NYC DIY Bridal Shower Floral Arrangments

Just over a year ago, one of my dearest friends, JY, was getting ready to tie the knot and I, as one of her bridesmaids, was tasked with creating floral arrangements for her bridal shower here in NYC. I was excited and up for the challenge, but had to be mindful of a few issues:

We had a limited budget (the shower was being thrown by the bridal party and we had to keep costs reasonable).
The venue, although pretty, had bold burnt orange walls.
It was the dead of winter and I knew that affordable floral options were limited.
JY loves clean and neutral palettes.
JY hates roses.

First, we needed VASES.

I made a visit to Michael’s (with coupons of course) and purchased teal blue mason jars. Why? Well, mason jars are super popular and trendy (and can be reused later for bottling or glasses), the cost of each jar was roughly $1.00/ea and the colored jars added a little character and would compliment the orange walls (tip: blue and orange are complimentary colors).

Second, we needed FLOWERS.

I headed to the local deli on 34th Street and Park Avenue (they always have a great selection) with a few varietals in mind, like hydrangeas (hint: the bigger the blooms the less flowers you need) and snapdragons, but knew I had to be flexible (deli supplies are unpredictable). Luckily, they had a great selection, and MM and I walked back to the apartment with arm-fulls of blue and white hydrangeas, tracheleum (luscious green sprigs), misty maine-blue, ornamental kale (billowing purple and green leaves) and some wild-flower fillers.

Third, we had to ARRANGE.

After cutting each stem to the right length in fresh water, I divided each variety equally among the jars. To create a garden inspired look, I made sure that each arrangement fell organically with pops of color and texture throughout each vase. I love the beauty and ease of garden inspired arrangements – no need to obsess over symmetry. VOILA!