Recently, my garden was overflowing with flowers, so I created a DIY flower bar with my two granddaughters.
DIY flower bars are also a fun and interactive way to entertain guests at events and parties.
We had so much fun setting up our own flower shop right in front of our home. We gathered all the flowers from the garden and bought a few from Trader Joe’s.
Our guests loved the DIY flower bar. They had a lot of fun choosing their own flowers and arranging them in their own way. We even had some guests who came back for seconds!
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What is a DIY flower barand what are the benefits?
A DIY flower bar is a self-service station where guests or customers can create their own bouquets or arrangements. It’s a great way to add a touch of personalization and creativity to your special event, and it’s also a fun and interactive activity for people to enjoy.
- Personalization: Guests can create bouquets that reflect their own personal style and preferences. This is a great way to make your event feel more special and unique.
- Creativity: DIY flower bars encourage people to be creative and expressive. They can experiment with different colors, flowers, and arrangements to create something they’re genuinely proud of.
- Fun: DIY flower bars are a fun and interactive activity for people to enjoy. They can get together with friends and family to create beautiful bouquets they can take home and cherish.
- Affordability: Creating a flower bar for an event can be less expensive than hiring a florist. If you create a DIY flower bar to sell flowers as we did, you can cut down on your cost of flowers by cutting from the garden and sell your flowers for a lot less.
What events are suitable for hosting a DIY flower bar?
You can create a DIY flower bar for almost any special occasion. Still, my favorites are a flower bar pop-up shop, baby showers, wedding receptions, corporate events, or even a bachelorette party. Bridal shower guests especially love this fun activity or a birthday party.
Whatever your occasion is, this activity is sure to be a hit.
Planning Your DIY Flower Bar
Choosing the right flowers
The flower types you choose for your DIY flower bar will depend on the time of year you are hosting your event. For example, if you are hosting your event in July like we did, you might choose flowers like sunflowers, dahlia’s, and roses. These flowers are in season in July and will be fresh and beautiful.
However, if you are hosting your event in the winter, you must choose flowers available in the winter. Some winter flowers include poinsettias, carnations, and amaryllis.
No matter what time of year you are hosting your event, you want to make sure you have a nice variety of fresh flowers for your guests or customers to choose from.
Here is a full list of the flowers and greenery we had in our flower pop-up stand:
- Dahlia’s
- Cosmos
- Roses
- Sunflowers
- Hydrangeas
- Filler flowers- we used Chamomile
- Greenery – ferns and boxwood greens
Setting up your DIY flower bar
You want to set up your own bouquet bar so your guests or customers can easily create their own beautiful bouquet or flower arrangements.
You need to provide them with the following supplies:
Supplies Needed
- Clippers or floral shears
- Vases (we purchased several at the dollar store) or mason jars
- Fresh water
- If you are creating bouquets – Wrap the bottom of the stems in wet paper towels and insert them into a Ziploc baggie before wrapping them up.
- Burlap or tissue paper to wrap the bouquets
- Pretty ribbon or twine to tie up the bouquets
- Personal touches can be added with small tags, photos, or small embellishments.
- An assortment of beautiful blooms (You can purchase these at the grocery store, Trader Joe’s, or even buy from a professional florist. Many florists even have flower bar packages)
Create a unique experience
You want the look of your DIY bar to reflect your event and color palette. We wanted our pop-up to look like a fresh garden stand, so we used an old pallet-built bar, vintage tin flower buckets, and large tables covered in burlap. We put up cute chalkboard signs to welcome our guests and directions on how to create their own unique bouquets.
Pre-made flower arrangements
If you are hosting a Pop-up flower stand as we did, you will want to provide unique and convenient ways to purchase flowers. So, in addition to your own bouquet station, we provided pre-made arrangements that the girls and I had made and sold them for a reasonable cost.
This was an easy way for our customers to shop if they did not want to put their own flowers together.
Hosting Your DIY Flower Bar
Once your guests or customers arrive, you will want tohelp them get started creating their bouquets. You can also offer suggestions or help them choose the right flowers for their occasion.
If it is warm outside, keep the flowers indoors for your guests while they enjoy the rest of your event.
Use a Polaroid camera to take pictures of your guest or customers with their flowers and have them attach the picture to their bouquet or vase.
Our best
Flower Bar Tips
- Start with a focal flower. This is the flower that will be the star of your bouquet. Choose a flower you love that will complement the other flowers in your bouquet.
- Add filler flowers. Filler flowers such as Statice, Queen Ann’s lace, Spray Roses, or Chamomile are the flowers that will fill out your bouquet and make it look full and lush. Choose filler flowers in the same color scheme as your focal flower.
- Use greenery. Greenery is a great way to add texture and interest to your bouquet. Choose greenery that complements the other flowers in your bouquet, and that will help to tie the whole look together.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. There are no rules when it comes to making a bouquet. Have fun and experiment with different combinations of flowers and colors.
- Ask for help. If you’re unsure how to make a bouquet, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Pay attention to the colors. When choosing flowers for your bouquet, pay attention to the colors. Choose flowers that complement each other and create a beautiful and cohesive look.
- Have fun! Making a bouquet is a creative process, so have fun and enjoy the process.
