I know it sounds like a lot of work, but if you actually put these floral tricks to the test, I promise you'll save yourself a lot of money on your wedding day (woohoo, more cash for your honeymoon!). Here, Jessica Marshall, owner of Miss Daisy in Las Vegas, shows how to DIY your way to gorgeous flowers on your big day.
1. Cut your flower stems at a 45-degree angle to keep them fresh AF.
As soon as you receive the flowers you preordered for your wedding day, immediately cut the stems at a 45-degree angle and put them in water. "This angle gives the flower more surface area to drink from, rather than cutting it straight across," Marshall says. "And since you're trying to keep your flowers alive as long as possible, this is the first step to achieving that goal." You'll also want to store your flowers at below 60 degrees (think: arranging them in your garage or any air-conditioned area), because higher temperatures will cause your petals to wilt.
DIY Cost: Floral arranging sheers, $27 + bulk price of flowers ordered.
2. Use succulents that aren't in potting soil as wedding decorations.
Succulents can be purchased potted in dirt or sold not in soil, but when it comes to using succulents for bridal work, always opt for versions without soil (they're less dirty and easier to deal with!). For centerpiece use, always use larger succulents; only use smaller succulents if you're creating boutonnières or bouquets, or if you're adding tiny details to a larger tablescape. Marshall's tip: Buy these in bulk through a gardening or local plant store, since they’ll be cheaper.
DIY Cost: $4 to $12, depending on succulent size.
3. Buy one type of flower in bulk.
This will save you money; plus, everything will look polished and uniform. Marshall's pro tip: "Have an idea of the flowers you want, talk to your local florist, and then plan to order them two weeks in advance of your wedding," she says, "that way you know everything is available and in season."
DIY Cost: Bulk price of flowers, anywhere from $1 a stem (tulips) to $15 to $20 a stem (orchids).
4. Whip up your own boutonnière.
Marshall used thistle and a scabiosa pod here to anchor the boutonnière and peppergrass as the additional greenery. "You want to make sure you have a hearty-stemmed flower as the base, so that it doesn't get crushed when you're hugging people," she says.
DIY Cost: Goody Ouchless Clear Hair Elastics, $5 + floral shears, $7 + scabiosa pods, $15 a bunch + thistle, $5 a bunch + peppergrass, $10 a bunch + twine, $7 for a spool of 300 feet.
5. Craft your very own flower crown.
DIY Cost: Spool of lace, $11 for 25 yards + green floral wire, $2 for 150 feet + green floral tape, $5 for 90 yards + vine, $5 a bunch + sheers, $7 + wax flower, $15 a bunch + bobby pins, $5 for 300.
6. Use extra flowers to make petal confetti.
Have a ton of extra blooms left over from creating your bouquets and centerpieces? Instead of tossing the extra flowers, chop up the petals so the flower girl can sprinkle them down the aisle or so your guests to toss them at you after you say, "I do."
DIY Cost: Scissors/shears, $7 + whatever leftover flowers you have.
7. Use wildflowers or inexpensive greens to craft a lush bouquet.
Creating an all-green bouquet is an easy way to cut costs on your floral arrangement without sacrificing the look.
DIY cost: Marshall created this one for $55, which consists of Israeli peppergrass, thistle, scabiosa pods, and silver dollar and seeded eucalyptus.
8. Bring your lipstick to the florist.
It's easy to forget, so if you want to match your lipstick to your flowers, take a few of your favorite options to the florist shop to made sure you nail the shade perfectly.
DIY Cost: The flower of your choice + your lipstick.
9. Mix and match small and large flowers for an unconventional, yet beautiful arrangement.
If you only want to splurge on your bouquet because you want it to be super-unique, opt for flowers that you wouldn't typically see together in a bouquet, such as orchids, pink yarro, and peonies. This will also give that high-low feeling to your wedding flowers.
DIY Cost: Orchids, $20 a stem + peonies, $12 to $15 a stem + roses, $5 a stem + Pink Yarro, $9 a bunch.
10. Dethorn roses with a stem stripper.
Whether you're using roses for bouquets or including them in centerpieces, use a stem stripper to first remove a rose's thorns and leaves without damaging the stems.
DIY Cost: Roses, $5 a stem + thorn stripper, $5.
11. Bind your bouquets with clear hair elastics.
If you don't want your bouquet or your bridesmaids' flowers coming apart as they're making their way down the aisle, bundle them together and secure them with three clear hair elastics. Then, conceal the hair elastics with fabric or twine.
DIY Cost: Garden roses, $8 to $10 a stem + Goody Ouchless Clear Elastics, $5 + twine, $10 for 600 feet.
12. Fill empty vases with your bridesmaids’ bouquets to serve as your centerpieces.
If you've ever been a bridesmaid in a wedding, you know that you typically have no clue where your bouquet is by the reception. To avoid wasting a perfectly gorgeous bunch of flowers — and a ton of money, let's be real — place empty vases in the center of each table and have your bridesmaids put their bouquets in them when they get to the reception.
DIY Cost: Glass Cylinder Vases, $12 per case of 12 + the bulk floral cost.
13. Use flower petals to create gorgeous ice cubes.
To properly remove the head of a rose without bruising the petals, hold the stem and twist the flower head away from you, like so:
Add a little color to the Champagne buckets you might choose to set out for your guests by freezing a flower petal inside each ice cube. Florist's tip: "You can use tap water for the cubes, but note that bottled water is quicker to distill, since it's already purified," Marshall says. "Tap water will require an extra round of boiling and cooling, since it contains more minerals and sediment that'll need boiled out; otherwise, your cubes won't come out clear."
DIY Cost: Five roses at $5 a stem + 24-bottle case of water, $8, estimate depending on how many ice cubes you need to make.
14. Use gold spray paint to spruce up succulents.
Succulents are naturally stunning, but if you want to incorporate metallic gold or silver details into your arrangements, spray-paint a few, and use them as name cards or as pops of color in your tablescape.
DIY Cost: Succulents $4 to $12, depending on the size + Krylon metallic gold spray paint, $7.
15. Adorn your wedding cake with flowers.
Take your layered wedding cake to the next level by choosing a gorgeous array of flowers and placing them in a cascading manner down the front of it.
DIY Cost: Your cake + the flowers you choose to adorn it with (you can make this more or less expensive, depending on the blooms you pick).
16. Create a beautiful tablescape with inexpensive flowers and greenery.
"You always want to lay down the biggest leaves first," Marshall recommends, "and then build out your tablescape from there, finishing with the smallest flowers." If your wedding is outside, she suggests wrapping fishing wire around the table to keep your tablescape from blowing away.
DIY Cost: Eucalyptus, $2 a stem + fern, $12 a bunch + yellow winterberry, $13 a bunch; fishing line, $5 + and tea lights, $10 for 100.
17. Place a mini chalkboard atop your tablescape, so your guests know where to sit.
Instead of making a big deal out of your table numbers, purchase tiny chalkboards in bulk online or at a craft store, neatly write the table numbers on them, and then place them next to your centerpieces so your guests can easily find their seats.
DIY Cost: Mini chalkboards, $12 for 7 + Hurricane vase, $4 each
18. Create sweet, sophisticated arrangements using one main flower.
If you want to go a subtler route with your table decorations, set out a few single-flower arrangements on your reception tables instead of opting for larger versions.
DIY Cost: Tiny vases, $20 for five + the single stems you choose to put in them.
19. Use a wreath as a quick and easy centerpiece.
Wreaths don't require a lot of fuss and look stunning as a centerpiece. Order wreaths in bulk from your florist, order pillar candles in bulk from a craft store or online, and buy some glass vases that are higher than the candle's height. Then, when you get to your venue, position the candle-filled vase where you want it, place the wreath over it so the candle is in the center, and then fluff the wreath up to your liking. Boom: You've got a beautiful centerpiece.
DIY Cost: Wreath, $35 + hurricane vase, $4 each + pillar candles, $30 for a set of six.
20. Create a tall centerpiece using one orchid stem and a large glass vase.
Yes, orchids will always be on the pricier side, but you can get one stem for about $20, which contains eight to 10 blooms on it. And because orchids are so gorgeous and expensive-looking, you won't have to worry about surrounding your centerpiece with flowers — unless you choose to.
DIY Cost: 15-inch glass cylinder vases, $12 each or $81 for nine vases + an orchid stem, $12–$20 each.
21. Create a super-colorful tablescape by choosing bright blooms and then make a grid with transparent tape to keep your flowers from moving around in each vase.
If you want a colorful, seemingly never-ending tablescape of flowers, talk to your florist about the exact shades you want before ordering them in bulk. Just make sure you pull large, medium, and small flowers, and always start from largest to smallest. Pictured below: (top, center) black calla lilies, (from right to left) purple lisianthus, blue thistle, blue hydrangea, green trick dianthus, scabiosa pods, sunflower, yellow ranunculus, orange roses, orange tulips, red celosia, hot pink roses, pink ranunculus, light pink peony.
Then, regardless of the vases you choose to use — although long, rectangular vases are probably best because they take up the most space, so you'll need fewer of them — create a grid with transparent tape, so that as you insert the stems they'll stay put.
DIY Cost: If you wanted to use the flowers mentioned above, here are the prices of each flower: Black calla lilies, $35 a bunch + purple lisianthus, $15 a bunch + blue thistle, $5 a bunch + green trick dianthus, $13 a bunch + scabiosa pods, $15 a bunch + sunflower, $10 a bunch + yellow ranunculus, $15 a bunch + orange roses, $5 a stem + orange tulips, $1 a stem for a bunch of 10 + red celosia, $10 a bunch for five stems + hot pink roses, $5 a stem + pink ranunculus, $15 a bunch + pink peonies, $10 a stem + rectangular glass vase, $13 for four.
Hopefully these tips help save you a ton of cash! Happy wedding day!
Dresses: Hayley Paige
Accessories: Kleinfeld Bridal
Engagement rings: Diamanté Atelier
Venue: Canoe Studios
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Carly Cardellino was the beauty director at Cosmopolitan. If you follow her Instagram, then you know she'll try just about any beauty trend or treatment once (the pics of her purple hair are on IG to prove it). But her favorite part about being in beauty is finding the most effective products, and then sharing that intel with others—because who wants to spend money on stuff that doesn't work? No one, that's who. Her most recent discovery: De La Cruz Sulfur Ointment, which will change your blemish-clearing game! Hopefully through the beauty stories she writes—and the experiences she shares—you can see exactly why she's in this business.
