I have convinced myself that if I was not a wedding photographer that I would still be in the wedding industry because arranging flowers for events for my family and friends has become one of my favorite things to do! Sure, they only last a week or two but they are beautiful and brighten up other’s days. They can make any woman smile and I like to think that the act of arranging them for someone or for their event is also what can make them more special. I think when you make an effort to create something beautiful for others the work and effort is appreciated so much more than the actual things that you are giving to them.

We planned my best friend, Nicole, surprise bridal shower the past two months and everyone involved did an AMAZING job at putting together something so beautiful for her. Our desire and heart were all there to work hard and create a wonderful day for her, which in turn made the day that much more special and beautiful. There will be more on the entire day for her bridal shower, and all of the decorations that Caitlin, Chelsea and I did on a later blog post. Today I am sharing secret tips to creating floral arrangements, so that YOU can fall in love with flowers just like me!

1. Selecting your flowers.

   Your flowers don’t have to be outrageously expensive. I go to Norfolk Wholesale Floral and select the flowers that I want to use. You can get a lot for great prices and this ends up being a cheaper route then ordering some that are already made for you. That way you can get the flowers that you want, and get creative with texture and colors. For Nicole’s bridal shower, the theme itself was a Florals and our girl loves anything pink and pretty! I incorporated two bouquets of pink roses, but then to save money I choose these vibrant Carnations, Queen Anne’s Lace, a plant with red berries and Eucalyptus. Any great flower arrangement uses a variety of greenery to fill the floral arrangement and Eucalyptus is great for that. They also have pops of colors and textures, and then a few stunner pieces (like roses). I suggest to not over think it to much when selecting your flowers. It is fun selecting a variety and watching it all come together.

   

2. Getting vases for your flowers.

   I reused some of these vases from my Mom’s surprise birthday part last year, but all of them were purchased at the craft store, Michael’s. At a time where all of them were 40% off. Talk about a deal! Deals always make these projects and creations more affordable as well. If you are on their email list you also get frequent coupons sent to you. Going off of the floral theme for the bridal shower I wanted vases that were light colors of pink, white and/or looked like you would use them in a garden. I recommend trying to think out of the box and not using your standard glass vase.

3. Oasis.

   I am not talking about traveling to your own Oasis for daydreaming and relaxation, although that could be helpful for your creativity. I am talking about the green blocks or circles that florist use all of the time. These can be found at Norfolk Wholesale Floral as soon as you walk in. They are very easy to use! I soaked the Oasis in water for a couple of hours, in my sink. Once they are not floating they have thoroughly soaked in the water. The point of Oasis is to keep giving your flowers water as well as keeping them all in place. After they have soaked up water, I place them into the vases I am using, with a minimal amount of water in the bottom. This is where it is easy to cut the Oasis if you need a smaller shape. After that I begin to place the stems into the Oasis, but do not poke them all the way through it. This helps you arrange your flowers in a creative way.

4. Have variety.

   I like floral arrangements asymmetrical, but that is not for everyone. So for these I did a mixture. I did three that were clean and filled with pink roses, because I knew that Nicole would love the classic look! I used those with the more formal vases, the glass ones. Then the ones that look liked they came from gardening supplies or looked like carts I choose to make them more asymmetrical. Eucalyptus is a great use for this!The glass arrangement above was created by cutting the stems of the roses short and arranging them in my hands. Once I was done I wrapped a rubber band around them and put them into the glass vase. This was a simple way to do this but I think they look classic!

5. Prepare your flowers before arranging.

   I got all of my vases together, and noted the different heights of them. While the Oasis was soaking in the sink, I pulled up my trashcan and began trimming the flowers. I cut the stems to varying lengths. (I did varying lengths on purpose so that the arrangements would have more dimension and layers to them.) I trimmed off leafs I did not want on the stems. For the berries and the Eucalyptus I cut each stem into three or sometimes four different lengths and this allowed me to use the one long stem several different ways. I trimmed everything and prepared them before starting on an arrangement. That way once the flowers were all prepared I could begin arranging them, pulling the different varieties in no restricted order as I created them. 

6. Don’t have a set plan.

   Have fun arranging the flowers! When I selected the flowers at the store I did think about coordinating colors and what went together but at this point that is done! Don’t think to hard about this part and just have fun with it! I do suggest placing a few of your filler pieces in first, like your Eucalyptus, or any greenery that you have. Then afterwards beginning to place the focal point flowers. I choose to use my Eucalyptus, then a piece or two of my Queen Anne’s Lace and then add in the Carnations, berries and finally the Roses. Often times, I would then go back in and add more Eucalyptus. After that, I turn the entire arrangement around looking for empty spots I may not have seen and add in whatever flower I feel would look good there.

   

Voila! You now have the capability and the not so secret secrets to creating a beautiful floral arrangement! I hope this helps create pops of color for your events and/or your home!