is willing to DIY, this section is for you! Even if you don't consider yourself Bree Hodge, you can still pull off beautiful floral arrangements. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1) Get tons of ideas by flipping through magazines and visiting Web sites. Or, visit our Web site’s centerpiece gallery at www.detailseventrental.com. Keep it simple. For instance, do simple hand-tied bouquets for the bridesmaid’s, but order the bride’s bouquet from a florist. Or, you may want to do several small arrangements on your tables instead of a large, elaborate arrangement.

2) Decide what flowers you would like to use and see if they will be in season on your wedding date. If they are, you will be able to save money or get more flowers for your money! Roses, carnations and lilies don’t wilt as quickly as other flowers.

3) Practice, practice, practice. You will want to make sure you get tons of practice. Do a trial run and buy the exact flowers you plan to use. Once you prepare the arrangement, make a note of how long the flowers will keep so you will know how far in advance you can prepare them for the big day!

4) Recruit tons of help. The days before your wedding are very hectic and you will need others to help you since flowers can’t be done too far ahead of time. Make sure to include these people when you do your trial run.

5) Gather supplies including green floral tape, floral sticks, scotch tape and clippers. All of these supplies can be purchased at your local craft store. Make sure you have several sets of these supplies for the people who will be helping you.

6) Since you will probably start preparing the flowers several days ahead of time, you will need a cool place to store them. Find a cool place, but make sure that cold air isn’t blowing directly on the flowers.

Other Tips

Petal Patch in College Station offers flower arranging classes every spring. Several of our clients have taken these classes and really learned a lot! If you buy your flowers wholesale from the Floral Patch, they will allow you to prepare the arrangements at their location right before your wedding and let you store the arrangements in their cooler. If you rent your vases from Details Event & Party Rental, you can pick them up several days before your wedding so you will be able to use them when you create your centerpiece arrangements.

For more information about classes at Petal Patch, call 696-6713.

Another idea is to buy your flowers wholesale from Sam’s. Visit http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?catg=1539 for bulk flower prices. You don’t have to pay shipping and the flowers are delivered right to your door.