Did YOU, or do you know anyone, who made their own wedding bouquets?
I am a frugal bride. I am planning (or at least WAS) to make my own centerpieces and bouquets. My FMIL (who is not financially contributing to the wedding <—that bit is significant b/c I wonder how it impacts how far I should consider her opinions) keeps mentioning that I need to secure a florist for our bouquets (the wedding is in Nov 10) She knows that I was planning on a DIY situation, yet continues to insist I need a florist, to at least arrange the bouquets. My original idea was to have the bridesmaids hold 4 large hydrangea stems wrapped in ribbon (when I came up with the idea I premade one, and loved the look), and myself a bouquet of ivory hydrangeas and ivory roses. Simple enough right? 1. Does she know best because shes been a bride, and has a daughter whose wedding she helped coordinate, or 2. Should I go my route and save hundreds doing them myself, buying floweres thru a close friend who is a wholesale floral supplier (NOT florist, as she does not make arrangements but rather distributes the flowers to wholesale clubs etc.) help!
Definitely do it yourself! Since you have already made them, you know what you are doing and how it will look. I think your idea is really pretty. I made my own. My bridesmaids each had three lilies and three roses with some foliage and I had a dozen roses and three lilies with foliage. I wrapped each one with ribbon and they looked nice. I also made orchid and rose corsages for my mom, his mom, and his two grandmothers. Those were all real flowers. We were on a budget, so the centerpieces were artificial, but I did them too. Each of our parents tables had a larger arrangement of artificial ones and our moms still display them. Since you have the knowledge, skills, and necessary items available, go for it!
EDIT: If you have to, point out other things that you are doing yourself and reassure her that you are not just ignoring her. This may backfire if she says you are doing too much, but a schedule can convince her that this will be done at this time, and that will be done at that time.
I would second Reba that the corsages are difficult. In my experience, they were harder than the bouquets, but still doable and well made.
Ignore your future mother in law. If she’s not contributing either financially or physically it’s really none of her business what you choose to do.
Yes, my friend’s mum made all her bouquets and centrepieces and they looked lovely. She’s offered to do the same for me and I’ve gratefully accepted as I’m not that ‘crafty’ and it will save us a bundle of money as we’re also very frugal, lol. Go for it, it’s your wedding, don’t send yourself broke just to please someone else!
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Getting married in November.
Definitely do it yourself! Since you have already made them, you know what you are doing and how it will look. I think your idea is really pretty. I made my own. My bridesmaids each had three lilies and three roses with some foliage and I had a dozen roses and three lilies with foliage. I wrapped each one with ribbon and they looked nice. I also made orchid and rose corsages for my mom, his mom, and his two grandmothers. Those were all real flowers. We were on a budget, so the centerpieces were artificial, but I did them too. Each of our parents tables had a larger arrangement of artificial ones and our moms still display them. Since you have the knowledge, skills, and necessary items available, go for it!
EDIT: If you have to, point out other things that you are doing yourself and reassure her that you are not just ignoring her. This may backfire if she says you are doing too much, but a schedule can convince her that this will be done at this time, and that will be done at that time.
I would second Reba that the corsages are difficult. In my experience, they were harder than the bouquets, but still doable and well made.
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If your mother in law is not contributing, then you don’t need to listen to her opinion at all. Just tell her flat out that you have the flowers taken care of and you are making your bouquets yourself.
For my wedding I did all the bridesmaid bouquets myself in silks (i am super allergic to flowers.) I had my bouquet professionally done in silk, but that is because my dad’s friend is a florist and I got a great deal. Otherwise I would have done mine as well.
I think if you have put together ones you like, then go with it! Just do it yourself! One side note, you may want to order the corsages and boutonnieres from a florist but you can order these from a supermarket floral department and save yourself a lot of money. For a friend of mine we ended up needing some extra corsages the day before her wedding and we ordered them from the local supermarket and they came out great! (Corsages and boutonnieres are a pain to do yourself save yourself the aggravation!!)
Good luck!
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Do what you want, she has no opinion in this decision. If she wants a fancy florist, then let her pay for it.
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Definitely do it yourself, my aunt made her own out of fake flowers. And they looked soo pretty and she saved hundreds of dollars! She’s not paying for it, so she really has no say! It’s your day, do what you want!! Congrats =)
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I would go with your idea if that’s what makes you happy. It’s your wedding, do what you want. And you don’t HAVE to have floral centerpieces you know? Especially since your having an autumn wedding, just use squashes or pumpkins, then the guests can take them home and cook them up (no waste and much cheaper than flowers, especially if you grow them yourself). I’m not having professional flowers, even though we can afford it. Instead I’m making fabric flowers out of unusual print quilting squares. I’ve made them about a million times for gifts, so I already know they are unique and look totally awesome. Plus, I can save them forever (it makes me so sad when flowers wilt and die
) Don’t be afraid to use whatever elements you want in YOUR wedding. So long as your fiance is ok with it, then proceed with your DIY arrangements, and tell your FMIL if she would like to pay, you’d be happy to listen to some of her suggestions then.
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getting married 10-10-10
Do it yourself, definitely!
My only suggestion is that odd numbers look better in a bouquet, so I would advise for your maids to carry either 3 or 5 stems.
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Since you have already made them and liked the way they looked, there is no reason to shell out a ton of money for a florist. I’m a DIYer to and I made my own bouquet. I see no reason in paying someone else to do something that you can easily do yourself. I priced bouquets from florists and they were anywhere from $75 to $300!! Craziness! Ended up saving a ton of money and I enjoyed making my own bouquet as well. I only spent about $17 total on it. It gave me something to do the morning of my wedding!
Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbish/4011446146/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbish/4095991018/ (the small white flower is a silk rose from my aunt’s wedding bouquet–my "something old")
Maybe your FMIL is concerned about your skills and doesn’t realize that you have made them already and liked them. She might be worried about your available time to do them too. Talk to her and explain all the logistics, show her a pic of what you made before (if you have one) and discuss it. Maybe you can just tell her it is more meaningful to you to make your own?
Good luck
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I made my bouquet out of silk flowers and my mother made the attendant’s bouquets. If you love the sample you made, by all means use it. It is hard trying to get through to someone who ‘knows’—my problem was with my father. I wanted to rent a reel-to-reel tape recorder so that I could tape the music for the ceremony and the reception. He kept insisting that I needed a microphone, because he got it into his head that I wanted to tape the ceremony. He didn’t back down until we were at the rental place and the manager said that I was right. I sympathize with you, so just stick to your guns.
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