Hi friends! Today I’m delighted to have teamed up with the wonderful Flower Muse to share with you the first post in a special once-a-week, month-long series of wedding-themed floral DIY projects! Hooray! You may have seen my recent post in which I tried my first attempt at a DIY bouquet for my sister’s upcoming (tiny budget) June wedding. Everything went relatively well except that by the end of the arrangement I still had no idea how I was going to pull off creating the flowers for her entire wedding + reception with such meager means. But then Flower Muse (the wholesale floral company that prides itself on selling high-quality, ethically grown flowers, with outstanding customer service to boot) reached out with a plan that was pure Kismet! Not only did they want to help make my sister’s floral dreams come true, but they also offered to give me plenty of flowers to practice with ahead of time so that I could dive into the wedding week with confidence on my side. Both my sister and I literally cried for joy! So today I’ll be sharing with you the DIY process that I used to create the final test for my sister’s bridal and bridesmaid bouquets. Be sure to check back next week for another DIY arrangement that we will be using for her big day!

Basic Floral Prepping Steps for DIY Arrangements:

The day after prepping the flowers, I used the magic of modern technology (FaceTime via iPhone) to have an “in home florist visit” with my sister and her fiance. I took my phone and toured them through the bounty of gorgeous Flower Muse blooms and greens and grabbed out the things that especially caught their eye (my sister was particularly captivated by the stunning “Free Spirit” Garden Roses, and they ended up guiding the floral look that we will use for her wedding day). I then propped the phone up and was able to arrange the actual test bouquet right in front of them! What a fun experience! Doing it this way, they were able to pick out exactly what they were hoping for, and it took the guess-work out of the whole process for me. Win win! Here’s the look that my sister and her fiance decided on for the bridal bouquet. It features blooms in peach, creamy whites, delicate purples, and greens that give the whole look a wistful garden-fresh feel! Bridal Bouquet Flowers Used:

• “Free Spirit” Pink Peach Garden Roses | A breathtaking statement rose
• “Ocean Song” Lavender Roses | Romantic as they come
• White Majolica Spray Roses | Some of the most beautiful roses I’ve ever seen
• Dahlia’s (white) | by request
• Sweet Peas (white, peach, and lilac) | by request
• Queen Anne’s Lace (white) | by request
• Lisianthus (light purple) | by request
• Assorted Greens
• Dusty Miller | by request

DIY Bridal Bouquet | A Step-by-step Guide: 

Since the bridesmaid dresses will be a vibrant shade of lilac, my sister wanted their bouquets to feature flowers in a more muted palette. I followed the same process as used above with the bridal bouquet, but focused on simplifying the look and kept the arrangement smaller for the bridesmaid bouquet. Choosing to work with a tailored selection of beautiful blooms helps to keep things more cost-effective when you will be making multiple arrangements (spray roses are especially budget-friendly in this way). Bridesmaid Bouquet Flowers Used:

• “Ocean Song” Lavender Roses
• White Majolica Spray Roses
• Queen Anne’s Lace (white) | by request
• Lisianthus (light purple) | by request
• Assorted Greens
• Dusty Miller | by request

One of my favorite things about working with Flower Muse (besides the gorgeous flowers of course—and I cannot emphasize enough just how gorgeous they truly are), was how remarkably helpful they were during the ordering process. I knew that my sister would be delighted to have Sweet Peas, Dahlias, and Dusty Miller (amongst a few others) in her bouquet, but since I didn’t see those items on their site I asked if they could help. Sure enough they searched around and found exactly what I was wishing for! And this wasn’t just an example of someone getting “special treatment,” they love to go the extra mile with custom orders for their customers. Additional Tips:

• Depending upon which flowers you order, you will need to allow blooms to hydrate for in between 24 to 72 hours after delivery. Consult with your Flower Muse salesperson to find out how much time you will need for your flower variety.
• Plan to have several hours of free time available as soon as your flowers arrive for prep. Invite your friends or bridal party over to help if you’d like!
• You will need multiple clean buckets (I used 17 in two different sizes—purchased from the hardware store) as well as sharp pruning shears, access to water, scissors, trash bags, and gardening gloves (optional).
• Most stems should be cut at a 45 degree angle to allow the maximum amount of water into the stem. This is especially true with roses.
• While prepping, be sure to give your flowers enough room inside the buckets. They will perk up a lot once hydrated. If blooms are over-crowded they may not reach their optimal blooming state.
• Make sure to keep your working / floral area as cool as possible, and the flowers out of direct sunlight.
• Once your bouquets have been arranged you can stand them up with their ends resting in 1/2″ – 1″ of water (make sure the water doesn’t go over the ribbon). In my experience this kept the bouquets plenty fresh for up to 24 hours. Be sure to add more water if needed.

This post was kindly sponsored and made possible by Flower Muse. Find more from Flower Muse on: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram The DIY project, photos, and opinions expressed are my own.