My dress available here.  Pretty champagne version here.

I’ve read many tutorials on how to build a flower swing as a photo prop.  But all of these tutorials either required hardware I didn’t have, were too big, or ended up costing $400+.

Instead, I decided to create my own floral swing.  I made two iterations of the swing. The first flower swing I made only cost $35.  The second version cost about $60.

This flower swing is perfect as a photo prop, or a photo booth idea for weddings or birthday parties.

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What you will need to build your Floral Swing

Fire Log Holder – Check Prices 

I bought a fire log holder as suggested by others to build my swing.  But there’s a trick on how I used the fire log holder for my floral hoop swing that made it significantly less expensive.  The fire log holder I got on Amazon isn’t always available so if you see it definitely snatch it up!

24 Gauge Wire – Check Prices

The wire is for attaching your greenery and flowers onto the swing.

Greenery – Check Prices

Silk Flowers – Check Prices

READ MORE: THE PRETTIEST SUNFLOWER FIELD IN MARYLAND YOU HAVE TO SEE TO BELIEVE

How to Build a Floral Swing

1.  Put together 1 of the Hoops from your Fire Log Holder
2. Attach faux or real greenery using the wire to cover the hoop
3. Mark where you want to hang the swing from on the hoop
4. Attach silk flowers about 10 to 12 inches from where you will attach the rope to hang the swing
5. Attach silk flowers diagonally across from the flowers attached in #4

How to Attach the Greenery for Your Flower Swing

I’m a huge fan of making flower crowns, so I treated this project like making a giant flower crown or wreath.  I laid the hoop on the ground then arranged the greenery around the hoop in one direction. Then I used the wire to attach the greenery to the hoop.

How to Attach Flowers to Your Floral Swing

Once you have arranged your greenery, pick a spot where you will hang the swing from on the hoop. 

Then attach a set of your flowers about 10 to 12 inches to the left or right of that spot. Next attached the rest of your flowers diagonally across from the first set of flowers.

The reason I attach the flowers this way is to make the swing balanced and allow more of the flowers to show.  There’s really no reason to attach flowers to the bottom of the swing because someone will be sitting there, thus covering any flowers there.  

If you want to add a touch of whimsy to your swing attached some wisteria strands to the top so that they hang opposite from your first set of flowers.

To attach the flowers, I first lay them on the greenery and arrange them how I want it to look. 

Next, I either take wire or a zip tie to attach all the stems.

Because the stems are so long and I don’t want to cut them, I will do this several times along the length of the stems.  I’m wiring them all on at once and not individually. Once the stems are secure, I then wire each head of the flower onto the swing.

Her princess dress available here.  My dress available here.  A similar one in red here for only $20.  Pink sequin version here.

My flower crown available here.

Tips for Making a DIY Flower Swing

Using Only 1 Hoop for Your Swing

Most of the tutorials I looked at had you putting together the whole fire log holder or building an octagonal shape out of piping.

Instead I actually only used one hoop of the fire log holder which greatly decreased the amount of flowers and greenery I needed. I also didn’t build a seat which I found unnecessary if you are only using it as a photo prop.

Why You Don’t Need to Buy Greenery for Your Floral Swing

The reason my flower swing cost significantly less than other DIY floral swings because I didn’t buy any greenery. 

Fake greenery is actually quite expensive if you need a lot of it. The cheapest I found was on Amazon – Check Prices. 

Instead, I used live greenery which was FREE from my backyard! Most plants that are weeds, aka vines, that I would normally pull out and toss, I let grow out and used that as greenery.

In the second iteration of my swing though I used branches from a dogwood tree in my front yard. 

I have more greenery in my yard than I could ever use for the swing! If you don’t have a yard, call a friend that has one!  I’m sure they would be more than happy to let you give their bushes and trees a free trim!

Buy Silk Flowers on Sale or From Amazon 

The first time I made this floral swing I wasn’t sure how many flowers I would need, so I actually didn’t buy any. 

I used silk flowers I already had for other projects and a few of my paper flowers.

The second time I made the swing I decided to buy a few more flowers from Michael’s which was having a 60% off sale on spring flowers, so I only spent about $8 on a few more blooms. 

Next I bought some pink wisteria from Amazon – Check Prices. I loved how the wisteria hung from the top of the swing, adding such a romantic touch. All in all I spent an additional $25 on flowers.

Don’t Cut Your Silk Flower Stems

You will want to cut off the annoyingly long stems that come with your silk flowers. 

Don’t do it! Because you could potentially use these flowers for other projects. Instead just wire the stems onto the swing.  The stems are easily hidden amongst the greenery.

How Long Will Your Flower Swing Last

Both versions of my flower swing lasted about 24 hours before the greenery started to get kind of wilty. 

The part of the swing that I saw on though definitely was looking a bit wilted after sitting on it a few times.  But don’t worry because someone will be sitting on that part of the swing, it won’t show up in the pictures.  

If you are building it for a party, I would say build it at most 12 hours before the event if you want it to look fresh.  Or you could use faux greenery then your greenery won’t wilt and your swing will last a lot longer!

Sitting on the Floral Swing

The tubes of the fire log holder are hollow and I don’t know the weight capacity.  

I sat on it with my daughter on my lap for a few quick pictures, but as you can see my feet are on the ground.  

I didn’t put my full weight on the swing.  My daughter did however, she’s about 35 lbs.

Although this is a great photo prop I wouldn’t recommend a full-sized adult sit on it and swing with their full weight.

Total Cost for My Floral Swing Proto Type

Fire Log Holder $35 (2021 UPDATE:  The price of the fire log holder has gone up to about $42 to $65)

Greenery $0

Faux Flowers $0

Total $35

Total Cost for My Floral Swing Second Iteration

Fire Log Holder $35 (2021 UPDATE:  The price of the fire log holder has gone up to about $42 to $65)

Greenery $0

Faux Flowers $25

Total $60