DIY Wedding Flowers in Eugene, Oregon
My recommendation will always be to hire a professional florist whenever your budget allows. Because the truth is, arranging your own wedding flowers can be pretty tricky! The process is delicate and messy, the flowers are temperature sensitive and perishable, and arrangements can take up a lot of room during storage and transport.
That being said, DIY florals can be done beautifully. And if you are determined to make your own flower arrangements, I do have some advice and resources for you!
DIY Wedding Florals
“DIY” or “Do It Yourself” is very popular for couples getting married in Eugene, Oregon. After all, we’re a creative, crafty bunch of folks around here! I’ve seen clients make their own invitations, welcome signs, desserts, outfits, jewelry, music playlists, and more.
Although DIY can be fun and help save money for other areas of your budget, remember that it still comes with a cost; your time and effort. During the wedding planning process you always have three options: spend the money, spend the time, or skip it entirely. For example:
You can spend the money to hire a professional florist, who will take your vision from dream to reality and deliver gorgeous flowers on your wedding day. Some of my favorite local floral designers are Wrong Number Floral, Flowers & Thyme, Smiling Frog Farm, and Garden Girl Flowers. But there are SO MANY more!
You (or a loved one) can spend the time to shop, transport, arrange, store, and deliver DIY flowers on your wedding day.
Or, you can skip flowers entirely. It’s a nontraditional choice, but there are so many other items we can use to decorate your wedding. Especially if your venue already has beautiful flowers planted during your wedding season, you may not even miss having floral arrangements on every table.
There are also ways to combine these three options. For example:
You hire a professional florist just for your most important pieces: bouquet, flower crown, or pocket square. Most floral designers have an order minimum, but not Linsey with Luminary Floral! Linsey is happy to make just one (or two) bouquets for a client, and her work is stunning.
A family member makes a few arrangements for your welcome/guestbook table, your dessert table, etc.
You decorate your guest tables with something other than flowers. Action figures, an antique book collection, framed photos of you & your sweetheart, bowls of a favorite candy… really anything can be made into unique and memorable table decorations.
Tips for Making DIY Wedding Flowers
If you’re determined to craft your own wedding florals, here are some tips!
Delegate. Because they're perishable, flowers need to be acquired + arranged just before your wedding. You may need to focus on other things at that time so it's a good idea to put a friend or family member in charge of flowers. You can still be involved if you want, just don’t make yourself essential to the process.
Be Flexible. Certain flowers may not be in season in for your wedding, so if you stay flexible with the type and/or color of the flowers it'll help you be happier with the outcome. For example, maybe you'd like all-white flowers or a mix of blues/purples but they can be any kind of blossoms. Or maybe you love roses but you don't care what colors they are. If you find yourself wanting a very specific floral design, I would encourage you to contact a local florist!
Local. If you'd like to support local growers, several flower farms near Eugene sell blossoms by the bucket. Some of my past clients have had great experiences buying loose flowers from these folks:
Formosa Flower Farm - Angelina
Charles Little & Co - Bethany
Affordable. If you'd like to spend as little as possible on flowers, you can find some great deals at Trader Joe's and/or Costco.
Plan for Transportation. Flowers are fluffy and can’t be stacked or crushed like other decorations (table linens, boxes of candles, etc). This means they take up a lot of room in a vehicle during transport, so plan ahead to avoid a surprise on your wedding day when the flowers just won’t quite fit in your car!
Still Have Questions?
Do you have other questions or ideas about DIY decorations for your wedding? Please reach out for a FREE consultation with me, and we can brainstorm together! I’ll ensure you have all the information you need to plan an awesome wedding day.
