There’s a major succulent trend going on in home decor right now, so it was kind of an obvious transition for us to try out succulent wedding flowers! Their color and style were just right for our vintage inspired wedding. Today we’ve got succulent ideas for you for wedding centerpieces, bouquets, and boutonnieres!
We ordered a tray of succulents in bulk from Amazon. The succulents arrived in a large box and each box had about 100 tiny little succulents- there were so many different styles, we couldn’t decide which were our favs!
The main project we wanted the succulents for were the centerpieces. We created succulent filled log planters and they might have been my favorite project at the entire wedding (although I’m pretty sure I’ve said that about ten different things so far)
These were awesome for our vintage wedding, but can be used as outdoor decor at home too! Here’s how you can make your own:
Succulent Log Planters
1- Start by determining the size of your log. It can be as long or short as you’d like. Ours were about 24 inches each. You can use a hand saw or chainsaw to cut the log.
2- Use a chainsaw to outline the hollow “planter” area and to create small slices. I know chainsaws sound scary, but they’re really not! I used an 18″ for these and it really cut like butter. If you’re not comfortable using one, find a burly mountain friend that can help! One of my childhood best friends actually majored in forestry in college- yup, didn’t even know that was a major until he declared- and he’s a burly dude for sure. (that right there is called non-essential information. you’re welcome)
When you’re done cutting, your log should look similar to this. The outline and the slices should go about 3 inches deep.
3- Use a small hatchet to chip away the inside of your planter. This is why we cut the center into slices- it makes it really simple to chip out the inside area and the outer outline gives you a clean, crisp border. If this project doesn’t make you feel all tough and earthy, I don’t know what will. I definitely was making some deep grunting man sounds just because it made me feel extra cool. Jess wasn’t impressed- lol.
When you’re finished, your logs should look something like these. See, it doesn’t have to be perfect on the inside, because it will all be covered up with dirt and pretty succulents.
4- Use cactus potting soil and plant your succulents right into your logs. We added small pebble rocks at the bottom of ours for drainage as well. We used about 7-10 tiny succulents per log, you could totally do more or less depending on the look you’re going for.
This was a simple, vintage inspired backyard wedding, but the centerpieces just perfect. They were unique and a fun, easy DIY.
I’ve promised myself I’m going to get my back patio looking awesome for fall, so I think I’m going to make some of these planters for some smaller sized mums. It’s on my (very long) to do list!
DIY Succulent Boutonnieres
It’s easy to think bridesmaids and brides when you’re thinking about wedding flowers, but we couldn’t forget the guys! Using the same bulk lot of succulents, we made simple boutonnieres (which btw is a word that spell check will forever have to fix for me!). Jess whipped these guys together really quickly the night before the wedding.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:
A few small succulents
Floral tape
Floral wire
Jute rope
Scissors
We got all of our materials from Floracraft– they have everything you’ll need and more! We met them at the SNAP conference we attended in Salt Lake City and immediately thought of the upcoming wedding episode! You know the pretty cake that’s sitting on the vintage yellow dresser… yeah that’s styrofoam from Floracraft!! To say the crafting options are endless would be an understatement. We’ll definitely be sharing more about that later!
We made these late, late at night right before the wedding after doing about 2.3 million other DIY projects, so we didn’t take process pictures, but we do have a few tips for you!
1- The wire is what will give you stability- just keep wrapping. Cut your succulents pretty short, and then surround with wire. This will add the stability you need and also extend the stem length a bit. Remember, just keep wrapping!
2- If you’ve never used floral tape before, here’s the one thing you need to know… you have to stretch it before it’s sticky. If you ever get the chance to drop that little bit of DIY intel with a group that doesn’t know it, you just might rock their socks! It’s sorta like magic.
3- Jute Twine covers a multitude of sins. It really doesn’t matter what it looks like under the twine- it will be hiding all of the wire and floral tape.
4- Add texture with a variety of greens. We used two succulents, a leafy thing, and tiny berry thing (yeah, we have no clue the real names, but we know what looks good!!) because the combo of texture instantly made this seem more legit and professional. Just one succulent = rookie. Layering = master florist (or something like that) So, don’t be afraid to mix it up!
Bridal Bouquet with Succulent Accents
Last, but oh not so least is the bridal bouquet. Would you believe me if I told you this gorgeous bouquet was made completely from leftover succulents, a quick trip to the grocery store, and flowers cut from the yard?
One of the things that wasn’t going to be part of the episode, but was a total MUST was the bridal bouquet. Again, the night before the magic happened. We were so fortunate that Jess’ in-laws have a beautiful yard and so many gorgeous flowers to choose from. We were able to run to the supermarket to buy just a few greens for like $5.00 and then put the rest together with the fresh cut flowers.
We wanted our succulent theme to carry throughout the entire wedding, so we accented with small succulents that had a pale green color with some purple/pink on the edges.
Again we used various textures and heights and then wrapped it all up with a thicker jute twine to make it work with the vintage rustic feel of the wedding.
The bride was IN LOVE with this bouquet. She really wasn’t expecting anything fancy, so this beauty was a great surprise. So, if you’re thinking you need to break the bank on flowers, just remember this little “leftovers/supermarket” bouquet and remember, you can DIY your own awesome bouquet too!
We loved the succulent theme running through this wedding and are now even more convinced they’re the best plants on the planet!
If you missed any of our other wedding posts or missed the wedding episode, you’ll definitely want to check them out!
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[…] and Jess put together a beautiful floral and succulent bouquet for the bride, but wanted something a bit more playful and out of the box for the bridesmaids. […]
You can’t beat the beauty of nature! I could love at flowers and green things all day long! Love your selections!
These are beautiful !
~Amanda