5 Reasons DIY Flowers Are Not Worth Your Time
I am a huge project person. In fact, if I don’t have at least three things going on at once I feel out of place with myself! Haha, trust me I do these things to myself all the time, because I believe in myself and am confident that I can take-on any task and make it a success. I would probably be the bride doing my own invitations, my own flowers, my own cake, and seating my own guests. Fortunately for me, my reality is all about flowers and after years of experience I’ve come to know the ugly side of the art. Flowers can be a handful and if you’ve never dealt with a large quantity of them all at once—well, you might be in for a surprise or two!
Doing your own wedding flowers sounds enticing, especially if you’ve spent countless hours flipping through magazine pages or scrolling though Pinterest and Instagram. But before you close the door on that idea, let me give you five reasons on why you should consider investing in a professional wedding florist. This is not to give offense, but simply to explain the process that goes into bringing your vision from paper to reality.
Here are the 5 reasons Why:
1. Stress!
It equals everything from building your inspiration board, finding the flowers and materials, recruiting your help, designing with perishable product, storing them in a cool place, finding a delivery service, and finally setting everything up to look just as you had imagined it. Yeah, tell me about it, that sounds like a lot to add to other important things that will be needing your attention in the days preceding to your dream wedding!
2. Not Cost Effective!
Extra brownie points for all those who can score themselves a deal on anything they see! I know it sounds so enticing to hit up all your favorite shopping places for some deals. My concern isn’t about saving on material goods, it’s about that week of your wedding when you have to go get your nails done, your hair styled, meet the family for the rehearsal dinner, and all the other things that will be on your to do list! Flowers like a lot of attention. They need to be bought, processed, prepped, arranged, stored properly, delivered, set-up, and taken down after the wedding! I know, it’s a lot of work! All in all said, paying a little bit extra for a professional to do your flowers will save you time and relieve you of all that flower stress! After all you shouldn’t have to work on your wedding day!
3. Got Perishable Flower Storage?
For the beautiful things they are, and for the beautiful things they become—flowers are perishable beauties that need to be stored properly from the beginning of purchase until delivery and set-up! Most professional florists have a commercial cooler that runs at the right temperature to keep flowers fresh and long lasting. If you plan on doing your own wedding flowers, don’t neglect to keep them stored properly.
4. Delivery, Set-Up & Take-Down…Build A Team!
This one is probably a breeze! Well, yes if you have the right mode of transportation and the right people who share your vision to do the set-up for you. However, the set-up can be tricky, especially if there are a lot of different elements to arrange. For example, bud vases and mason jars are fairly easy, but what about ceremony flowers, backdrops, tall centerpieces, and other decor details. Also, consider time! Most venues only allow a couple hours or less for set-up. Trust me time flies, and if there is no organized plan, things will flop! On another note, make sure you have a team that will take all the set-up down.
5. What About the Left-Overs?
Okay, so all was a success! You did your own flowers and everything went according to plan with a few ups and downs, but no biggy! Well, a few weeks later you are wondering what you’re going to do with ten or more vases, candelabras, candles—you name it. Your first thought might be to sell them online or at a garage sale—that is an option. However, will you get your monies worth? I know this sounds silly, but will you get paid for all that time you spent looking for a bargain on material goods, processing all the flowers, arranging the flowers, keeping them fresh, and then setting them all up!
I won’t lie, it’s a lot of fun to play with flowers and create beautiful masterpieces! I wouldn’t be in this profession if I hated it. As a wedding florist, I take on the responsibility of all of the reasons listed above, because every bride deserves to enjoy her wedding stress free!
I want your wedding to be everything you imagined it to be and more! I want you to walk into your fairytale and live it for a few hours and then look back at your wedding photos and reminiscent over all the beautiful flowers that made a huge difference at your wedding! I know, i’m a dreamer, but hey, i’m all about making dreams come true!