Everyone loves a nice bunch of flowers (except Winston Churchill who apparently said that he also liked children but didn't cut their heads off and display them around the house).
Fresh flowers bring a lovely fresh scent and spruce up a space instantly. But... sorting out the flowers for your own event can be pretty intimidating. We're all ok with stuffing some supermarket flowers into water, maybe adding the supplied sachet of plant food. Sourcing, transporting and displaying flowers in bulk is rather another matter, even for the most intrepid host.
Never fear! We can't promise to turn you into Martha Stewart overnight but we hope that this short guide will help to answer some of your most pressing questions:
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How To Do Your Own Flowers Without Ending Up In A Pickle.
Obviously, the first - and most fun - stage is deciding what you like. Have some fun on Pinterest picking out the colours and styles that appeal to you. Try to keep it loose: colour ranges rather than specific shades, broad decorative themes rather than particular arrangements. This gives you some wiggle room, which is useful creatively and will also help avoid being backed into an expensive corner. The looser the brief, the more freedom you have to be pragmatic in your choices.
Here are some of our favourite florists for inspiration:
- Saipua
Glorious, loose, painterly flowers from a US based florist (flowers shown above by Saipua).
- Euphoric Flowers
Epic, classic event flowers.
- Nicolette Camille
Super pretty, romantic floral arrangements.
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2. Refine your plan
Now you need to be practical, which means thinking about how everything will get done... and by who.
Things to think about include (but are not limited to):
- Which flowers will be in season
Seasonal flowers are cheaper, because they are abundant and they haven't been shipped for miles. It's a good idea to drop non-seasonal flowers from consideration (or plan to use them sparingly) but don't assume that all seasonal flowers will be available. If growing conditions have been bad a particular variety may be in short supply, and therefore expensive. So it's a good plan not to set your heart on any one flower. You can find seasonal flower guides like this one online.
- Who will be making up the displays
Flowers are best arranged the day of the event. If your event is a wedding, for example, you probably won't be available to do this. So whether you're delegating or not, make sure that the look you're aiming for matches the skill level of the person doing the arranging.
You can find an incredible array of How-To guides and videos online, these are some of our favourites:
- 10 second how-to: Tying handheld floral arrangements
- Enormous selection over at Wedding Chicks
- DIY Project: Hanging Floral Chandelier
- Buttonhole DIY
- Make your own: Valentine's day flower arrangement
- Transport and storage
Buying wholesale isn't the same as buying retail. Florists will buy flowers in bulk a few days before an event to give them time to reach their peak, and you'll need to do the same. So you will need somewhere reasonably cool and dark to store your flowers. You will also need to plan transporting your flowers from storage to your venue. Consider this when you're planning how much you will buy.
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You can't do much about your flowers until a few weeks before the event, but you can get a head start on sorting out your containers. You should already have an idea of the style of container you're looking for, now you need to think about how many you need, and in what sizes. The best way to do this is to walk around your venue, making a note of where you think the flowers should go. You should end up with a shopping list - if it's super long and you're worried you've over done it, then separate it into a priority list and a 'wish' list. Get through the priority list and start on the 'wish' list if you can afford it.
There are three ways to get hold of containers: Buy, hire or loan.
- Buy
It is often cheaper and easier to buy your own containers. Lots of people buy them and then sell them on post event, so the end cost can be very low. If you're going to the New Covent Garden Flower Market to buy your flowers, you will find shops there which stock all sorts of containers around the edges of the square. If that's a bit too far away check out sites like Ebay and Preloved, which have section specifically for the sale of used wedding kit. And shops like Ikea and Dunelm also offer great value, simple containers which can be purchased in multiple.
- Hire
It's actually pretty difficult to find vases to hire. We offer some at The Stylists Cupboard, and there are various prop/furniture hire companies, such as Invisible Blue Direct and Greathire which also have a vase section. But you may find that the selection isn't huge and the delivery/collection costs can be high.
- Loan
If you're going for an eclectic theme, you may be able to borrow glassware from friends. This is a great way to save money but do remember to pay extra attention to planning how the loaned items will be looked after as they will need to be cleaned, packed and returned to their owners with care.
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The two easiest options are purchase from a wholesaler at New Covent Garden Market in London or ordering online. Though it's definitely worth checking for local wholesalers in your area, there are nurseries across the country who supply cut flowers and plants.
- New Covent Garden Market
The flower market is wonderful, somewhat discombobulating and best viewed as an adventure. You need to arrive around 8.30/9.00am to see the best of it, ideally by car. You drive up to the entrance and pay a small fee for entry. You can then park and find your way to an entrance - the market is square and has multiple entrances on each side. Try not to go through a goods door to avoid being mown down by a forklift.
Inside the market are thousands of flowers, plants and sundries, displayed on competing stands. The first thing to understand is the scale of the thing. It's wholesale, so bunches of roses come in 50s rather than 10s. The second is that VAT will be charged on top of any prices quoted.
Ideally, you need to do a visit to check things out ahead of purchasing. Walk around and check out the stock each stall has: do you like the selection, is it in good condition? When you've found a stall you like, approach them and get some contact details. If you have any questions about lead times or varieties of flowers, these are the people to ask. They will also give you useful tips on how to care for the flowers you're buying. For example hydrangeas need spritzing with water to keep them fresh because they absorb water through their petals as well as their stems.
If you want a particular variety, check that they will be stocking it. Most stalls will order things in for you if you ask. If you're buying a relatively small amount of flowers it's ok to just turn up on the day and pick them out. But if you're buying a lot it's best to avoid disappointment by emailing over an order a week or two before you need to collect. That way you will definitely get what you want.
Be prepared for the fact that prices fluctuate constantly. The stallholder won't be able to give you a final price until you collect on the day, but they will be able to give a good estimate of your spend. Most stands take cash and cards, so payment is easy. Flowers generally come boxed for transport so you'll want to pick up some cheap buckets so that your flowers can stand in water until your event.
- Online
Online ordering has the benefit of being super easy, but carries a bit of a cost premium. Some wholesalers will only sell to trade but there are several who will sell to anyone, for example Triangle Nurseries - we particularly love their David Austin scented garden roses. As with flowers from the market, they will come boxed so make sure you have some buckets to stand them in.
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If you're a DIY host in need of a little help, why not try our new hire-by-the-day event manager service. Create your own event - and stay in control of it's design and budget - with the benefit of a professional to answer queries, recommend suppliers and run things on the day so you don't have to.
