Our Review of “Create Your Own Wedding Flowers” – 3 out of 5 Stars
Create Your Own Wedding Flowers is a 86 page PDF ebook written by Cindy Lymbery and Paul Ajao, wedding florists themselves. They show the amateur how to make three different styles of bouquets, one flower boutonnieres, and short and tall centerpieces. The instructions are for fresh flowers and not silk.
What I do really like about the ebook are the large easy step by step photographs. They make it very easy to follow and leave no question as to what each step requires. I also like the list of required materials at the beginning of each set of instructions. The lists are very complete and easy to follow.
The first bouquet shown is an arm bouquet of Calla Lillies. The huge leaves they use overpower the Calla’s, and the short length of ribbon they use to secure the flowers together does not look very secure at all.
The next bridal bouquet is a rose posy and they do present a good method for arranging the roses. However nice this piece it is just a simple bunch of roses tied together. The bridesmaid’s gerbera bouquet is made and looks the same as the brides rose posy, very simple and plain.
A cascade bouquet is next and it is very pretty, but does require a lot of wiring and glueing. I’m not sure that a bride who has never worked with flowers before would feel confident in making this piece the way it’s described. What follows is another cascade done in purple orchids. It’s a less than attractive bouquet with curls of wire sticking out all over.
The next section shows you how to make centerpieces. The first one is unique, made of a large glass bowl with a couple strands of tall grass wound against the inside of the bowl and red rose tops floating on some water.
The pink rose posy centerpiece is next, which is the same as the bouquet except it’s placed in a glass vase. The next two centerpieces are the small calla lilly and the large calla lilly. The small one consists of three lillies with a few strands of steel grass tied with a bow in a tall slender glass vase. The larger version uses a wider glass vase with two large leaves and some coiled bamboo.
The last two centerpieces are basically the same as the others using different kinds of lillies with some steel grass in tall glass vases. Except for varying the height of the flowers and the differences in the flowers themselves, they are the same as all the others. Tall, stark, and plain, yet they are still pretty.
Boutonnieres are next, however the ebook only demonstrates one flower buttonhole boutonnieres. The first is made with one strand of beargrass looped at one end taped to an orchid. The other is a rose with three leaves taped together. The leaves have wire through them so they can be shaped and positioned like you want.
The final section gives you USA and UK sources and vendors where you can purchase the supplies you need.
Conclusion
While Create Your Own Wedding Flowers offers a couple good insider tips, the arrangements themselves are not very attractive or special. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most highly recommended, I would have to rate this ebook only a 3.
It is very limited in design and implies through the sales letter and introduction that only a professional floral designer can create beautiful and unique pieces. This is a typical designer attitude meant to keep people thinking they can never do what a designer can do and that simply is not true.
The authors say that they chose simple pieces so the beginner can do them quickly and easily. However I think most brides would want something a little more fancy for their weddings. More Information.
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