by Diana DeVito | Jun 5, 2013 | DIY Flowers: How To Tutorials, DIY Weddings, Flower Names | 22 comments
Here at Blooms By The Box, one of the most frequently asked and most important questions for a DIY’er is “How many flowers do I need to order?“. Why so important? You don’t want to run out of flowers for your project, but who wants to order too much and waste money? So much of flower arranging is an approximation, but Blooms By The Box has created these guidelines and a flower quantity chart to help you achieve flower perfection!
Let’s start off with the most prominent flowers. Remember: bigger flowers take up more space so that you can buy less. This is often a great way to create full-looking arrangements and save money.
Hydrangea was recently featured in a post on Weddingbells. Blooms By The Box is absolutely in love with this trend! The article also features pictures of peony and rose bouquets, which we will discuss in a moment. Not only are these “Monobotanical” bouquets gorgeous, but they also work out perfectly for our DIY brides! Just look at this easy yet elegant blue hydrangea bouquet from Sugar and Art, perfectly captured by photographer Katie Stoops.
So how much do you need for a hydrangea bouquet or arrangement? For a small arrangement, use 2-3 stems. Medium (like the one pictured), up the dosage to 4-5 stems. For a large bouquet, 6-8 stems is your answer.
Another extremely popular flower with a large bloom is the peony. Peonies are exceptionally great in DIY arrangements because they look wonderful in every stage of growth, from bud to bloom. Be Chic just featured 5 different bouquets with peonies on their “Top 10 Summertime Bridal Bouquets of 2013”, 3 of which were made with only peonies. 5 out of 10 is pretty impressive for one flower! Notice that these delightfully fluffy pehttp://cpbride.com/blog/?p=1404onies, photographed by One Love Photography, range from partially to fully opened.
A large peony bridal bouquet like this one would require 10-12 peonies. Bridesmaids could carry medium bouquets of 6-8 stems, and you might want to give your flower girl a small bouquet of 3-4 stems. These quantities can always be adjusted for your individual preferences. Don’t forget the greens!
Are peonies going to be out of season during your wedding, or too expensive for your budget? Have no fear – we have the perfect substitution – garden roses! They have the same round bloom with slightly fluffy petals. Even when peonies are in season (November thru July), garden roses convey a romantic, sophisticated vibe. They also come in quite a few more colors.
These garden roses, featured on Style Me Pretty and photographed by Carla Ten Eyck Photography are a bright and summery choice for any bridal bouquet. To make a large bouquet like this with only garden roses, use 10-12 garden roses. 8 or 9 blooms would make a medium bouquet, and 3-4 garden roses would make a small bouquet.
Looking for more help with your arrangements? Click on the picture below to check out our complete quantity chart on BloomsByTheBox.com!
Have more great ideas and tips for DIY arrangements? Let us know!
Diana DeVito
Diana has crafted hundreds of flower recipes and floral-design tutorials for Blooms By The Box to the delight of its customers. A skilled and vibrant designer, Diana helps Blooms Brides make their wedding flower dreams come true, no matter what the budget. Her original tutorials appear on many popular wedding sites, including A Practical Wedding,Elizabeth Anne Designs, and many more!
22 Comments
Jessicaon June 18, 2013 at 10:07 am
Thanks for the post! I am going to do my flowers for my wedding this fall to try and save some money. I was wondering how I was going to figure out how many flowers that I was going to need so that I wouldn’t over buy. Thanks again!
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RJ Carboneon November 15, 2013 at 4:52 pm
Peonies are really to die for. They make such a wonderful bouquet, but if you DIY, budget may make them an issue, and as you say, there’s nothing wrong with garden roses, plus you can be a lot more creative with them. Great article!
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monocularson February 16, 2015 at 12:55 pm
Really Appreciate this post, is there any way I can get an alert email every
time you write a fresh post?Reply
Alana Mecciaon February 19, 2015 at 10:31 am
We post updates via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google+ when we post something new on the blog. If you are on any of those forms of social media you will get our updates!
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Renaion November 29, 2016 at 2:00 pm
I am DIYing my flowers; very afraid of trying to handle and care for them being that they will be delivered 2 days prior and I will be arranging them myself. Any advice?
I am ordering 125 white roses and 30 Hydrangea stems. I have 6 bridesmaids and will be using the leftover flowers for the venue.
Also, I am not sure if I should order 3 days prior so that I can have them arranged 2 days prior to the wedding.
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Emily Davison November 29, 2016 at 3:15 pm
Hi Renai! We totally understand your worries! We are happy to answer any question that you might have! Once you receive the flowers, you will want to remove them from their boxes right away. Cut the stems of each flower and greenery about 1.5 inches in length and place them in buckets of water to rehydrate. Allow them to rehydrate for at least 24 hours before you begin to arrange them. Place the flowers in cold water to slow the blooming process and put them in warmer water to speed up the process. The flowers should perk up and look wonderful after a few hours!
I recommend to have the flowers delivered 2 days prior to your event to ensure quality and vase life. You should arrange them the day before the event.
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PDanceron December 9, 2016 at 5:35 pm
Thank you for the advice. My wedding will take place on a Wed and I’m searching for some garden roses for a bouquet. Seems like all online wholesale flower companies do not deliver on Mondays. I’m left with the choices of: have them deliver on Fri, Sat or Tue. They said Tue might not have enough time for the roses to bloom, Fri might be too early. Sat might run into a delay then the flowers will be left untreated for 2 days.
Do you have any advice for me? Thank you.
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Emily Davison December 12, 2016 at 11:47 am
Hello! I would recommend to have the garden roses delivered on Tuesday as they do have a short vase. You may risk the chance of the garden roses not lasting until Wednesday if they arrive any sooner. Once you cut the stems of the garden roses, you can place them in warmer water to rehydrate. Warm water will help to speed up the blooming process. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
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Danion March 11, 2017 at 10:52 am
How many hydrangea would I need for a 4×4 square vase that also contained roses (maybe 4 roses)
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Emily Davison March 13, 2017 at 9:06 am
Hi Dani! You can use about 3-4 stems of hydrangeas for a 4×4 square vase that also has 4 stems of roses. I hope that this helps!
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Tinaon April 23, 2017 at 3:19 pm
I making my sister a cascade bouquet for her wedding. My question is how many stems do you need for one? I know the “large” arrangements of mixed flowers is about 30-35, but would that include the trail of the cascade, or should the total go up for that style? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
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Emily Davison April 24, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Hi Tina! A cascading bouquet will include the trail in the stem count. For a large cascading bouquet, you may want to use around 35 total stems of flowers. However, this does depend upon which types of flowers you are using. I hope that this helps!
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Chelseaon April 30, 2017 at 11:33 am
How many flowers come in a bunch? I see all your flowers are by the bunch. Wondering how many I’ll need to buy to do all my bouquet and bootiners and centerpiece.
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Emily Davison May 2, 2017 at 11:58 am
Hi Chelsea! Most flowers come in bunches with ten stems. However, this can vary. For example roses and carnations are bunched together with 25 stems. Each item will have the stem count listed per bunch. I hope that this helps!
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Stephanieon December 28, 2017 at 9:54 pm
My wedding is on a Tuesday and olanning to get peonies. They deliver only on Saturday, is that enough time ? I don’t want my flowers to look wilted. And on Monday we are travelling to the venue, so if I remove them from the box and put them in a large container, would it still be okay? Thanks
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Emily Davison January 22, 2018 at 12:34 pm
Hi Stephanie! For a Tuesday event, if your flowers are delivered on a Saturday, the blooms should be fine until Tuesday. I would recommend to place the peonies in very cold water along with flower food. You can replace the water each day to make sure they are kept fresh. Also, if you notice that the peonies are not opening as fast as you’d like, you can place them in warmer water to help speed up the blooming process. I hope this helps!!
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Claire Demetreon June 19, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Hello.
I need to substitute flowers for Ranunculus and Lisianthus because they are no longer in season. What do you suggest?
I need approximately 46 stems of the main flower for a Bridal Bouquet (lg), MOH (Med) and 3 Bridesmaid bouquets (sm to med).
The Ranunculus is the main flower, the Lisianthus is the filler, and then Eucalyptus and Ferns for greens.
How much of each would I need for these 5 bouquets.Reply
Danielle K. Gonzalezon June 20, 2018 at 10:07 am
Hi Claire!
Unfortunately ranunculus is currently out of season, however, lisianthus is very much available! Some alternatives for ranunculus are garden roses, standard roses or tulips!
Here’s a rough breakdown of how you could create the bouquets
Large Bridal Bouquet (25-30 stems): 10 focal, 9 filler, 8 greens
Medium MOH Bouquet (18-20 stems): 6 focal, 7 filler, 6 greens
S/M Bridesmaid Bouquets (15 stems): 5 focal, 5 filler, 5 greensHope this helps!
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Sarah Quiochoon June 7, 2019 at 11:17 am
I’m making a bouquet for a vow renewal. I was thinking because it’s not a wedding a medium size bouquet would be good. Thought?
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Emily Davison June 7, 2019 at 11:44 am
Hi Sarah! Yes, a medium sized bouquet would be a perfect size! I would suggest using about 3/4 to 1 full bunch to create this sized bouquet.
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maile nortonon February 4, 2022 at 5:31 pm
I am SO grateful you wrote this article! As I have been looking into flowers for my wedding I am finding that arranging them myself is definitely the budget friendly way to go. I am thinking of doing babies breath bouquets for my bridesmaids. How many stems would you recommend?
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Tina Merolaon February 21, 2022 at 3:55 pm
We recommend 1 to 1 1/2 bunches of baby’s breath, depending on the bouquet’s size.
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Submit a Comment
As a seasoned floral designer and enthusiast with extensive experience in crafting flower arrangements, particularly for DIY projects and weddings, I understand the importance of precision when it comes to ordering the right quantity of flowers. My expertise is evident in my comprehensive knowledge of various blooms, their characteristics, and their suitability for different arrangements.
The article by Diana DeVito delves into the essential question of how many flowers one needs to order for a DIY project, emphasizing the significance of striking a balance between having enough flowers for the project and avoiding unnecessary expenses. To provide valuable insights, DeVito introduces a flower quantity chart and guidelines, focusing on prominent flowers like hydrangea, peony, and garden roses.
1. Hydrangea:
- Quantity for Small Arrangement: 2-3 stems
- Quantity for Medium Arrangement: 4-5 stems
- Quantity for Large Bouquet: 6-8 stems
- Emphasizes the advantage of using larger flowers to create full-looking arrangements while saving money.
2. Peony:
- Quantity for Large Bouquet: 10-12 peonies
- Quantity for Bridesmaids (Medium Bouquet): 6-8 stems
- Quantity for Flower Girl (Small Bouquet): 3-4 stems
- Highlights the versatility of peonies and their suitability for different stages of growth.
3. Garden Roses:
- Quantity for Large Bouquet: 10-12 garden roses
- Quantity for Medium Bouquet: 8-9 garden roses
- Quantity for Small Bouquet: 3-4 garden roses
- Suggests garden roses as a perfect substitution for peonies, even during their season, and provides quantity recommendations for various bouquet sizes.
DeVito addresses concerns about flowers being out of season or too expensive, offering garden roses as an alternative. The article also encourages readers to check out Blooms By The Box's complete quantity chart for further assistance in flower arrangement planning.
The comments section reflects engagement from readers seeking advice for their specific situations, such as DIYing flowers for a fall wedding or substituting flowers that are out of season.
In responses to reader queries, additional tips are provided, including advice on handling and caring for flowers, timing of flower deliveries, and alternatives when faced with budget constraints or seasonal limitations.
This comprehensive article, coupled with the interactive engagement in the comments section, demonstrates not only a depth of knowledge but also a commitment to helping DIY brides make informed decisions about their floral arrangements.
