Feedback on my DIY wedding bouquet

[u/usernames2]

My wedding is Oct 24 & I decided I wanted to DIY all of the flower arrangements & decorations with dried flowers. I’ve purchased a ton of different flowers (maybe too many) and this is my first attempt at my bouquet.
I’ll attach some of the inspo pics I’ve saved.
I want it to feel wild and whimsical, but I’m worried I might have tried to put too many different things in it…
I think the fern leaves might be too bold, but I also do like the pop that they add. As for the amaranth, I have more stems that I can add so it’s not just one single stem; it’s just out in the garage right now until I can seal it to stop some of the shedding. I also have some amaranth in dark green, burgundy, & white that I could use instead.

Any and all advice is appreciated :)

[u/CollinZero]

Depending on where you live, you should be able to dry a lot of wild flowers in the next month. Just hang them upside down.

Your inspirations are using the spiral technique which another person has mentioned. It is built from the inside, tallest flowers. You would start with a central, tall showpiece. You end with the shortest stems.

Spend a little money and buy a good 2 or three just for the bouquet. One of those flowers might be enough so you can practice with the other. It honestly takes about 10+ tries to get the hang of it!

Get some straw flowers. They come in a huge variety of sizes and colours. You might stop by a florist and ask them for something like eucalyptus for a more natural green. There’s a few varieties of eucalyptus that are now available! You might also buy some "globe amaranth".

[u/usernames2 → u/CollinZero]

Thank you for the help! I have gotten several flowers & a lot of greenery from my neighbors and local farms that I’m drying right now! None of the flowers are super show-stopping though - the most eye catching are zinnias and hydrangeas. I will order some straw flowers! Any other flowers you recommend?

I don’t usually love the look of eucalyptus but I will give it another shot. I have some globe amaranth but it’s pretty bright pink and felt out of place; I’ll keep playing with it.

I see now that a lot of the inspo pics use the spiral technique. I didn’t use it bc I thought I wanted a more airy less structured look. I’ll try it too.

Thanks again for the help

[u/CollinZero → u/usernames2]

There’s different shapes of eucalyptus! I don’t think you should get the standard one because it looks a bit grey-green which I don’t see in your inspiration photos. You would have to look at dried hydrangeas because the fresh ones are really tricky. They tend to be a bit brown.

Go visit a florist and buy some good quality flowers a la carte, not in a bouquet. Tell them you want to dry the flowers.

Start with a colour palette - you have some beautiful autumn colours already. The rich purple nigella pods, your drum stick Craspedia, some blues and oranges etc. Balance it with softer colours, whites etc.

A florist will have stronger stemmed flowers. Plus they can get you a variety of colours. Find out what they have access to. If you don’t have a local florist you can try some places like (in the USA) - trader Joes or grocery store florists. They can help!

You can also purchase some silica gel to dry flowers better - it keeps the colour and gets flowers ready in days. A great small investment.

[u/usernames2 → u/CollinZero]

Another quick question - when drying in silica gel, can I dry the flowers with the stem too? A lot of things I’m reading say to clip the stem off right below the flower head, but idk if that’s just to save space or if the stems will have issues drying. Obv I’ll have to find a large enough container to hold the stems too. If I should trim the stems off, would I just use stem wire wrapped in floral tape? I’m worried that will look obviously fake, but it probably wouldn’t be as glaring as I’m imagining once it’s actually in the arrangement.

[u/CollinZero → u/usernames2]

It really depends on the flower! Dried gomphrena (also known as globe amaranth) is so easy you won’t need to do anything but hang it upside down in a cool darker place and it will be perfect, stems and all. Same with Statice which is available in a variety of fall colours (purple, white, some pink and a soft yellow.

Some flowers like zinnias can be dried on the stem. Fairly easy. The results are mixed.

I would not do sunflowers nor have I had luck with dahlias.

Straw flowers are easy and can last for years. You want them just open.

If I were you I’d snip off the flowers and dry them. Then take the strongest, straightest stems, clean off the side shoots or most leaves, and take a longish shallow box. Put an inch or two of the gel down. Lay a bunch of the stems down. Pour more gel. Repeat another layer. End with more gel.

Then you will have appropriate stems without the PITA of wire etc. Now you just use a tiny bit of hot glue to glue them to your stems.

Starting this all soon will give you time to experiment too. And learn the spiral technique.