21/09/2026
****DIY WEDDING STYLING? SAVE THIS POST! ****
With so many brides choosing to go down the DIY route with their wedding flowers and venue styling, I thought I’d share a few key tips from someone who spends A LOT of time making floral arrangements 😂
I keep seeing pictures and videos of your beautiful DIY displays, and whilst I love seeing everyone getting creative, there are a few little things that can make a massive difference to the finished look.
TIP 1 — Stop cutting all your stems really short!
This is probably one of the biggest things I see.
Try cutting your stems at different lengths rather than having everything the same height and sitting flat. Longer stems give you movement, height and dimension, and makes the arrangement look much more natural.
When everything is cut or glued really short and flat, it can unfortunately end up looking very… well… flat! 😂
TIP 2 — Mix your shades & textures
Don’t be afraid to use different shades of your chosen colour and mix your materials.
Try combining fabric flowers, silk flowers, different foliage and smaller filler flowers. Mixing textures makes the arrangement look much more realistic and gives it far more depth.
TIP 3 — Make sure you’re using the RIGHT foam!
This one is really important!
Green floral foam is generally designed for fresh flower arrangements and is intended to be soaked in water before fresh flowers are inserted.
For artificial/dry arrangements, look for dry floral foam, which is usually grey or brown.
So before you buy your foam, always check what it’s actually designed for!
TIP 4 — Use chicken wire/mesh
If you’re making a table arrangement using foam, try wrapping your foam with chicken wire/floral mesh first.
It can help stop the foam from breaking down and also gives your longer stems something to grip onto, making it much easier to create height and movement.
TIP 5 — Don’t make everything symmetrical
Real flowers don’t grow in perfect rows!
Have some flowers sitting higher, some lower, some slightly forward and some further back. It will instantly make your arrangement look more natural.
TIP 6 — Start with your greenery
Build the basic shape with your foliage first. This gives you the overall structure and movement before you start adding your main flowers.
It also helps you work out where you need to fill any gaps.
TIP 7 — Don’t use everything at exactly the same size
Use your larger flowers as your focal points, then bring in smaller blooms and filler flowers around them.
If everything is the same size, height and shape, the arrangement can look very flat.
TIP 8 — Keep turning your arrangement
Don’t build the whole thing looking at it from one angle!
Keep turning it as you work so you can see how it looks from the front, sides and above. Especially important for centrepieces that your guests will see from all directions.
TIP 9 — Hide your mechanics
Foam, glue, cable ties, wire and exposed stems are all part of the process — but they shouldn’t be the finished look!
Once you’re happy with your arrangement, go back in with foliage and smaller flowers to disguise any mechanics that are showing.
TIP 10 — Don’t overcrowd it
More flowers doesn’t always mean a better arrangement.
Leaving little pockets of space between flowers helps individual blooms stand out and gives your arrangement depth.
TIP 11 — Manipulate your artificial flowers
This is something people often forget!
Artificial flowers don’t always need to stay exactly how they come out of the packet. Bend and twist the stems, turn the flower heads and angle them in different directions.
It can completely change the finished arrangement.
And finally… don’t panic if your first attempt isn’t perfect! 😂
Floral arranging is something you learn by doing. Play around with your flowers, step back regularly and look at the arrangement as a whole rather than concentrating on one little section.
And if you’re doing your own wedding flowers, please feel free to send me your creations — I genuinely LOVE seeing what you all come up with! 🥰💐
These little tips might just help take your DIY flowers from “I’ve stuck some flowers in foam” to “wait… did a florist actually make this?!” 😂🌸
