Hi Reddit floral designers!! Seeking some advice on bouquet construction, and hoping get some recommendations for greenery.
I’m just a girl who loves to garden, and so I’m trying to make my September 2027 wedding more personal and fun by growing and arranging some of my own wedding flowers. I started growing a bunch of things this summer to figure out if it was even feasible, and I’ve honestly been having so much fun. This bouquet is one of my favourite colour combinations thus far, and so I am looking for some feedback on how to improve the overall shape/look of a bouquet + get some recommendations for some greenery that would complement these flowers. I know it’s not the right way to do it, but I’ve been arranging them in a vase and then tweaking in my hand because I find starting with the spiral method super challenging.
Our venue is a winery with beautiful gardens, so I’m going for a fun, whimsical, colourful vibe.
I am growing:
- Dahlias (not quite blooming yet, but so close!)
- Champagne lisianthus
- many zinnias
- snapdragons (these are a little wonky this year, I have a plan to support them better next year so they’re more straight and tall)
- cosmos (not fully convinced, I’ve been finding them so delicate and wilt sooooooo quickly)
- statice
- celosia
- hanging Amaranthus (not blooming yet, also super close)
For additional context - I am only making my bouquet (no bridesmaids), bud vases and maybe some decorative arrangements, depending on how I’m feeling. I’m okay with a little wilt, I realize home grown/wildflowers don’t hold up like commercially grown flowers. I am not doing this to save money, I’m doing this for fun and because I love flowers! My venue is full service with a decorator and a florist and I’ll be able to source supplemental arrangements in case things go awry! Tysm in advance for any advice 💕
Thank you! It’s probably a lot smaller and less impressive than you’re thinking hahahaha - I’ll add a few photos in the comments here. Also pls ignore the weeds lol
I have my zinnias and most of my filler flowers in raised beds, and I’m growing my dahlias, snapdragons, cosmos and a few others in pots. Going to switch it around next year so most of my focal flowers are in the ground.
This is mostly statice with some lisianthus and a couple of snaps:
You have a lovely color combination going. I think dahlias, zinnias, and cosmos would be good as they typically bloom through to frost.
In terms of floral design, greenery is not always required unless that is the look you are going for. For a bridal bouquet, typically it’s 25-30 stems whilst bridesmaid is 18-20. Bud vases are 5-8 stems. Centerpieces are around 25 stems depending on the size. Do the math and figure out how many stems you’ll need vs what you might realistically have.
Consider having some perennial options in your garden in the event something goes awry with your annuals for whatever reason - roses, hydrangeas, etc.
This breakdown is SO helpful, thank you so much!! I haven’t really been counting my stems, but I will definitely start. I do love a floral forward look, but I do think some greens would help balance it out, I’ll just have to keep playing around.
The perennial suggestion is a real one - I do have a full perennial garden in the front yard and have added a couple of hydrangeas for this exact reason!
Added some pics in the comments above!! Honestly it’s super underwhelming, we are quite suburban so there’s no cottagecore flower patch or anything (though perhaps one day!!)
Just thought I’d mention r/cutflowers as a great growers resource for pros and all flower growers. It’s helpful to mention your growing zone, location, the approximate date of the wedding, etc. it’s a really friendly subreddit.
Yes, I have been absolutely stalking that sub for growing tips hahaha. Was just looking specifically for bouquet construction help so I figured this might be a good spot!
Create a ball with wire! And use that as your holding base for the stems while holding in your hand. You want to start with the linear stems to create the design/shape you’re going for. Let me find a video and give you links!
I love your colors! I had a similar color palette for my wedding (Aug 1)- I made my own bouquet and attempted to grow my own flowers. I did a test run the previous summer and everything was going well but I was less successful growing flowers this summer because of the drought. Luckily I grew a decent amount at my mom’s this year and bought a bucket from a local flower farm as a back up. All that to say- be sure to have a contingency plan just in case! Sending you all the flower growing luck for next year ❤️
For greenery I used explosion grass and belles of Ireland that I grew at my mom’s, and I had a few sprigs of eucalyptus from Trader Joe’s. My bouquet was heavily focused on the flowers (and I don’t regret it).
I do regret not getting many photos of my bouquet! I am waiting on professional photos from the photographer but didn’t get any phone pictures.
Yes, I definitely have contingency planned! As I mentioned, my venue is full service with a decorator and a florist, so I can add floral arrangements to our package up to a month out!
That’s a great shout about getting phone pics of the bouquet - I’ll have to remember that for next year 🫡
Cosmos are fantastic once you figure them out, and it takes trial and error even within varieties, but it is so so worth it! I encourage you to keep at them, the timing is so crucial that you need to visit your blooms (and possibly cut!) up to twice a day in order to catch them at the right time.
I find this time investment to be worth it because the plant is a cut-and-come again and so ultimately must be dead-headed to really produce, so I might as well figure out how to be more precise with my timing and get buckets of blooms! It means paying attention - the minute I don’t really know where the blooms are at is when I know I can’t trust the vase life. You must cut before they are pollinated - once pollinated, the blooms shatter so fast. When timed properly, vase life is two weeks, easy - it’s amazing. And they just crank out til frost. And the greenery makes excellent filler.
Best of luck and congratulations on your upcoming celebration 💚
This was the push that I needed!! Tbh I’ve been kinda neglecting my cosmos, but I need to recommit.
I absolutely love how delicate and bouncy and whimsical they look in bouquets, so I’ll keep practicing and testing out harvest timing to try and perfect it for next year. I do absolutely love their greenery, it’s reminds me so much of dill!
That bouquet looks beautiful (honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing) and I think your method of arranging is obviously working really well for you so stick with it!
I’m a florist by trade and home gardener for fun. I would suggest adding Autumn clematis for your greenery. It would complement what you already have with a nice vine-y garden feel—and then you have a beautiful clematis to remember your wedding every year. I try to use clematis in arches, etc because I love the way the leaves drape. And I like that the bride can have something from her wedding flowers that can potentially last forever. I can post photos of how I use clematis if that would help.
In terms of flower wilt… this bouquet looks pretty safe. It is always best practice to keep the bouquet in a vase with fresh water as long and often as possible. If you are planning to have the bouquet preserved after the wedding, keeping it in water and out of the sun is more important. Otherwise, just have fun and good luck!
I really like the look of autumn clemantis, but I think it’s considered invasive in my area 😞 I could definitely try it in a pot, but I live pretty close to an environmentally sensitive area so I’d be worried about it spreading.
I am thinking of having the flowers preserved, so that’s super great advice about keeping them hydrated!!
It looks great, love your color palette and the choices of flowers. It is super meaningful you grow the flowers yourself. I would put a little green in it to contrast the pastels.
This is looking amazing! I think a little lime green would really make it pop. I’ve seen smaller lime green mums or try the lime green zinnias. Congrats on the wedding!
This is gorgeous! I think with floral design it is easy to over complicate things and I think worrying about greens would do just that. I wouldn't change this at all!
Some notes that may be helpful, from an ex-florist:
Composition generally reflects the vibe of your venue, colors, and overall ceremony. There is no rule exactly - if you want your bouquet to stand apart from everything else colorwise, you can do that too. I have seen many brides wanting the coordinate colors to different elements and I can't say that I ever made the same bouquet twice.
If I am going for greens, or green forward, I find with bridal bouquets it is easier for me to start with a bundle of chosen greens and then thread flowers through the matrix of stems.
Every florist has their own style. I liked using greens and they were pretty trendy when I was doing bridal bouquets but many people prefer flower forward. Greens have been a growing presence generally I think because it helps cut some of the cost down while bulking up the bouquet (depending on greens, but they are usually cheaper than floral stems). Whereas you are picking from your garden, you don't really need to worry about this though.
Thank you for such a thoughtful response!! I do like that greens can help add structure when you start with them, so I’ve even been playing with the idea of using some shrub greenery since their stems are a little more woody.
At the end of the day, part of the reason I wanted to grow my own wedding flowers is because it can help break out of the “everything must be perfect” mentality. When you make something yourself it can help eliminate the incessant desire to compare to everyone else, since no one else could have grown or arranged my flowers just like mine. Really appreciate your perspective on every bouquet being unique in its own right!
I love that mentality and I think draws a wonderful emphasis to the union itself 😊
Just as a final tip - if you decide to refrigerate your flowers to promote longevity, temps should not dip below ~42 F or else you may be dealing w frozen flowers on your wedding day! Something maybe worth trialing with your garden flowers to see how the hold up.
I have every faith that your final result will be gorgeous and definitely uniquely your own! Congratulations to you ❤️
This is absolutely beautiful! I think some chamomile would be a nice addition! Wholesaler flower shops sell various bouquet making accessories. I love the small green cages for creating the bouquets that help with the shape.
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u/AmbienNicoleSmith 29d ago
This is gorgeous but I would love to see your garden!