How to Make a Bridal Bouquet: Step-by-Step from Garden to Aisle

Plant your own bouquet flowers for an especially personal touch for your wedding. Your blooms will be as fresh as can be, and the plants become a living remembrance of your day.

How to Make a Wedding Bouquet

• Harvest flowers early morning or evening, when temperatures are cool and leaves/blooms are full of sugars and water.
• Place flowers in water in a cool location for at least three hours before arranging. Start arranging bride's bouquet three hours before ceremony.
• To create a full, round, nosegay-style bouquet, begin by removing all but uppermost foliage.
• Holding a small cluster of blooms in one hand, add individual blooms on all sides, turning bouquet regularly to keep round shape.
• Tip: Stand before a mirror to check proportion and visualize how it will look carried. When full, gently secure stems with rubber band at top, just below flower heads.
• Wrap stems securely with green floral tape (florist supply shop), leaving lower few inches exposed. For tender stems (tulips, hyacinths), skip rubber band and secure with floral tape only.
• Using sharp pruners, clip stems evenly across bottom—mirror helps determine best length.
• Tie ribbon around stems to hide floral tape, pop arrangement into vase with small amount of water until ready.
• Blot dry bottom of bouquet before taking down aisle.