To DIY or not- that was the question. Our daughter got married last weekend and we have spent the last month still trying to make the leap about how to do the flowers. As the mother of the bride, my brain hasn’t been functioning at full capacity so I was super nervous about giving myself too much responsibility -but….as someone who has done flowers for other weddings and events, it just seemed wrong to hire it all out.
Add to the mix that our daughter is a talented interior designer with a strong design asthetic. She also is passionate about every detail and every flower. To say we over researched would be an understatement. The budget was a big consideration as well. We wanted to save money where we could and this seemed doable- intimidating but doable. She even created spreadsheets on every flower and sought out reviews of different companies- DIY and having them done for us. In the end- we took a chance and did them ourselves! It would save lots of money and would be exactly what she wanted. What could go wrong? Right? Here is what we learned-
1. One reason ready made flower arrangements cost so much is because the prep is lots of work! The day the flowers arrived, I spent 6 hours trimming, sorting and taking thorns off roses just to get them ready. Fortunately, our son flew in for the wedding from Massachusetts and was happy to help! 
2. You can use a towel and run down the stem of a rose to strip the petals and the thorns at the same time. (Thanks, YouTube).
3. Buy buckets at the dollar store to separate the flowers as you unpack them.
4. You can’t have enough floral food.
5. Make sure the flower shears are sharp.
6. Trim the stems at a 45 degree angle under water before putting them in the vase/bucket with floral food. Make sure there is no greenery under the water line.
7. Invite friends to come help when you are feeling overwhelmed. It will seem impossible but keep reminding yourself/ “they are beautiful flowers. How can you mess this up?” Unless they die- which is why you need lots of buckets and floral food.
Lindsey’s best friend from Austin flew in Thursday to help with the flowers. She and Lindsey got everything rolling. They are so talented. As you can see, it was a process!
Lindsey (the bride) had to run errands but we wouldn’t let her leave til we made the first bouquet and could create the others in the same style. We wanted to create her vision. The first one turned out pretty well- we still did some adjusting but it was a good start. Here is the first bouquet-
One down- 8 more to go plus corsages, boutineers and a floral crown.(oh yeah, the arbor and tables too). Piece of cake! Except I had to leave (mama needs a spray tan and lashes). Enter my sweet friend, Jerri. It truly takes a village! So blessed by sweet talented friends!
Want to see how it all turns out? Post coming soon! FYI- they are to DIY for!
Kelly ☘️
This Sweet Southern Life 