How to Host a Flower Arranging Party On a Budget

I love fresh flowers. It's often a splurge of mine. Several years ago, my husband built me two raised garden beds for growing vegetables, and I do love vegetables, but I love flowers even more! I turned one of them into a flower bed I can use for cuttings and it brings me so much joy! Knowing I had all these flowers growing, I decided to take a flower arranging class to learn how to arrange the flowers. I took two classes, from two different locations and I can't say that I learned any earth-shattering tips to flower arranging, but I did come away with more confidence when I'm creating arrangements. I recently hosted a flower arranging party for my mother-in-laws birthday and thought I'd share a few things so that you can host one yourself too and stay on budget!

How to Host a Flower Arranging Party On a Budget

Know the Numbers

Having a general idea of how many people you are planning for, makes this party easier to host. I was planning for 10 people. 
There are three types of things you want to include in a flower arrangement: greenery, filler and show stoppers. 

What is Greenery?

Greenery is generally the foundation of your flower arrangement. It provides depth and texture to your flowers and should be the base that you start out with. Greenery should make up about 40% of your arrangement.

Types of Greenery:

Eucalyptusolive branchesfernsItalian Ruscusberries

What is Filler?

Filler provides the volume you need in your arrangement to make everything come together. It's best to keep the color of the filler in the same color palate to make everything in the arrangement feel more cohesive. Filler should make up about 40% of your arrangement, and should be a mix of at least two filler items.

Types of Filler:

Baby's BreathAlstroemeria CarnationsDaisysSpray RosesStaticeThistle

What are Showstopper Flowers in a Flower Arrangement?

These are the flowers that make your bouquet really come together! You don't need many in an arrangement, which is good, because these are generally the ones that are more expensive. They are often unique in their shape and color and will give your arrangement a lot of visual interest. Showstopper flowers take up about 20% of your arrangement. 

Types of Showstopper Flowers:

DahliasPeoniesAnemones {like poppy}Ranunculus Large rosesCalla Lily Hydrangea

Finding Flowers on a Budget

Buying flowers and greenery is going to be the biggest part of your expense. Depending on the time of year you are hosting, you may have better luck finding fresh flowers at your local farmers market. A sure fire win every time is Trader Joe's. They restock their flowers daily and the prices are reasonable. You can also purchase flowers in bulk from Costco {the online selection is impressive if you've never looked}, depending on how many you need. We also have a local wholesale floral supply vendor that is open to the public in our area. Flowers and greenery starts to add up, so keep the numbers in mind as you start to buy the flowers.
Try to stick to one particular color palate so everything feels cohesive. 

Foraging for Filler

Foraging is best for your budget! You want to try to forage first and get as much as you can in order to help keep your expenses down. I keep clippers in my car on the off chance that I see a plant growing in the wild that I want to cut and bring home. You don't want to go around cutting your neighbors shrubs without asking, but I've found, that when asked, most people don't mind. In fact, plants tend to grow better when they are trimmed and cut back, so you're really doing them a favor! Just keep an eye out for really cool colors and textures and use trial and error to find what you really like!

Supplies you Need for a Flower Arranging Party

My biggest budget tip for flower arranging is to have a small mouth vase. You can easily use canning jars from your pantry or small mouth vases you find at a thrift shop or garage sale. The wider the vase opening, the more flowers and greenery you need to fill it, and that can get expensive and frustrating! 
You'll also need pruning sheers. I asked people to bring their own if they had them! 
I used large vases to hold the flowers and greenery before people used them for their arrangements and had several large buckets {the same ones I use for weeding around the garden} for stems and leaves I put in the yard waste bin after the party was over. 
You will want to have pitchers of water on hand so people can fill up their vases. 

If you have little kids coming, this free printable flower vase is fun to color and fill with some of the leftover greenery or flowers.

How to Set Up a Flower Arranging Party

Gather your flowers and greenery and separate them into large buckets or vases. I labeled each vase {greenery, filler and show stopper} so people knew which types of flowers to grab. 
I set up a large table with the pruning sheers, vases at each place as well as flower food {if you want to include that}, and pitchers of water. 
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Tips I Learned from Flower Arranging Class

Start with the greeneryAdd in the showstoppers nextFinish off with the fillerTrim the stems of leaves that will be under waterChange the water often for the longest lasting arrangement

Don't miss this post: How to Arrange Grocery Store Flowers to Look like Flower Shop Bouquets

Hosting a flower arranging party is the perfect way to have an activity and a favor for your guests all in one! I don't know too many people who don't like having fresh flowers in their home. It's the perfect way to bring a smile to your friends faces. 

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