THE PLANNER PAGES: DIY BRIDES :: DON'T OVER DO-IT-YOURSELF IT

I will say it upfront. Straight with no chasers. I am not a fan of brides doing their own wedding flowers. I hear brides say, "Oh, it's just pulling together a bunch of flowers. How hard can that be?" Well, it can be. It can also be very time consuming. There are many, many factors to consider when thinking of doing all or parts of your flowers for your wedding day.

Okay, I did say I was not a fan of this DIY project. I did not say it is a complete impossibility. My main reason for saying no is the time factor. This is your weekend. Wedding guests have come from far and near to see and spend time with you and your fiance. How can they do that if you are locked in your house trying to finish last minute projects? And wedding flowers are always a last minute project. Well, that is if you actually want your flowers to be fresh. If you don't mind them being dead, then by all means create the centerpieces and bouquets at the beginning of the week.

If you want to have a hand in some of your flowers, I say create small pieces for your rehearsal dinner or bridal luncheon. This little beauty will add grace to your rehearsal dinner table. You can consider it a personal gift to your wedding guests. Everyone will ooh and ahh over your creative beauties during dinner.

Photo Credit Southern Weddings Blog

And before you begin this project, having a little professional help will not hurt. Even if it is digital help. A few weeks back, the ladies of Flower Duet contacted me and mailed me their instructional DVD on flower arranging. I could not, of course, simply tell you about this DVD. I had to try to follow along myself. What a treat! Kit and Casey (could their names be any cuter together?) are so knowledgeable and detailed on what to do and not to do when creating arrangements. I received their DVD just before my bridal show last week. And so happened, I had a house full of flowers. I grabbed a bundle and created a bouquet while watching their DVD. I encourage any bride-to-be who is considering doing any of their wedding flowers themselves to contact Kit and Casey and get a copy of this fun DVD themselves.

Reception centerpieces and bridal party flowers are much more involved projects. Where will you house 15-20 floral centerpieces? Where will you cool 10 bouquets and 15 boutonnieres? Yes, they need to be in a cooler. Having them sit in water in various locations around your house is not enough to keep them lively until the party starts. Let's say you have a small wedding party of adults only. For this example we will use five bridesmaids, four groomsmen, one bride and one groom. That makes six bouquets and five boutonnieres you have to make. Most bouquets are eight to ten inches tall. You will have to remove a shelf or two from your refrigerator so the flowers will stand in a vase without being crushed. You will also need to remove all the food from your refrigerator so the flowers do not absorb the smell from the foods. Who wants peonies that smell like cheese? Now that all the food is out of the frig, what will you eat? For me, that would be too many factors to be concerned with the week of my wedding.

Below, I have created a mosaic of arrangements that are not as time consuming. These arrangements can be created for the peripheral parties of your wedding. Stay tuned for Hailey's series on those events. I also have a mosaic of arrangements that you simply should not try at home.

Be a bride. Be a groom. Be a mother-of-the-bride and groom. And let the professionals take good care of you all.