B&B Blooms Weddings & Events

Client Guide · Included With Every Order

The Floral Care Guide

A step-by-step guide for receiving, hydrating, conditioning, arranging, storing, and transporting your B&B Blooms order. Keep it nearby from delivery through event day.

Volume 01 · The Care Edition

Download the full 22-page guide

Save the printable PDF to your phone or print a copy for your floral captain. Included free with every B&B Blooms order.

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The Golden Rule

Clean, cool, hydrated, gentle.

Flowers last longest when they're kept clean, cool, hydrated, and handled gently. Most problems come from warm rooms, dirty buckets, leaves sitting in water, dull tools, crowded stems, or waiting too long to hydrate after delivery.

Hands trimming flower stems with floral snips into a clean glass vase of water
  1. 01

    Open immediately

    Bring boxes or buckets indoors and open right away. Never leave flowers in a vehicle, garage, direct sun, or warm entryway.

  2. 02

    Prepare clean water

    Use clean buckets or vases with fresh water and the flower food provided — mix exactly as the packet directs.

  3. 03

    Inspect and sort

    Check the packing list, group stems by type or recipe, and keep the labels until you're done organizing.

  4. 04

    Remove low foliage

    Strip every leaf that would sit below the water line. Leaves in water breed bacteria and shorten vase life.

  5. 05

    Fresh cut and hydrate

    Recut stems with sharp floral snips, then place straight into prepared water. Let them drink before arranging.

  6. 06

    Store cool and protected

    Hold flowers in a cool, shaded room away from fruit, direct sun, candles, pets, drafts, and heaters.

The Full Process

From delivery to event day, one calm step at a time.

01

Before Your Flowers Arrive

A little preparation makes the whole DIY process calmer, cleaner, and more successful.

  • Choose a cool, shaded, clean workspace with water access and flat tables.
  • Avoid kitchens during food prep, sunny patios, hot garages, and rooms with fans blowing directly on the flowers.
  • Cover surfaces with washable cloths, contractor paper, or towels.
  • Keep flowers away from pets, children, produce, smoke, candles, and cleaning sprays.

Professional tip

Prep twice as many clean buckets as you think you need. Overcrowded flowers bruise, bend, and hydrate unevenly.

02

The First Hour After Delivery

Open, inspect, hydrate, and cool the flowers as soon as possible.

  • Open every box or bucket within minutes of arrival.
  • Inspect each variety against the packing list — note anything that looks off.
  • Recut every stem at a 45° angle with sharp, clean snips before placing into water.
  • Move all stems into prepared buckets in a cool, shaded room.

Professional tip

Most floral problems trace back to a warm room, a dirty bucket, or stems waiting too long to be hydrated.

03

Hydration & Conditioning

Conditioning prepares stems to drink clean water efficiently — the foundation of every successful DIY project.

  • Always cut stems under running water or directly into a fresh bucket.
  • Strip foliage below the waterline on every stem.
  • Let flowers hydrate upright in a cool, shaded area for several hours before arranging.
  • Check water levels frequently — thirsty greenery and woody stems can drink quickly.

Professional tip

Give them time. Many flowers need hours of hydration before they open, firm up, or show their final shape.

04

Storage & Event-Week Timing

The goal isn't to finish early. It's to finish with enough time for calm transport and setup while keeping flowers cool, hydrated, and protected.

  • Hold prepared arrangements in the coolest room in your home, away from fruit and direct sun.
  • Bouquets and personals are best made the day before — keep them upright in shallow water until use.
  • Centerpieces can be designed 24–36 hours ahead if stored cool and covered loosely.
  • Wearables (boutonnieres, corsages) should be made same-day if possible.

Professional tip

Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, which makes flowers wilt fast. Never store flowers near a fruit bowl.

05

Arrangement Basics

Design principles that apply to most DIY pieces, from bud vases to centerpieces.

  • Start with greenery to build shape, then place focal flowers, then fillers, then airy accents.
  • Use negative space — not every gap needs to be filled.
  • Vary heights so the design feels dimensional, not flat.
  • Turn the arrangement 360° as you build to check every angle.

Professional tip

When a design feels busy, remove the weakest stem, lower one focal, and create one clean line of movement. Editing elevates modern design.

06

Transport & Venue Setup

How to get your flowers safely from prep space to event.

  • Transport in upright crates or boxes with nonslip mats — never lay bouquets flat for long.
  • Keep the vehicle cool. In Nevada and Texas heat, pre-cool the car and avoid long stops.
  • Bring a small refresh kit: floral snips, extra water, paper towels, ribbon, pins, and a few backup stems.
  • Assign a floral captain who is not the bride, groom, or guest of honor.

Professional tip

The floral captain should know where every piece goes, who gets each bouquet, and where the emergency kit lives.

Quick Reference

Do this, never that.

Always

  • — Use sharp, clean snips for every cut
  • — Hydrate immediately after delivery
  • — Keep flowers cool, shaded, and dry
  • — Refresh water daily once arranged
  • — Label every bouquet, box, and table piece

Never

  • — Leave flowers in a hot car or garage
  • — Store near fruit, candles, or heaters
  • — Crowd stems into too few buckets
  • — Use dull scissors that crush stems
  • — Spray water directly onto open blooms

Troubleshooting

Something looks off?

Most floral issues are solved with clean water, a fresh cut, cooler conditions, and a little time. Here are the most common situations and how to fix them quickly.

Flowers look droopy on arrival
Recut stems, place in fresh cool water with flower food, and let them rest in a cool room for 2–4 hours.
Heads are bent or weak
Wrap the top third of the bunch in damp paper, stand upright in deep water, and refrigerate or cool for several hours.
Petals are bruising
Handle stems by the lower portion only. Reduce how often the bouquet is picked up and moved.
Water turns cloudy fast
Re-strip any submerged leaves, wash the vessel with mild soap, refresh water, and add flower food.
Blooms aren't opening
Place in slightly warmer (not hot) water in a brighter room — most blooms open with light and gentle warmth.

Need a hand?

Beautiful flowers begin with thoughtful care.

Email bloomsbybren@gmail.com with your event date and a photo if you have a specific care question — Bren and Bailey will get back to you personally.

Download the GuideBack to the Floral Guide