How to Make a DIY Wedding Bouquet

Creating a DIY wedding bouquet is a fun way to add a unique touch to your wedding. Our step-by-step guide will help you create the bouquet of your dreams.

By Emily Forrest

DIY Wedding bouquet
Photo by Zola

Whether you want to personalize your own bridal bouquet or are looking for a fun activity to do with your bridal party, creating your own DIY wedding bouquet is a fun way to add a unique touch to your wedding.

Walking down the aisle will feel so much more special holding something that you and your wedding party created together. If you aren’t a floral expert, don’t worry! With our step-by-step guide and floral arranging tips, you can create the incredible bouquet of your dreams.

What You’ll Need to Make a DIY Wedding Bouquet

While the flowers you choose for your DIY wedding bouquet are dependent on your taste, see below for the other essentials that you will need to create the perfect arrangement.

  • Flower shears: You’ll use these to cut the flowers.

  • Floral tape or floral wire: You’ll use these to keep the flowers and filler in place. We found that the floral wire was best for grouping together the stems of each bouquet.

  • Ribbon: We used white lace and silver ribbon to keep our bouquet together. However, the color and type of ribbon will depend on your floral design.

  • Flowers: The flowers you choose will depend on seasonality and your wedding style.

  • Greenery: Make sure to incorporate greenery into your bouquet. This will help add texture and fill any empty space.

When You Should Make Your Wedding Bouquet

You should create your bouquet the day before your wedding, but we recommend planning out your bouquet in advance and, if possible, creating a few practice bouquets ahead of time.

How to Assemble a DIY Wedding Bouquet

Once you have selected your flowers and collected all of the materials you need, it’s time to start getting artistic. Follow our step-by-step guide to create a stunning DIY wedding bouquet that will turn heads on your big day. You can also use these floral arranging tips for other floral projects, such as your wedding centerpieces.

Step 1: Choose your flowers

Keeping in mind the season and the colors incorporated in your wedding, select flowers that are most representative of you as a bride. Make sure to incorporate fillers such as assorted greenery, baby’s breath, and pom pom flowers into the bouquet. For our DIY bouquet we used white and pink peonies, blue thistle, and Queen Anne’s lace.

You can purchase flowers from an online wholesaler or from your local grocery store or farmer’s market! Once you have your flowers selected, keep them in buckets full of water in a well-lit area so that they remain fresh during the process.

Step 2: Prep your flowers

In an area with an ample amount of counter space, use either your hands or your flower shears and remove all foliage from the stems of your flowers. If you have roses, make sure to remove all the thorns, too! (Bleeding fingers on your wedding day = not cute.)

Step 3: Assemble your flower arrangement_

Taking your filler flowers first, hold them into place with your hand. From there, arrange your flowers and greenery one by one. Turn the bouquet while you do this so that you do not miss any areas. Incorporate greenery every so often and make sure to leave about 4 to 5 inches of exposed stems at the bottom.

Step 4: Secure your DIY bouquet.

Now, wrap your bouquet with floral tape or wire. Wrap the floral wire around several times to make sure your bouquet stays intact. Be sure to leave around 4 inches of stem exposed at the bottom—this will help keep all of the pieces in place. Step 5: Add ribbon

Next, decorate your bouquet with your ribbon or the decorative wrapping of your choice. Wrap the ribbon around the floral wire several times, making sure it is completely covered. For our wedding bouquet, we chose a gray silk and white lace ribbon to compliment the greenery and the pastel colors of our design.

Step 5: Trim the stems of your bouquet.

For the final step, cut the stems of your bouquet using floral shears. Make sure that they are all the same length so your bouquet does not look uneven. Around 7 to 8 inches is the optimal length for a bouquet, however you can cut them to your preference.

Pro tip: If saving your bouquet for a later date, preserve it correctly by keeping it in a refrigerator or a vase of fresh water in a cool location.

Tips to Keep in Mind for DIY Wedding Bouquets

  • Seasonality: When selecting flowers, keep the season of your wedding in mind. If your wedding is in the fall, consider a bouquet with dahlias and persimmons. If you are having a spring wedding, stick to flowers such as peonies and hydrangeas.

  • Color scheme: When picking flowers for your bouquet, be mindful of your wedding theme and overall floral design. Try to stick to the same color scheme as the rest of your wedding decor.

  • Flower care: To make sure your flowers remain fresh, keep them in a cool place and in a bucket or vase with fresh water at all times.

DIY Wedding Bouquet Arrangements

Since every wedding is different, we have come up with three suggested arrangements to help you with your floral vision. Depending on the season and your wedding decor, use these bouquet “recipes” as inspiration for your DIY wedding bouquet.

Sweet and Romantic Bouquet

  • White tulips
  • Pink wax flowers
  • Red peonies
  • Red coffee bean

Soft and Delicate Bouquet

  • White and pink peonies
  • Blue thistle
  • Queen Anne’s lace

Fresh and Charming Bouquet

  • Ornamental kale
  • Gerbera daisies
  • White and yellow chrysanthemums
  • Green dianthus

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