When to Order: A Timeline for Handmade Wedding Flowers

The most common question in my inbox

"My wedding is in three weeks. Is it too late?"

Usually not. But the honest answer has two parts, so here is the whole timeline I walk every bride through.

The making: 5–7 days

Once your design is settled, your flowers are made in 5–7 days on my bench. Add priority shipping of 3–5 business days, and most orders are in your hands in about two weeks from the day we begin.

The design: the part worth not rushing

Before making starts, we talk: your colors, your flowers, your bouquet shape, your party's pieces. This conversation is where a good bouquet becomes your bouquet, and it goes best unhurried, with time to look at swatches and photos. I recommend starting it two to three months before the wedding when you can. Not because the flowers need it, because you deserve a wedding errand that is finished early and never thought about again.

A simple timeline

• 3 months out (sweet spot): send your inquiry. We design calmly, everything is made and delivered with weeks to spare, and your flowers can even attend your dress fittings and portrait session.
• 1 month out: still comfortable. Design conversation this week, making next, delivery with time to spare.
• 2 weeks out: possible for most pieces. Write immediately and tell me the date in your first message.
• Days away: ask. If my bench has room, rush orders are completed in 2 days for an additional $25, but rush depends on the week's workload, so the earlier you write, the surer the yes.

Why early is a gift, not a rule

Fresh flowers force a wedding-week errand: pickup, water, worry. Clay flowers invert it. They arrive early, sit safely in their box, and wait. One thing crossed off your list forever, weeks before the day.

Whenever your date is, start with the custom order form and tell me the day you're planning for. I'll answer honestly where your timeline lands.

— Michelle, Founder