How to Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers for a Beautiful, Unique Bouquet

If you’ve dreamt of wandering through a bevy of your own flower beds, harvesting your favorites, and arranging them into the bridal bouquet of your dreams, you’re in luck. While it takes a bit of pre-planning and gardening know-how, it’s entirely possible to grow your own wedding flowers and build the perfect wedding bouquet. Ahead, we spoke with flower farmers and florists who walked us through how to grow your own wedding flowers, from preparing your flower beds to finishing off your bouquet with a bow.

Why Couples May Choose to Grow Their Own Wedding Flowers

Choosing to grow your own wedding flowers is the ultimate wedding DIY. Doing so allows you a level of control and access over your florals that you might not have otherwise. ​"The cool thing about growing your own wedding flowers is the access to varieties you'd never find at a regular florist," says Michelle Edgemont, florist and director of sales at Poppy Flowers. "I'm talking heirloom sweet peas, garden roses with actual fragrance, dahlias in colors that don't exist in the commercial supply chain. That's a big deal if you're trying to create something that feels genuinely one-of-a-kind."

Wedding Flowers to Grow

If you’re growing your own flowers, it’s smart to use what typically grows and blooms in the season your wedding will be held. Of course, your region and climate also matter, so be sure to check where your favorite flowers are typically grown and whether your region can support them. And remember, almost all flowers require some advanced planning, with some, like tulip bulbs, needing to be planted in the fall to bloom the following spring.

Here are some popular wedding flowers by season:

Spring (March-May)

• Daffodil
• Iris
• Tulip
• Snowdrop
• Sweet pea
• Hyacinth
• Peonies
• Hydrangea
• Lilac
• Snapdragon
• Ranunculus

Summer (June-August)

• Rose
• Gardenias
• Delphinium
• Calla lily
• Gerbera daisies
• Lisianthus
• Zinnia
• Cosmo
• Allium
• Calcynia
• Queen Anne's lace
• Astilbe
• Scabiosa

Fall (September-November)

• Dahlia
• Marigold
• Aster
• Chrysanthemum
• Camelia
• Amaranthus

Winter (December-February)

• Amaryllis
• Poinsettia
• Hellebore
• Freesia
• Anemone
• Waxflower

Creating a Color Palette

When choosing your flowers, consider what you want your bouquet to look like. Creating a color palette for your wedding bouquet generally comes down to two basic ideas: choosing a monochromatic or analogous color theme, which are shades of colors that naturally complement and sit next to each other on a color wheel.

​"Monochromatic wields varying tints and tones of one color, which creates depth and formality to floral designs," says Sabankaya. "And if you want a bit more varied color in your flowers, an analogous color theme works lovely because it can include a favorite primary color, such as violet, accompanied by two neighboring colors on a color wheel, such as lavender and periwinkle blue."

Tips for Growing Your Wedding Flowers

If you’re ready to start growing your own wedding flowers, follow these expert tips.

Prep Flower Beds

First, take a look at your flower beds. Have you used them before, or are they brand new to the task at hand? If the bed has been used before, farmer-florist Teresa Sabankaya suggests a few soil amendments that will prepare it for wedding-ready blooms. "You probably can get by with a good layer of compost, followed up later with a balanced fertilizer containing equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, such as 10-10-10,” says Sabankaya.

If you’ll be working with brand-new beds, Sabankaya recommends first adding a mycorrhizae planting mix to the planting holes. Mycorrhizae are a specialized type of fungus that strengthens plant roots. Then, add compost. Once your plants are established, she says you can switch to a fertilizer with a higher potassium level, such as a 3-9-4 ratio.

Consider the Sun

Edgemont also recommends taking the time to "understand your sun situation before you plant anything." Take the time to watch how the sun changes in your garden throughout the day, such as partial sun in the morning and direct, intense sun in the afternoon. This will help you select which flowers you plant and where you plant them.

Consider Spacing

Clear out any weeds, debris, or compacted patches, then think about spacing and accessibility of your future blooms. Edgemont says to plan your beds "like a working studio, not just a pretty garden." Create rows you can walk through and group plants, so you’re not harvesting across five different beds when you’re trying to build one arrangement.

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Harvesting Your Wedding Flowers

When you harvest your wedding flowers depends on the type you’re growing, as some varieties won’t open if they’re cut too soon, and others can be cut before the blooms open. Take time to research the proper harvesting technique for each bloom variety.

Harvest in the Morning

The time of day is probably the most important thing to consider when harvesting your wedding flowers. "Always harvest cut flowers in the morning as the moisture content in the plant and blooms are at their highest, since the sun has not yet depleted any moisture gained overnight," says Sabankaya. "Keep a bucket of room temperature water with you as you go, but afterwards, separate your blooms by type and place them into their own individual buckets of temperate water with a pinch of commercial flower food."

Use Sharp Clippers

Sharp clippers are imperative when cutting flowers for your wedding bouquet. "Use clean, sharp scissors or snips and cut at an angle," says Edgemont. "The angled cut increases the surface area for water uptake, and clean tools prevent bacteria from getting into the stem. Right after cutting, get them into clean water immediately."

Strip the Bottom Leaves

​After you’ve cut your desired amount, strip any leaves or foliage that would sit below the water line—Edgemont says that these leaves can rot faster and that bacteria will kill your newly harvested flowers much quicker.

Cool Your Flowers Immediately

After your flower bunch is harvested, let the blooms cool for several hours before working on your arrangement. "If you store in a refrigerator, make sure there are no fruits or vegetables stored with the flowers as the ethylene gas they emit will deteriorate the blooms," says Sabankaya.

How to Arrange a Wedding Bouquet

With your harvested flowers ready, follow these tips for arranging your bouquet. You may also want to do a few practice bouquets first before working on your main event.

Prep Your Stems

After selecting your focal and filler flowers, strip the leaves and hydrate the flowers, says Edgemont. "If anything has a weak stem, like a ranunculus, you can stick a wire up the stem for more support before you start," she says. "You want to be working with flowers that are ready to go, not fussing with mechanics mid-build."

Start With Greenery

Greenery provides the base and sets the shape of your bouquet. When selecting greenery, look for textures that complement each other. For instance, "using a highly textured leaf such as scented pelargonium calls for the other elements to tone it down with a smooth and glossy leaf, such as Italian ruscus," says Sabankaya.

​Also, consider how the textures of your greenery will work with your focal flowers. "Simply put, highly textured focal flowers such as proteas or some chrysanthemums call for smooth and flat greens," says Sabankaya. "And, a calla lily can also be a focal flower, and in that case, a more complex greenery or complementary flower would be appropriate, such as crinkle-leafed pittosporum and calcynia."

Add Focal and Filler Flowers

Choosing focal and filler flowers is like putting together an outfit. "You've got your statement piece, that's your focal flower, and everything else exists to make it look even better," Edgemont says. "The focal flower needs presence. It's usually larger, more structured, and visually complex enough that your eye goes straight to it. Garden roses, peonies, dahlias, lisianthus, those are your 'wow' flowers."

​Don’t neglect your fillers, though. Edgemont says these flowers do a good amount of the heavy lifting when it comes to rounding out your bouquet. "They create movement, they add texture, they fill negative space in a way that feels intentional rather than just stuffed," Edgemont says. "The key is variety—you want something wispy (like Queen Anne's lace or astilbe), something with interesting texture (like scabiosa or ranunculus), and something that adds depth or contrast without competing with your focal."

Pop your focal and filler flowers in with your greenery selections. Sabankaya recommends using no more than three to seven elements total in your bouquet. "A careful selection of anywhere between three to seven different elements—a balance of focal flowers, complementary flowers, herbs, and greenery—will assure the perfect bridal bouquet for you," says Sabankaya.

Use Floral Tape to Secure Stems

Lastly, once you are satisfied with your bouquet, use floral tape to loosely secure the stems together. "You don't need to tape them too tightly. You can leave a little bit of room for the stems to naturally move around," says Edgemont. Then, cut the stems to your desired length and finish it off with a pretty ribbon and bouquet pins.