My DIY bridesmaid bouquet, part II

OK, I know I've missed my weekly installment of Freebie Friday this week, but I promise to have a lengthy batch for next Friday! But in the meantime, we got much done this weekend. Such as another bridesmaid bouquet trial! I tried one months ago with carnations, but this time we got a little more adventurous. Here's the inspiration photo:

Here's what I came up with:

I used 3 yellow orchids, 10 yellow roses and 2 calla lillies. The bouquet was pretty easy, except for the orchids which can be kind of tricky. You'll need floral wire to insert into the stem, as they their stems aren't long enough. After that, just bunch them together, tape with floral tape, wrap your favorite ribbon around the stems and secure with corsage pins (make sure you pin in a downward motion). For the final run, I'll replace the calla lillies with billy balls (they're cheaper), and use a more lighter shade of yellow for the roses. I made four bouquets for less than $40 (using flowers we purchased at the LA Flower Mart).

I also made a trial boutonniere for the groomsmen. I didn't think we'd be able to give boutonnieres for our groomsmen since our ceremony is in the morning and I assumed that boutonnieres needed to be made the day of to stay fresh for the wedding. But I tried one anyone using a leftover rose from our DIY bouquet.

I simply cut a rose two inches down the stem, added a little baby's breath, taped down with floral tape and wrapped a ribbon around the stem. Use a corsage pin to pin it down on the jacket and voila! You have a boutonniere!

 

I refridgerated the boutonniere in a corsage box overnight and the boutonniere stayed fresh for two days.

Are you DIYing your flowers? Any advice for brides going the DIY route?