Stefano Gabbana once said that to him, “flowers are happiness” and if a bride can’t trust Gabbana in the run up to her wedding, who can she trust? We all know that bouquets, floral centrepieces and buttonholes are a beautiful, if not essential element to your big day. The price of such beauty, however, does not come cheaply!
It was estimated at the end of last year that the average couple spend over £500 on their flowers alone! It is therefore, no surprise that women everywhere are seeking the help of their nearest and dearest and endeavouring to arrange the flowers themselves. To help you along on your quest to affordable beauty, Zankyou has enlisted the help of specialist wedding florist, Kate Davies. With a wealth of experience, she knows all of the tips and tricks to ensure that you too can achieve glamourous DIY flowers on any budget!
1. BECOME A SCRAPBOOK SENSATION
This is a creative call to arms, seeking glue gun clad brides everywhere! We all have a dream wedding in mind, most of us have been thinking about it for years, but occasionally, you need a little inspiration to make that dream a reality. By collecting clippings from magazines and brochures and saving the odd image you find online, it will quickly become evident what you’d like on your day. Inspiration can come from the strangest of places but when it strikes, it’s worth taking note and pooling your ideas together.
2. FIND YOUR DREAM TEAM
The task of actually creating your arrangements is deceptively time consuming,so an all hands on deck approach is needed. This is the perfect opportunity to enlist your chief bridesmaid, mum, mother-in-law and the like to really help you out in your hour of need. Remember, practice makes perfect to achieved the polished look. Buy a bottle of wine or two, have a few trial nights, test ideas out and see who can do what best. When everyone mucks in, the task seems a lot easier and it’s a wonderful excuse to introduce everyone before the big day.
3. NETWORK AND ASK QUESTIONS
Your local floral wholesalers are a font of all knowledge, so it’s a good idea to visit your nearest warehouse and introduce yourself. Be brave, pick their brains and get your questions answered because they are the best people to go to.
4. SHOP AROUND
In order to get the best deals on flowers, it’s suggested that you shop around beforehand to get to grips with the market. Kate suggests that you even try high street supermarkets as they often have a great deal to offer you and at very good prices. It’s worth asking in local businesses for the most competitive price they can offer because you never know what they can do to help.
5. SEEK INSPIRATION IN NATURE
Without a doubt, the best person to turn to is mother nature herself. What could be more rewarding than growing and picking your own flowers? There is an art to floristry that takes years of training to master but as Kate notes, it is all about using the few flowers you have to create beauty and sell space. Scout around for greenery that, coupled with your flowers, will provide a real richness to your arrangements. If you’re getting married in the spring, seek bright yellow daffodils, pastel irises and delicate tulips. Naturally, pick roses for summer – perfectly romantic! If you’re looking for something a little different, freesias, Singapore orchids and stargazer lilies are beautiful options. Seasonal is best and cheapest!
6. PICK YOUR DATES WITH YOUR FLOWERS IN MIND
Choosing when to get married is the first big decision that we all face but when you factor flowers into the equation, it gets even more complicated. Kate advises to think with a pragmatic hat on and take note of any holidays that might be worth avoiding. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are renowned for being rather pricey on the floristry front which might be worth considering and might make a substantial difference with regards to your budgets!
7. ENROLL! WATCH! READ!
In order to brush up on your skills, why not find a local course and learn from the experts? A day course can be bought for around £100 which might be an unnecessary cost for some but if you’re really determined to have a polished finish then it might be a good investment. Alternatively, search for how-to-guides online and watch Youtube clips to visualise the process. There are various books and magazines that really might make all of the difference. All of these can be found in newsagents and online.
And last but not least…
8. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Kate’s ultimate tip is to find a colour chart and stick to a maximum of 3 colours to achieve a minimalist and polished look. Remember that colour clashing is incredibly fashionable at the moment, so experiment to see what will achieve the wow factor that you crave. Collect fabrics and paint charts to show your wholesaler as sometimes, understanding the exact colour you have in mind can make a huge difference. There are over one hundred different shades of cream, you don’t want a buttery hue when you’re dreaming of silvery white!
Before you start, why not invest in some floristry essentials? Kate suggests that the ultimate toolkit would include a pair of floristry scissors (expect to pay around £5), some floristry wire (ideal for securing and strengthening buttonholes), floristry sundries such as green tape to cover stems (one roll costing around £1 will suffice) and finally, a roll of tulle or hessian to tie around the bouquet.
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