Choosing Your Flower Spread

When it comes to choosing flowers—fresh or dried—Abbas recommends stocking your floral bar with plenty of options. Having various shapes and sizes of vases, along with florals, is a must.

As you buy flowers, prioritize diversity in color, size, and texture. Select a few classic filler flowers, like baby’s breath and goldenrod, and even plain greenery like eucalyptus and ferns. Then, grab showier flowers like lilies, hydrangeas, roses, sunflowers, peonies, dahlias, or ranunculus. Separate each type of flower and greenery into small vases or jars with water, then line them on the counter to create your floral bar.

Sourcing Flowers

You can always head to your local florist for the freshest blooms; they’ll have the largest variety, and you're supporting a small business. If you’re looking for the best budget-friendly option to create a flower bar, don’t overlook your favorite grocery store. Shops like Trader Joe’s have a wide selection of fresh flowers that vary with the season, and you can probably get more blooms for your buck.

You can also turn your craft night into a potluck-style event, with guests bringing their favorite blooms (maybe even from their garden). Ask each guest to bring a certain color to add variety, or opt for a surprise spread.

And if you want to build bouquets that will last well beyond fresh flowers, consider adding dried florals to the mix.

“Etsy is a good place to start when sourcing the fun colors,” Abbas says. “If you are looking for more neutrals–Hobby Lobby and Michaels–any craft store usually has some sort of dried floral.”

Adding Special Touches

Flowers are the must-have component of a DIY floral bar, but a few other materials can make it easier to create stunning centerpieces unique to each guest. No matter what, you’ll want to include scissors or floral shears to trim stems, along with other materials like rubber bands or ribbons to hold bouquets together. You can provide paper to wrap the bouquets in, or ask guests to bring a vase for building.

“Chicken wire is useful if you have a wider-mouth vase,” Abbas says. “This helps keep the stems in place!” Adding a circle of chicken wire to your vase also creates helpful zones for placing flowers.

And for a true craft night, don’t overlook jars or vases as another creative outlet. If you want to provide vases for your guests, you could try thrifting various of shapes, sizes, and colors. Or, provide basic vases for everyone to decorate.

“When I first started with the floral bar, I would take a regular glass vase and paint it with $1 acrylic paints. This way I could get an exact match,” Abbas says.

Tips for Creating Your Bouquet

Once your blooms and materials are set up, it’s time to get creative. If you’re stuck on building a bouquet, think of a theme or color scheme to guide you, or choose one flower that speaks to you and pair it with complementary blooms.

“Start with the bigger filler florals. I usually start with a neutral pampas grass or bigger florals, then I’ll add to the background of the vase with palm leaves, hydrangeas, and more,” Abbas says. “Then I will fill in with small baby’s breath, bunny tails, and the tiny detail stems. This way, the smaller stems stay in place because there’s something holding them.”

You’re only limited by how much your vase can hold. For a bouquet that looks like a collection of wildflowers, go with a wide variety, and don’t worry about matching too much. However, if you want a professional look, stick to a smaller selection and try to pair up your blooms.

And at the end of the night, everyone will go home with a stunning bouquet, no artistic talent required!