Flower Bars are really trending right now. If you don't know what they are, don't worry, you've come to the right place. A Flower Bar is usually a private event that can be held in a private or public space. A small-medium group of people gather around large tables, in a fun setting, to create flower arrangements that they ultimately take home. It’s a great way to bond with a group of old or new friends, get to know your “team” at work or just hang out with family that you don’t see very often. Your Flower Bar can be loosely led by a designer, or flower farmer or it can be a simple unsupervised DIY activity for the event. Flower Bars are popular entertainment at bridal showers, brunches, baby showers, and corporate events, and they are a fantastic idea for Galentine gatherings. But sometimes they just make for a fun “night in” with friends to change things up. You can also rent space with an instructor at a flower farm and host your event after a private tour.

I’ve led many Flower Bars over the years at venues like Sweet Occasions in Peddler’s Village and for Vanguard as a corporate team-building event in a private home. I’ve also done Flower Bar drop-offs for small family events. Any way you do it, you can’t really go wrong with a Flower Bar. They are fun, fresh, and fragrant. Who doesn’t love flowers?

Should I DIY my flower bar?

If you choose to hire a professional florist they will order all of your flowers, greenery, and supplies and arrange the venue space. They will also set everything up and lead the event, providing instruction and advice. Clean-up is also on them.

You can also Do it yourself. Here are the steps you’ll want to walk through if you choose this path.

Should I Send invitations?

Upcoming events are best announced with some sort of invitation. If you plan to host a Flower Bar Event, you really shouldn't skip this step. Your invitation can be a simple online e-vite, but if your event is something more formal like a baby shower, perhaps a physical invitation with a unique design and beautiful envelope is more appropriate. It may be fun to mention the Flower Bar activity on the invitation but I also like the idea of keeping it a secret surprise. Guests usually get very excited when they enter a room decked out with a gazillion fresh, fragrant flowers and they have no idea what’s to come.

How to prepare the space

Choose an appropriate space I always think it’s a good idea to create a Flower Bar on a patio, in a sunroom, or on a deck, but sometimes weather dictates our choices. If you must be inside the most common space might be your dining room because you probably already have a large table. If you’re creating your Bar at work, then you will probably want to choose a conference room because it will have a lot of space. In any case, find a good area and set up enough tablespace for everyone you invited to work comfortably. You’ll also want room for the flower bucket table. Portable Folding tables work well for this.

Gathering the main event

Finding Flowers / Creating your own Flower Bar experience is not difficult, but there are a few things you'll need to know. First of all, you'll want to find a wholesale flower supplier so that you can buy large quantities of flowers and greenery at a discounted cost. If you try to purchase all of your supplies from a flower shop or grocery store, it will be too expensive and you probably won't have a wide selection of floral designs. If you order from a wholesaler you’re flowers will be in a box for travel. Get them into water as soon as possible. See the instructions below.

A better option, if you want the freshest flowers around and if your event is in season, is to reach out to a local flower farmer. Do a search on google for farms near you that grow large quantities of flowers. Search your town and the surrounding areas for the very best fresh flowers you can find. Visit the farm or call to see if they sell flowers in bulk or would be willing to for your event. Then ask them what will be growing at the time of your event. Just like food farmers, flower growers work with the seasons, so you may not be able to get what you want depending on the time of year. When you pick them up be sure to take plenty of water buckets and have a plan for transporting them in your car. Transport is a problem for flowers. Buckets topple and flowers break easily. This is one of the more challenging aspects of a DIY Flower Bar.

Ordering Flowers / Counting stems is a critical part of all of this planning. I always overbuy my flowers because I’d rather have too many than not enough. It’s probably best to get the vessels you’ll be supplying your guests and do a dry run arrangement with some flowers and greens. Then take it all apart and count how many greens and how many flowers you used. Triple that and multiply it by your number of guests. You’ll want to have a nice variety to choose from and if you have too few of something, some arrangements may seem sparse. There’s also the issue of breakage. Flowers do break in transit, during processing, and when Flower Bar enthusiasts get TOO ENTHUSIASTIC. Trust me, it happens. So be sure to order more than you’ll need. You’ll be happy you did.

Choosing Buckets / Once you locate your flower source, you'll need to purchase a nice assortment of buckets to display your flowers and greens on your Bar. Here are a few varieties to choose from, just click the images below. Be sure to order enough for all the different varieties.

one day before

Prepare your buckets / Make sure all of your display buckets are completely clean. You need to wash all of them with soap and water before filling them with fresh, cool water and flower food. If the buckets are slightly dirty bacteria will seep into your water and ultimately the flowers will suck it up. Bacteria can clog the plant’s ability to deliver water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. Eventually, the plant begins to wilt or droop. This process can occur rapidly, and within one day, you can see a dramatic decline in your flowers.

Remove all packaging and ties / If your flowers arrive wrapped in plastic paper or have been bound together with rubberbands, please remove all of them. Be extremely careful with all of the flowers and greens. Some are very delicate and do not hold up well to a lot of handling. I suggest you stay away from these varieties when hosting a DIY Flower Bar.

Process each stem separately / What many people do not know is that flowers must be processed after they are purchased or picked at a farm. Processing involves stripping the lower leaves and thorns off each stem. For this, you’ll want to grab your garden gloves and maybe a thorn stripper before the stems are placed in water. The shortcut links below and the Studio Sprig Flower Shop will help you find the supplies you need.

Give each stem a fresh cut / Before placing each stem in fresh water with flower food. use your very clean floral snips or floral knife, give each stem a cut on a diagonal and it place it in a clean water bucket. The diagonal cut helps the flower to not hit flat on the bottom of the bucket, which would seal it and prevent it from taking in water. Never let the upper leaves hit the water, they will disintegrate and cause the water to become unclean.

Sort by color or variety / Group your flowers by color or variety depending on how you will orchestrate your event. Think about how your guests will choose their flowers. Will they be instructed to take a few of each or will they instead randomly roam around choosing whatever they like? It’s your party, it’s up to you, but it’s sometimes good to have guidelines so all the most magnificent flowers don’t end up in only one arrangement.

Store buckets overnight / It’s best to gather and process the flowers one day ahead of your event. Flowers like 24 hours to hydrate. You do not want to rush home from the wholesaler and throw this party. Give yourself enough time to properly process each stem and give the flowers time to drink. If the weather is hot and the flowers need to be cool, it’s best to store them in a dark cool place overnight. Garages and basements work well. Likewise, the heat from your winter home is not a flower’s friend. Heat and light make flowers open quickly, Try to keep them cool and in the dark as long as possible.

the day of

Set up workstations You can purchase each of your guests a complimentary vessel so that every arrangement is uniform or you can ask guests to bring their favorites from home. If they bring from home be sure to instruct small, medium, or large. Before they arrive, it’s a good idea to cover the large worktable(s) with a tablecloth or individual placemats because there is always water to contend with. I also recommend having a few extra floral snips and a few cloth dish towels for drips, lying around the table or at each station. Be sure to place a few small watering cans or my preference, pretty decanters, pre-filled with water and flower food in the middle of the table for your guests to individually fill their own vessels.

Refreshment ideas

A common Flower Bar favorite is wine and cheese. This is an easy setup but you should keep your mini wine & cheese bar somewhere off to the side as you’ll need to use your entire workstation for flower arranging. Read this blog on how to set up a pretty mini bar using things you already own. If your event involves children, it’s fun to create a side cookie bar with lemonade and fruit-infused water. Local bakeries make flower-shaped cookies upon request, and you can always bake edible flowers into shortbread cookies by following this recipe. Try to keep the refreshments light because your guests will not want big plates of food interrupting their flower arranging. If dinner is part of the event, I suggest doing that in a completely different room, before or after the Flower Bar experience. Here are a few really sweet accessories you may want to include. Just click on the images.

When guests arrive

Have your Flower Bar table(s) covered with cloth and filled with your beautiful buckets of flowers and greens somewhere off to the side. Keep them accessible and certainly within clear view. They are the stars. Greet each guest with a glass of something sparkling to set the fanciful mood. Off them refreshment and allow them to admire and ask questions about all the pretty flora. Have your notes ready in case they want to know flower names. The flower farmer or wholesaler will help with that. I usually have a light and simple playlist going to get everyone in the flower mood.

memories & photos

Take a lot of photos but be sure to take a few of your setup. The room will look and smell fantastic. You’ll want to remember this moment. So before anyone comes, capture your gorgeous Flower Bar. So many people forget this step. Please don’t. Have your camera charged and ready to shoot before guests arrive. Take several photos of the flower buckets and your refreshment table. For a brief moment, it will feel like you are in the middle of a Parisian Flower Market, so relish it. And as your guests begin to build their masterpieces, snap away.

How to create an arrangement

When setting up my vessels for a Flower Bar, I use chicken wire to provide structure. It’s best to stay away from flower foam as we all know it’s so bad for the environment because it never disintegrates. Chicken wire is recyclable but be careful when cutting and always wear gloves. You’ll want to pre-cut the wire for your guests and I usually bunch it up and place it in the vessels before they arrive. If they are bringing their own, bunch it up and lay it on the table in front of each station. Have your guests fill their vessels about halfway with the freshwater/flower food already placed in the middle of your table. Then it’s GO time.

Step one: Greenery / gather several sprigs of greenery and foliage, cut them to fit, and arrange them in the vessel.

Step two: Filler Flowers / gather the smaller bunches of filler flowers and fill in around the greenery. *Filler Flowers are smaller flowers like Baby’s Breath, small Daisies, Gomphrena, and flowering herbs.

Step three: Focal Flowers / choose 3-5-7 focal flowers (depending on the size of the vessel) and arrange them throughout. *Focal Flowers are your more prominent flowers like Tulips, Peonies, Sunflowers, Dahlia, Hellebores.

The entire process can take up to an hour if guests socialize and help each other. It really depends on the group. Keep the atmosphere light. There really are no wrong answers. This is Flower ART.

What to do with the leftover Flowers

This is a good problem to have, right? Too many leftover flowers!!! Okay, not to worry, there are so many things you can do if you find yourself with leftover buckets or even just a few stems. I will list a few ideas here.

• Create one last beautiful arrangement yourself and raffle it off as a door prize and then donate the money to a charity

• Gather all the miscellaneous stems, tie little bundles with twine and call them "designer's choice posies" distribute them as your guests leave

• Make a get well flower gift basket for a friend who couldn't attend your event

• Design a seasonal centerpiece for your dining room

• Pop them in a spare vase to be enjoyed as your "everyday flowers" for the next week

• If your Flower Bar is for a wedding rehearsal dinner you can even use the leftovers as your own wedding flowers: cake topper or small side arrangements

• Drop off an arrangement at your nearest nursing home. They will be thrilled.

Host a Special Occasion Flower Bar

Below is a list of Flower Bar themes, seasonal flower suggestions, and links to color-coordinated vessels for easy setup.

• Valentine's Day Flower Bar: Vessels: red tin buckets Flower suggestions: Roses, & Hellebore

• Springtime Flower Bar: Vessels: pink tin buckets Flower suggestions: Tulips, Ranunculus & Anemone

• Mother's Day Flower Bar: Vessels: silver tin buckets Flower suggestions: Tulips & Daffodils

• Graduation Flower Bar: Vessels: black tin buckets Flower suggestions: Peony & Lavender

• Summer Picnic Flower Bar: Vessels: blue tin buckets Flower suggestions: Snapdragons & Lisianthus

• Autumn Flower Bar: Vessels: orange tin buckets Flower suggestions: Dahlia, Zinnia & Sunflowers

• Winter Flower Bar: Vessels: white tin buckets Flower suggestions: Pine branches, Berry branches, Chrysanthemums

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