Everything you need to know about planning your own wedding or event flowers
Choosing DIY flowers can be one of the most rewarding parts of planning your event. It allows you to create something personal, involve family and friends, and enjoy premium Australian-grown flowers at exceptional value.
It’s important to remember that here at Farmgate Flowers, we’re a flower market, not a florist. What we do is to supply exceptional Australian-grown seasonal flowers, just as they are, direct from the farm.
Since opening our doors in Toowong, we’ve become a go-to destination for DIY event flowers. While we don’t provide floristry or styling services, we’ve helped many customers create beautiful weddings and special events using our flowers. Along the way, we’ve learned what works well, and we’re always happy to share that knowledge to help make your DIY flower journey a success.
All we ask is that you stay open-minded about what our farms will have flowering the week of your event. We’ll supply the very best flowers available at their seasonal peak, and you’ll condition and arrange them to suit your vision. The more flexible you are with flower varieties and colours, the more successful your DIY flower experience will be
Before deciding on DIY flowers, it’s important to consider whether this approach suits both your event and your expectations. Our farms will always have something exquisite flowering for you to choose from, but the specific varieties and colours available will depend on what is at its very best the week of your event.
Ask yourself:
- Am I happy to work with seasonal flowers, which means my preferred may not be available?
- Can I be super flexible with flower varieties and colours?
- Do I have enough time to prepare and arrange everything?
- Do I have family or friends who can help if needed?
We'll happily discuss your event date, preferred style, colour palette and plans, but ultimately it's up to you to decide whether the DIY approach is right for your event.
If you're looking for highly customised floristry, intricate installations or guaranteed flower varieties, we recommend working with a florist instead.
Our business operates very differently to a traditional florist.
We don't purchase flowers from wholesalers to recreate a predetermined shopping list. Instead, we work directly with our current Australian growers and select the very best flowers they have grown and harvested each week.
That means you'll always receive flowers that are:
- Premium Australian-grown
- Exceptionally fresh
- Long-lasting
- Seasonal
- Outstanding value
The beauty of Farmgate DIY flowers is embracing what our farmers are growing in their specific growing regions
Step 3 – Understanding Pricing
As a flower market, we simply supply the flowers. The conditioning, arranging and styling are all part of your DIY journey.
Farming is at the mercy of Mother Nature, and many factors are beyond anyone’s control. Once the season begins, we work hard to keep our pricing as consistent as possible. While quoted prices generally remain the same, deposits do not guarantee final pricing or specific flower varieties. If significant changes in growing conditions or supplier costs affect pricing, we’ll let you know at least three weeks before your event so you can decide how you'd like to proceed.
What you can always expect from us is exceptional quality, incredible freshness and excellent value.
Step 4 – Understanding Seasonality
One of the biggest adjustments when planning Farmgate DIY flowers is learning to work with the seasons and flower varieties of our specific growers.
Thanks to the scale and diversity of our Farmgate growers, we're able to offer a very consistent range of flowers throughout each season. Even so, availability can still be influenced by:
- Weather
- Harvest timing
- Farm planting schedules
- Growing conditions
Rather than planning around one specific flower, you'll achieve the best results by planning around a broader selection of flowers and colour palette and allowing nature to guide the final selection.
We'll always allocate the best flowers available within your preferred colour palette, but embracing seasonal variation is part of the Farmgate DIY experience.
Step 5 – Colour Expectations
Think of your flowers as creating an overall feeling rather than matching exact colours.
Whether you're hoping for whites and creams, soft pastels or vibrant colours, every week here at Farmgate is different.
The flower farms that supply Farmgate follow a carefully planned production schedule, but flowers are still influenced by Mother Nature. While growing conditions can be managed to a certain extent, the weather ultimately determines how crops develop. As a result, exact flower varieties, shades and individual colour quantities cannot be guaranteed
If you're comfortable embracing what's flowering at its peak, you'll be rewarded with flowers that are at their freshest and most beautiful.
Step 6 – Planning Your Order
Success with Farmgate DIY flowers isn’t about planning months ahead - it’s about understanding the Farmgate way, staying open to change, and embracing what’s at its very best the week of your event.
We'll happily provide guidance on:
- Seasonality
- Approximate bunch quantities
- Stem estimates
- Colour palette ideas
- Collection timing
These are recommendations only. Ultimately, you'll decide what best suits your event, budget and styling plans.
As your event approaches, you'll gain a much better understanding of what's currently flowering and available.
Step 7 – Choosing Your Vases
One of the easiest ways to estimate how many flowers you'll need is to work from your vases.
Feel free to browse our in-store vase range or bring your own containers with you.
Seeing your vessels in amongst our flowers (in person) makes it much easier for you to determine:
- Flower quantities
- Stem counts
- Overall volume
It takes much of the guesswork out of ordering.
Step 8 – Creating Your Arrangements
This is where your creativity comes to life.
DIY arranging is incredibly rewarding, but it almost always takes longer than people expect.
Allow yourself plenty of time, prepare a suitable workspace and consider inviting family or friends to help in the days before your event.
Many of our customers tell us this becomes one of their favourite memories of the celebration.
Step 9 – Collecting Your Flowers
When collecting your flowers, make sure you're prepared.
We recommend:
- Bringing a vehicle with plenty of space.
- Having buckets or containers available if travelling a long distance.
- Keeping flowers cool during transport.
- Recutting stems and placing them into clean water as soon as you arrive home.
If required, we also have crates and buckets available to loan.
Step 10 – Understanding Flower Maturity
Fresh flowers need time.
We recommend collecting your flowers 5–7 days before your event so they have time to:
- Hydrate properly
- Open naturally
- Reach their best stage of bloom
- Settle beautifully into your arrangements
We'll explain how flower maturity works, but it's your responsibility to condition and care for your flowers after collection to ensure they look their best on event day.
We understand Brisbane summers can be hot, and your home may not be suitable for storing flowers for 5–7 days. If this is a concern, talk to us about collecting your flowers closer to your event once they've reached the ideal stage of maturity.
2 months before
Come in for a chat and share your exciting plans with us!
Around 3 weeks before
We'll discuss and confirm what's likely to be flowering so you can finalise your choice of flowers and colour palette and make any necessary adjustments.
Around 2 weeks before
Visit the store to see what's currently in season. This gives you a much better understanding of flower quality, maturity, colours and likely varieties.
5–7 days before (depending on flower type)
We'll allocate and set aside the best flowers available for your event. Allow yourself 5–7 days before your event to collect your flowers so you have plenty of time to condition your flowers and let them reach their ideal stage of bloom.
2–3 days before
Arrange your flowers in their final vases and keep them in a cool, air-conditioned room away from direct sunlight.
Event Day
Refresh the water, make any final adjustments and enjoy the flowers you've created.
A Reminder
What We Do
✓ Supply premium Australian-grown seasonal flowers
✓ Share to the best of our knowledge the current state of seasonal availability
✓ Provide guidance on flower quantities and colour palettes
✓ Explain flower conditioning and care
✓ Help you understand flower maturity and timing
✓ Set aside the best flowers available for your event
What We Don't Do
✗ Provide floristry or arranging services
✗ Style or set up weddings and events
✗ Guarantee specific flower varieties
✗ Guarantee exact colour matches
✗ Source flowers to a prescribed shopping list
✗ Condition or prepare flowers before collection
✗ Make planning or styling decisions for you
✗ Deliver
The Farmgate Way
Farmgate DIY flowers are about embracing the seasons, trusting what our growers have flowering, and working with nature rather than trying to control it.
We’ll supply exceptional Australian-grown flowers at their seasonal peak and share the knowledge we’ve gained from helping many customers create beautiful DIY events.
All we ask is that you come with an open mind, embrace what’s in season, and enjoy the creative process of conditioning and arranging your flowers to suit your vision.
When those two come together, the results are truly special.
Most importantly, be flexible, enjoy the process, and have fun!