Easy Wheelchair Florals

Written by: Callie Huston

How to Achieve Perfect Wheelchair Florals
Without Sacrificing Functionality

Wheelchair users deserve to have an accessibility device that is also a fashion statement. We wanted to give wheelchair brides and grooms information on how to achieve this, but there weren’t that many resources out there.

This year we did a styled shoot and we got to work with a beautiful model named Jessie. Jessie uses a wheelchair and was kind enough to lend an old chair so we could try a couple of techniques without the stress of an event day. We are so appreciative of Jessie for working with us to create floral wheelchair decoration for weddings.

We attacked this conundrum of how to add personality and style to a mobility device for weddings or other special events, without sacrificing functionality in the process. With a little experimentation and patience, we found it is possible to have both!

In this blog post, we will discuss some of our tips for achieving the perfect wheelchair florals without sacrificing functionality. This tutorial is perfect for our wheelchair user brides and grooms, wedding party members, or family members.

The first thing that I want to emphasize is that every chair and every person is different, as are their needs. So what I’m teaching here may not work for everybody. If you’re a florist or you have a friend who uses a chair, you can take the basic principles that you’ve learned but it may not all apply to that person or their chair. Of course, if you are doing this DIY on your own wheelchair, feel free to edit our process to whatever your needs are.

Watch Tutorial

Important Reminder:

The single most important thing that I want to stress is that the flowers and mechanics are all secondary. Wheelchairs are as personal as someones body, so take extra care when attaching flowers to the wheelchair so that the functionality and comfort remains top priority.  

What Not To Use

These items could damage the chair, either by leaving a residue or scratching the metal, so we recommend staying away from them. We outlawed these in an abundance of caution, so feel free to see what the wheelchair user is comfortable with.

• Hot Glue
• Floral Putty
• Waterproof Floral Tape (stem tape is okay)
• Paddle Wire
• Straight Wire
• Bullion Wire

Supplies & Instructions for Wheelchair Florals

We used:

-Rubber Grip Shelf Liner

-Zip ties

-Stem Tape

-Hydration Chamber

-Live florals in your colors (We used lisanthus, carnations, and roses)

-Italian Ruscus

For the back, we basically created two small bouquets and zip-tied them to the bar on the back. First, we put down the rubber grip shelf liner, and then we zip-tied the florals to the bar and filled it in where needed. Then, we used stem tape to attach the ruscus to the bars that support the wheels and some of the spokes. We wrapped ours, but you can do whatever you please. If you’re doing this for an event, we recommend you create your small bouquets in advance and put them in the hydration chamber so you can just place them before the event.

Pro Tip:

A hydrantion chamber is just a Tupperware box with wet paper towels on the bottom and over the top of the flowers. This keeps the flowers in a moist, humid environment which extends their life while keeping them fresh for days.

To Wrap it Up

We hope that this blog post has given you some tips on how to achieve perfect wheelchair florals without sacrificing functionality. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to one of our team members. If you or a loved one had a wheelchair wedding and have anything to add, feel free to reach out so we can share that knowledge here as well.

Feeling inspired? Check out the packages featured in this blog below!

Pink Lemonade DIY Packages – Small, Medium, Large

Shop Now

A La Carte Packages

Shop Now

Shop Now

Shop Now

Shop Now

About the Author

Callie Hutson is the floral wunderkind of Flower Moxie. She works in Order Managament and does Custom Designs, so if you need help with your floral emergency she is your gal. When she’s not creating incredible floral masterpieces she can be found adventuring in the outdoors with labradoodle Sierra or sipping on Lavender Lattes.