If you have decided to make your own wedding flowers, planning is extremely important. Write down all your ideas in a little notebook to keep all your ideas in one place. Document things as you think of them. One decision you'll have to make is a source for your flowers and foliage.

Ask around to find out who different people would recommend as a source for your flowers. Word of mouth is often more reliable than Yellow Pages ads. Find people who have had experience with this sort of thing and ask them who they would recommend or how they did it. You have 3 basic options - a garden, a florist, or a wholesaler.

Garden

Think of family or friends who may have gardens with foliage that you could use for your arrangements and bouquets. Cut some stems of different types of foliage and put them in a vase (with water) to see how well they will stand up for your big day. Finding out on the morning of your wedding that certain types of foliage will wilt no matter what you do is very discouraging.

Florist

If you would like to go this route, you need to pick a florist that you like and trust. Once you have decided which one you are going to lean on, visit her at least several months before your wedding. She will be very helpful when it comes to buying the flowers and for general advice. She can tell you which ones will be available around the time of your special day and she can bring in the exact flowers that you want.

Wholesaler

Of course there is also the wholesale option. If you want to purchase from a wholesaler, you will need to buy larger quantities. Wholesalers will not take the time to tell you what to buy or what not to buy for your wedding. They are there to move volume, not to consult. They also open at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. to sell to the florists - whereas florists open at a more friendly hour. Florists will sell you your flowers in smaller quantities than the wholesalers and they will take the time to offer advice and tips for how to make your own wedding flowers.

Therefore, when buying buying your flowers for do it yourself wedding flowers, the choice is yours - you can go either the wholesaler or the florist route. Purchasing from a florist may be a bit more expensive but worth it in the long run! On the other hand, if you are experienced and know what you are doing, you don't mind getting up early, and purchasing large quantities is not a problem, then the wholesale option is for you.