MONTH 1 (of 11)
On this first month, I busied myself with gathering all kinds of information regarding wedding DIY projects and professional decorations. I immersed myself with hundreds of tutorials every day. There were so much important things to learn. I bookmarked the ones I kind of liked and then I made sure to make notes in my wedding decorations notebook; a physical paper notebook which I carried with me any time and when I was free I was able to easily review and cross out stuff that were impossible for me to achieve.
Yes, it is good to know your limits and not go overboard!
I focused on one specific item at a time so I won’t get overwhelmed. My favorite teacher is J Schwancke of JTV. His instructions are detailed and easy to follow. He demonstrated so many different arrangements with so many choices of flowers, foliage and accessories. There were some laborious and complicated ones and I was just awed by his skillful mastery of this art of flower arrangements and decorations. I became his avid student and serious follower.
I also checked out lots of designs from Pinterest and pinned the ones I liked. As I studied the bouquets I was planning to practice on, I also looked for resources where to get the flowers for that season and which ones could withstand heat the most and easy to take care of. July 1st is Canada Day so I had to factor that as well in terms of availability of deliveries and transport of materials.
Whenever I have family or friends who have birthdays and special occasions, I took that as an opportunity for me to fix a flower bouquet for them. I tended to lean towards roundish bouquets so I practiced more of this shape and design.
After all my research and tutorials, I have the following TIPS to produce a fresher-looking wedding bouquet.
THE 7 PLUS 1 TIPS:
1. If you are confident of your skill and you have enough helpers to assist or cheer you up, bridal bouquet should be arranged on the day of (I did this!). Floral arrangement should be done at most two days before the event so they will remain fresh.
2. If you have learned your arrangement mostly from tutorials and self-help, attend at least one live tutorial or class to boost your confidence and improve your speed. Did this, too.
3. HYDRATION is the priority in keeping the flowers and foliage as fresh as can be. I have learned that as soon as we receive the flowers, we have to cut the stems at least 2 inches with a very sharp knife or scissors to avoid damage to the stem. (I invested on a titanium flower scissors from Michael’s Crafts). Check the right proportion of flower food powder and water and make sure to mix thoroughly before immersing the flowers in the mixture. Wash the stems immediately and daily before putting them back in the flower food mixture. Make sure to use warm water especially for the first mixture and handle the blooms gently, making sure not to wet them.
4. Order back-up stems so you can easily replace damaged or wilted ones. Remove from the bunch all wilted ones right away..
5. Wash your bins or buckets (as well as vases) thoroughly before putting the water and the flower food. Change the water daily. Do not wait for the water to turn cloudy. Make sure the water is good enough to cover at least half of the length of the stems.
6. Do not crowd the buckets. Place just enough flowers or foliage in the bucket and remove any leaves or petals that have come off.
7. Place all flowers and foliage in a cool place. Final arrangements may need to be covered with plastic to protect them from drafts and to raise the humidity.
PLUS ONE IMPORTANT TIP: The final arrangement must be sprayed with a flower and foliage finish.
The best one for me is Chrysal Professional Glory Flower and Foliage Finish. This is not always available on Amazon so I ordered online at www.chrysal.com and have them delivered in Seattle as the groom was coming from there.
The finishing spray helps hydrate the flowers by lessening the evaporation of water thus making the flowers and foliage last longer by possibly 20% or more depending on the kind of flowers. Roses do last longer than others and hydrangea, the least among the ones I tried.
Floralife Finishing Touch spray works fine and it’s available at amazon.ca or locally at a wholesale store.
TIP: Find a local wholesale store near your location. I am recommending www.sproulefloristsupply.ca for all your floral arrangement needs. But there’s a trick: you need to be a business owner to become a member. So if you aren’t a business owner, find a friend or someone you know to help you.
Check out my next post DIY’ing the Bridal Bouquet Part 3 on how I saved money and the cost of my arrangement.
