A few weeks ago I got to design florals with The Social Studio (the company that styled my son’s amazing 1st birthday) and I just had to share some these gorgeous centerpieces with you. The event had the dreamiest details and was full of vintage floral charm. These centerpieces had an organic romantic feel and were particularly fun to create.

Here are some quick and basic tips for arranging and caring for your own flowers at home!

1. Always cut the stem at a diagonal so your flowers absorb the most water. It’s even better if you can cut the stems under running water or submerged in water.

2. Remove any foliage that will be in the water of your vase. This causes bacteria to grow and will shorten the life of your blooms.

3. Add floral food or a 1/4 tsp of bleach per quart of water (careful not to add to much bleach!) to keep the water clean.

4. Add 1 tsp of sugar to the water in your vase to perk up your blooms (sugar rush!).

5. For roses, remove the outer petals if they haven’t been already, these are called the guard petals.

6. Hydrangeas love water, if they look like they need a pick me up, you can dunk their flower heads in water to give them a big drink.

7. For longevity, change the vase water every 3 days. Along with changing the water, it’s a good idea to trim the stems at this time so they can continue to absorb water, especially if the ends are brown.

8. Once your flowers start to age, cut them shorter and create a new arrangement to make them last even longer! Try different vessels, like a tea cup or a mason jar.

9. You can stabilize flowers into wide and short bowls by making a grid with floral tape. When using a wider bowl, it’s easiest to build the arrangement if you divide the space into quadrants.

10. When in doubt, arrange in groups of 3’s, or try to keep things in odd numbers for the best visual effect!