Can You DIY Your Wedding Bouquet?

Okay, so has everyone seen it. The NYC influencer making their own bridal bouquet.

You haven’t? Okay, I’ll set the scene..

Beautiful content creator/ influencer is getting married (or their best friend is), they wake up early looking absolutely STUNNING, get to the flower market, peruse the enormous array of flowers the market has to offer, probably annoy quite a lot of traders/ tradees/ anyone else there, they buy the trending flower stems for three times the price florists get them at (trust me, there’s no prices on the flowers so the stands can charge what they want, and you have to buy in bulk minimum of 15 stems for each variety)- Amaranthus, liatris and probably Anthurium. They get a cab back to their apartment, set up the tripod, make their bouquet pretty badly (but whatever, it’s subjective) and then finish their statement with ‘I saved thousands on a florist and did it myself’.

‘Eloise, you bitter babe! Who cares, they’re happy and their flower suited them’.

You’re right! I am not bitter they did their own flowers, I actually think it’s such a great thing to do- what makes me feel something is that they belittle wedding floristry down to ‘I can do it myself, florists overcharge blah blah’. I know they’re not my customer ANYWAY but I do think the conversation is there to be had.

And I want to know your opinion, genuinely.

Do you think wedding flowers are necessary? Would you like to make your bouquets yourselves- maybe with a professional there to help? In London, the NCFM, isn’t just for trade- it’s completely open to the public so there’s a real gap in the market there for customers having access to this fun, twilight world, having ‘a go’ and ‘playing with flowers’.

Can you see how this ever so slightly undermines the value of a trade like wedding floristry?

images from https://www.tiktok.com/@liz.cu

Okay, so fair. This bride has done a really good job of creating a bouquet that’s in similar colours (chartreuse, creams and yellow-limes) and using very similar flowers (orchids, callas, anthirium, amaranthus).

My point, however, is if this is fast becoming a trend to make your own bouquet- which I absolutely love but as a seasonal princess I’ve popped together some ideas of how to be part of the trend without shitting on your wedding designers.

Here are some ways where you can make your own bouquet, buy seasonally and even encourage a wonderfully paid supply chain in your community.

HOMESTEAD FLOWERS/ FLOWER AND FARMER/ LITTLE PINK GARDEN

1. Ask your wedding florist to discuss your bridal bouquet in detail, if you want to be part of the process. For my brides, I do a trial Bridal bouquet morning and we mock up together and go through shape and size, as well as nibble on some treats, tea or fizz!

2. See if you can make your bridal bouquet from the same farms your florist is getting their flowers from. Ask your florist, they may give you details of the farms- most flower farms have open days, and sell DIY buckets!

3. Practice and play with flowers from your local nursery or florist. By all means trial out the flower market if you want to, but you’re going to have to buy in bulk which costs much more than you think. Buy a few stems locally, and make a day of it with pals!

By Lisa Jane Photography- Jules carries an all white ranunculus bouquet

Luxury Shouln’t be Boring. But Right Now, I Feel It is.

It’s hard to think about ‘luxury’ weddings I’ve seen on socials recently and not see lots clouds of gyp (still- why!), loads of reflexed Roses and piles of Hydrangea and Cala Lilies- and don’t get me started on the ridiculous waste in over wired fruit & veg styling.

I’M BORED.

It’s not that the artist isn’t incredible, I’ve just seen it before, and they’re not crediting the artists that inspired them- the ones that came before. I think it’s bad sportsmanship. And quite frankly -cheap. And I’m bored of it.

Bronze Red Chrysanthemum grown by Sussex Farmhouse

Okay, so it is tough to steer a client to use truly seasonal products & stems when the flowers start dying off and they're not longer so ‘pretty’. It’s easy to be swamped with the Instagram and social media posts of luxury weddings in deep December with white Ecuadorian roses, white Columbian hydrangea and swathes of eucalyptus. Maybe we’re just used to it, but to me it’s not classic- it’s quite boring. There’s no imagination there, you wouldn’t see our favourite designers copying each other season after season because it looks good on socials- it doesn’t. For me, it looks tame, it doesn’t say anything abut you, your brand or your union- it just says ‘I went with what I saw on that channel’.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s classic, timeless and a feel that works again and again. But I think timeless can have a personal and unique spin on it, to make sure it represents the event. person or couple. Take for example a luxurious, velvet inspired, after-the-wedding-party. They wanted red anthuriums- so I said, her- instead of doing what everyone seems to be doing. How about let’s elevate the unsung hero, the common chrysanthemum, and create texture and form with tonal, humble raffia- I think, a star was born.

I spent the last few weeks dreaming up, bringing to life and installing different events and weddings that incorporated use of fabrics, as well as some florals. Working with independent shops, finding the perfect palette swabs and diving in to wrapping, bunching, knotting, sewing and finessing our final looks.

Venue: 30 Knightsbridge Planner : Always Andri Professional Photos: JessicaLilyPhotography Cake Artist: Lemon Tree Cakes

I was speaking to my pal and florist-friend today, we spoke about imagination. We were describing people who had similar vision, and it was those who work not settling for trends but create using their imagination. I sent my e-brochure out to some of the wedding planners I’d like to work with in the next year or two, and a whole section was dedicated to imagination and how it sets designer and artist apart. But essentially, you need trust from your client. Once they believe in you, then you can let your work flow- I think that’s what creates quiet luxury. Stand out, artistic, unique work!

I trust in the seasons. I trust that whatever the growers are able to give me, even if stems haven’t worked or died, or crops have failed, I trust that my skills and vision can be brought to reality. Okay, and yes sometimes I will drive to the deepest parts of Somerset or Oxfordshire to get the right stems- but that’s by the by!

Again, repeat customer Maslow’s, a private members club in Soho, annually ask me to decorate their bespoke hanging hoops for their winter bar installation. This year we adorned the hoops I had especially tailor made for them with woven fabrics’ silks, threads, wools, raffia and organza were scrunched, bunched, manipulated and sewn onto the hoops to create a ‘souk’ and bazaar’ theme. I absolutely LOVE the outcome.

Venue: Yasmin, Soho

I think that's enough for my first BLOG. Maybe I'll actually keep this up. Would be quite nice to have a weekly or bi - weekly post/ blog etc. Like Anna Jones or Daisy from The SelfHood… you never know x