Bulk Flowers for DIY Wedding and Event Design

We are so excited to offer bulk flower buckets for DIY Wedding and Event Design during August and September!  DIY Bulk flowers are perfect for those who love seasonal, fresh, local flowers, are flexible and open to the magic happening in the flower field, and you (or someone helping you) enjoys a good DIY. 

In this guide we will explain the breakdown of flowers, what you will need, examples of what we grow, and how many stems you will need.  Once you decide what you would like to create, let us know and we will make sure you have the correct number of blooms for all your arrangements. 

Breakdown for Floral Design

Floral Design breaks into 4 basic components: greenery, fillers, accents, and texture.  We make sure you have enough of each in your bulk flower buckets making it easy and fun to create gorgeous bouquets, centerpieces, and arrangements for your wedding day.  

Greenery - 30 - 35%
Examples - Eucalyptus, Ferns, Solidago, Dusty Miller, Ruscus, Ammi, foraged local greenery
Greenery is the foundational element of a floral design and essential when creating a bouquet or arrangements because it provides structure and support, and it layers in texture and adds depth

Fillers - 30 - 35%
Examples - Zinnias, Snapdragons, Amaranth, Hydrangea, Rudbeckia, Strawflower, Ammi, Celosia, Phlox

Filler flowers are the best!   Filler flowers are perfect for creating the floral foundation and volume, and color palette of your wedding floral designs.  

Accent or Focal - 15 - 20%
Examples - Peonies, Dahlias, Lisianthus, Sunflowers
Accent or Focal flowers make a statement.  They have unique shapes, colors, and offer visual interest. They are the visual punch, and you do not need many to make your bouquet or arrangement special and unique.  These flowers tend to be more seasonal.

Texture - 10%
Examples - Celosia, Frosted Explosion Grass, Ammi, Yarrow, Amaranth, Sedum, foraged local texture

This is how you break up your arrangement with a contrasting visual pattern. Having textured elements in your floral designs is a must because it gives depth and visual interest. When you have a high concentration of petals, it helps to add textural items. 

Bouquets, Boutonnieres,  Corsages, and Flower Crowns

Wedding Bouquet

  • 10-15 Filler/Volume Flowers

  • 7-10 Accent Flowers

  • 3 - 5 stems of Texture Flowers

  • 5 stems of greenery total

Attendant Bouquet

  • 5-7 Filler/Volume Flowers

  • 3-5 Accent Flowers

  • 2 - 3  stems of Texture Flowers

  • 2 - 3 stems of greenery total per bouquet


Boutonnieres, corsages, and flower crowns take minimal amounts of flowers and greenery, in general. Typically, you can expect to have leftover sprigs and blooms to make most of your bouts and corsages.

Boutonnieres
Average 1-2 buds with a sprig of greenery per boutonniere. We recommend flowers in bud form or flowers that do well out of water to hold up to the activities of the day!

Corsages
Average 3 buds with light amounts of greenery per corsage.  We recommend flowers in bud form or flowers that do well out of water to hold up to the activities of the day!

Flower Crowns
Just like boutonnieres and corsages, flower crowns take minimal flowers with many little sprigs that will typically be leftover after creating your bouquets. Save all the things and set a few of your favorite blooms aside for your crown! You will need floral wire to create crowns.

Centerpieces and Installations

Bud Vases

For bud vases, it is best to average 1-3 blooms per vase with 1-2 sprigs of green. Expect each bud vase to be slightly different and know it's totally okay for some to have all greens or all blooms.  It is your vision and your day, fun with it!

  • 1-2 Filler Flowers

  • 1-2 Accent Flowers

  • 1 bunch of Texture Flowers for every 10 vases.  A ‘bunch’ includes 10 stems.

  • 1 bunch of greenery for every 10 vases

Centerpiece - 3” opening (Ball/Mason Jars)

  • 2-3 Filler/Volume Flowers

  • 1-2 Accent Flowers

  • 2 stems of Texture Flowers

  • 2 stems of greenery 

Centerpiece - 5 - 6” Opening

  • 5-7 Filler

  • 3-5 Accent Flowers (optional)

  • 2 - 3 stems of Texture Flowers

  • 3 - 4 stems of greenery total per centerpiece  

Loose Greens and Flowers on Tables
When choosing to lose greens and flowers down the center of the table, you will need hardier flowers that do okay out of water for an extended period of time. Flowers such as hydrangeas and peonies and certain greenery  will wilt quickly out of water. Dahlias, lisianthus, strawflowers, zinnias, celosia, yarrow, sedum, some amaranths, and eucalyptus are good options.   If you plan to do this, please let us know so we may select the best type of flowers for this.

6-8 ft rectangle table

  • 7-12 Filler Flowers  Accent Flowers are typically too delicate to last out of water for long periods of time.

  • 5 stems of Texture 

  • 10 stems of Greenery per table 

Ceremony Arbor
When creating a piece for the arbor, we  recommend creating either:
1 large focal piece for the top right corner of the arbor or the center of the arbor
2 smaller pieces for the top right corner and the middle left leg of the arbor (offset)

Since these arrangements will be outside for a period of time, potentially in the sun and heat, we recommend flowers that can withstand both.  Flowers like hydrangeas will wilt quickly, even with a water source.  Greenery such as ruscus and smilax work best on arbors.

Floral Cage for Arbor

  • 10-15 Filler Flowers  

  • We do not recommend too many Accent Flowers in large-scale arrangements and arches because they are typically too small to be seen.  

  • 5  stems of Texture Flowers

  • 15 - 20 stems of Greenery

Supplies

We want to make sure you have exactly what you need! We have broken down this list based on the arrangement type.  All your flowers will be harvested, conditioned and ready to go when you pick them up.

General Supplies

  • Multiple pairs of floral shears, snippers, and scissors for you and helpers

  • Scissors to cut the ribbon

  • Trash cans for mess.  

  • Workspace or table. 

  • Additional hydration buckets for flowers and greenery

  • Small vases or jars to separate delicate blooms

Please note, if you are getting married at Garden Gate at Haley Farm, we will provide you with trash cans, additional workspace tables, and extra buckets.

All items marked with * means you only need one.  For example you will only need one box of bouquet pins, one roll of floral/stem tape, one spool of floral wire, etc.

Bouquets

  • Ribbon

  • Box of bouquet pins*

  • Rubber bands or zip ties to secure flowers •

  •  Hydration vase


Boutonnieres

  •  Floral Stem tape*

  •  Box of pins*

  • Twine*, wire*, or ribbon

Corsage or Wrist Cuff

  • Floral glue* or low temperature hot glue gun 

  • Brass cuff or slap corsage wristlet

Floral Crown

  • Spool of wire*

  • Stem tape*

  • Ribbon (optional)

Bud Vases

  • Flower shears and/or snippers

  • 1-2” diameter bud vases needed

Centerpiece with 3 - 4” Opening - Ball or Mason Jars
Since these vases are smaller, there are several options for vase mechanics. Pick the one that works best for your vessel:

  • Floral or chicken wire - scrunch a small bit into a ball and put at the bottom of your vessel.  Poke stems through holes and wire and arrange as you like.

  • Waterproof floral tape*  -  tape a grid across the opening of your vessel.  Poke stems through holes between tape and arrange as you like

  • Rubber bands or zip ties to hand build, tie, and then set into your vessel

Centerpiece or Arrangement with 5 - 6” Opening - Large Milk Glass Vases, etc.
Waterproof tape is always needed to secure your mechanics, no matter which method you select.  Pick the one that works best for your vessel:

  • Floral or chicken wire - scrunch a small bit into a ball and put at the bottom of your vessel.  Poke stems through holes and wire and arrange as you like.

  • Waterproof floral tape*  -  tape a grid across the opening of your vessel.  Poke stems through holes between tape and arrange as you like

  • Rubber bands or zip ties to hand build, tie, and then set into your vessel

Ceremony Arbor Installation/Piece

  • Large floral foam cages or 

  • Forms made of chicken wire and floral water tubes for hydrating flowers

  • Zip ties to secure the design

Loose Greens and Flowers on Tables

  • Flower shears and/or snippers

We are so excited to provide bulk flowers for your wedding and special event!  You  are supporting our small, family-owned flower farm and we are forever grateful.  We promise you will  receive the most fresh, in-season, and completely magical blooms. As you create your DIY arrangements, you will create memories with your favorite people and have gorgeous arrangements you can be so proud of!

We are here for all your DIY energy and are happy to help any way that we can.  As you are making your decision, please feel free to reach out to us at any time with questions.

Let’s get flowering!