We’re always flattered when asked to contribute to local blogs and wedding sites throughout the Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin area. Recently, we were fortunate enough to be featured on the Married in Milwaukee site, one of Wisconsin’s top resources for brides and grooms looking for advice and networking resources throughout the Milwaukee area.
Check out our Married in Milwaukee feature by the fabulous Angela Quigley and make sure to keep checking back for the latest from the Married in Milwaukee team!
DIY Wedding Flowers from Milwaukee’s Belle Fiori
By Angela Quigley
Simple and pretty DIY centerpiece (Photo by Lisa Mathewson Photography)
There are many things to consider if you are debating creating your own fresh flowers for your wedding. Even the initial decisions of ordering the correct number of flowers to the receipt and storage of the flowers prior to the design phase can beoverwhelming. Luckily, one of the top florist in town, Belle Fiori, takes care of all these initial DIY logistics for you.
Belle Fiori and DIY Wedding Flowers
Belle Fiori’s DIY flower service,The Bucket Project, marries the best of both worlds. You get the experts who help determine the quantity of flowers to order, handle receiving the flowers and prepping them for assembly, and storing them until you are ready to pick them up and design them.
While Belle Fiori certainly helps with DIY wedding flowers, it’s important to note that certain types of floral arrangements are still best left to the experts. Complex arrangements, such as the ones featured below, take a significant amount of time to make them look they way they do.
This attention getting Belle Fiori floral arrangement is best left to the professionals versus DIY.
(Photo by mthree studio)
Another gorgeous Belle Fiori centerpiece.
(photo by Woodnote Photography)
Good DIY Flower Candidates
Projects that are better candidates for DIY include those with a simple design, the savvy creative design and the accessorized design, such as the ones featured below.
A few things to remember with these featured projects:
- Flower Pick Up. Belle Fiori does store the flowers to keep them fresh and free from damage, but once you pick them up, they become your responsibility. This can be further complicated by mistakes made during the assembly process. Be sure to order a few extras to allow for this.
- Wedding Day Setup. All of these projects required set up the day of the wedding. As the bride, it is likely you won’t want to do this on the morning of your wedding, so remember that you’ll need reliable helpers.
- Transportation. Transportation of flowers, in particular pre-assembled centerpieces, require additional logistical considerations, in particular if the location of where the flowers were assembled is far from the reception location.
- Reception Location Opening Times. Not all reception venues open up for set up more than a few hours before your scheduled reception time. Be sure to coordinate set up times with your venue.
Simple Design Floral DIY
Simple floral designs are perfect candidates for DIY wedding flowers. Using a limited variety of flowers, a small amount of flowers in each vase and easy to handle flowers like mums are much more likely to make your DIY wedding flowers a success.
The first wedding featured below had each table set with assorted vases provided by the bride. As you can see, each vessel had sprigs of affordable flowers. This simple, cute display went perfectly with the couple’s rustic “summer camp” theme.
These centerpieces are perfect for DIY wedding flowers.
(photos by Becca Dilley Photography)
Savvy Creative DIY Floral Design
Many brides embark on DIY wedding flowers because they are generally a very creative person. This next arrangement was developed and executed by a very artistic couple that both happen to be MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design) students. These arrangements took some significant thought, planning and time to execute, with absolutely gorgeous results.
These creative DIY wedding flowers were beautifully executed using Belle Fiori flowers by a couple who were both art students.
(photos by Kate Berg Photography)
Accessorized DIY Floral Design
Great DIY projects often incorporate a certain look that ties into the overall theme of the wedding and cost isn’t an object. This couple made super cute centerpieces using books, candles, tin cans, twine, and many vases with flowers. They got exactly what they were looking for even if the centerpieces were a bit pricey and potentially time consuming.
Super cute DIY centerpieces incorporated many details. The DIY costs were significant, but the results were exactly what the couple wanted.
(photo by Valo Photography)
The Belle Fiori Meeting
When talking with Emily Neubauer, the owner of Belle Fiori, she had a few suggestions for her DIY brides interested in The Bucket Project services. First, have a solid foundation for what you are looking for in your wedding flowers. Come with ideas and pictures – perfect for all those hours you’ve spent searching for wedding flowers on Pinterest.
Most importantly, do your research and be realistic. Many of the floral arrangements you may encounter on Pinterest have been created by an expert floral designer after many years of training and practice. Don’t get caught up in making your own wedding flowers if all it will do is add stress. After all, you want to enjoy your wedding day.
For more info on Belle Fiori, their full service wedding flower and DIY services, check out their website. www.bellefioriflorist.com
Many thanks to the various photographers whose images were used in this article.