At the I Do Crew we Coordinate and Style a lot of Spring & Summer weddings, along with weddings out in the open and in the sun.  Over the years I have picked up some handy tips to help keep your wedding flowers fresh.  Your Florist will be able to help with this too, but these tips will be especially helpful for you if you plan to DIY wedding flowers.

Flower Choice

The very first thing to think about are the specifics of your day; what arrangements do you need, where will they be located, when will they need to be constructed (how many hours in advance), do they need to be transported? For example, if you are going to DIY wedding flowers, you will need to do this the day before your wedding, which means a long lead time until your flowers go on show.  Also consider the location you are getting married in and the venue.  For example;  if you are having a floral installation in your Marquee, this will be constructed and installed hours before you arrive back for your Reception.  So before you get caught up in finding inspiration for your florals on Pinterest, take some time to ask yourself these questions.  Be guided by what is in season and consider hardier flowers such as Australian Natives, Proteas (South African Native), greenery and foliage.  If you are working with a Florist you will be able to discuss logistics with them but make sure to ask when the arrangements will be made and installed especially if heat is going to be an issue.

Water

Flowers will last longer if you give them water.  When bouquets are not being used, where possible, put them into a vase of clean, room temperature water. You can do this prior to leaving for your Ceremony and again at the Reception and here is a handy DIY wedding flowers tip; your bouquets, popped into vases to keep them fresh, can do double duty and be used to help decorate your wedding reception space.  You should also keep a spray bottle handy and give them a spray periodically throughout the day. The water does not need to be cold but on a hot day you may like to keep it in a dark place or even an esky, so it doesn’t heat up.  This is a great job for one of the Wedding Party or a family member.

I Do Crew Tip:  Give your bouquets a spray with water just before photos to ensure they look fresh as a daisy!

Keep Them Cool

Make sure to keep your flowers cool and out of direct sunlight where you can. If you can’t put them in a vase, keep them in a box in a cool space (this works well for corsages and button-holes).  Whilst you can refrigerate flowers, there are some dos and don’ts such as not storing flowers in a fridge with fruit and vegetables (that omit harmful chemicals), or in a coolroom that could have been cleaned with a chemical. If the fridge is too cold you can also cause damage or end up with a soggy bouquet.  A safer option is a cool, dark room and if you need to use fans or airconditioning to keep the room cool, make sure air is not blowing on them.  If the weather is very hot, talk to your florist or flower seller for their advice on how to keep your particular flowers cool.

Don’t Buy Them Too Early

Florists have purpose made fridges they can keep flowers cool in, which is why they can construct your arrangement in advance and keep it very fresh for you.  If you are going to DIY wedding flowers and you don’t have somewhere cool to keep them, don’t buy them any sooner than you need to; ideally when its very hot, this will be on the day of your wedding.  Now this is where it gets tricky if you want to do DIY wedding flowers.  It is unlikely you will have time to do them yourself on the day, unless you are getting married quite late in the day and are having very simple arragements. Instead, have fun designing the arrangements and choosing the flowers to go into them and then hand the job over to helpers to do the work for you.  Many On the Day Wedding Coordinators, like the I Do Crew, will be able to help execute your floral ‘vision’ so you don’t have to do it yourself days in advance and risk your flowers not looking their best come wedding day.

Cut The Stems

If you are doing your own flowers, make your first job when you get them the home or to the venue, stripping the stems and cutting them on an angle; doing this will help your flowers drink the water you have placed them in.  If you have chosen to store them overnight, and it is very hot, cut the stems again the next day and given them fresh water.

I Do Crew Tip:  If you would like to keep your flowers after your wedding, re-cut the stems and change the water every couple of days.

More Tips for Choosing Your Wedding Flowers

For more help choosing your Florist and deciding on which flowers to have on your wedding day, read The Ultimate Wedding Flowers Checklist

If you have decided to DIY Wedding Flowers but need some help on the day to finalise the arrangements, contact us!