Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Last Updated: July 16, 2026
A bride sat across the worktable from me a few years back with her own spreadsheet, convinced that building her own cymbidium orchid arrangements would save her real money over hiring a florist. By the time she’d priced out the stems and the glassware, she was within a few dollars of what I’d have charged her, minus the labor she was about to spend her own weekend on.
A tall cylinder vase full of cymbidium orchids is one of the most striking, minimalist arrangements you can build, and it genuinely is fast to put together. Fast and cheap aren’t always the same thing, though, and this is a piece where it’s worth doing the math before you commit.
Choose a Vase That Suits the Stem
Cymbidium sprays are long, architectural, and dramatic on their own, which is exactly why this design works with almost no additional material. A tall cylinder vase, 18 to 24 inches tall, with a 6-inch diameter, is a real presence at an event. It lets the sprays stand vertically or lean gently to one side without a lot of mechanics holding them in place.
Fill the vase with roughly three inches of water, enough to submerge and support the base of the stems without drowning the lower blooms. Group two or three sprays together rather than spacing them evenly around the vase. Cymbidiums look best in a loose cluster, not in a symmetrical arrangement.
This video from UK florist Alexandra Lyons shows the technique start to finish, and it’s a good one to watch once before you build your own. Watch it, and see how little mechanics this design actually needs.
Do the Math Before You Assume DIY Is Cheaper
This is the part most tutorials skip, and it’s the part that actually matters if you’re planning this for a wedding or event rather than a single vase at home.
Cymbidium orchid stems generally run $65 to $75 each, depending on quantity and season, and a real presence in a tall vase takes more than one stem. Event glassware in this scale typically runs $16 to $20 per vase to purchase outright, though a local rental source or a look through Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace can bring that down considerably. Add in the time spent sourcing everything, and DIY may not save you as much as it looks like on paper.
The bottom line: you may save money doing this yourself, but it isn’t guaranteed, and it depends heavily on how many pieces you need and how much your time is worth to you. Throughout my time at the design bench, I’ve watched plenty of DIY brides break even at best once they counted their own hours. If you want a second opinion on where your flower dollars actually go furthest, our guide to negotiating with wedding vendors covers that math from the other side.
Know When This Design Actually Makes Sense
A single dramatic vase on an entry table, gift table, or select guest table is where this design earns its keep for a DIY bride. The cost per vase stays manageable, and the visual payoff for the sourcing effort is genuinely high.
The math stops working in your favor when you scale it up. Ten of these for ten guest tables means ten times the stem cost and ten times the glassware, and at that point, the labor and rental savings of hiring a professional usually catch up fast. If you’re worried that means DIY isn’t worth it at all, don’t be. It just means this particular design is better suited to one or two statement pieces than a full room of them.
What I use in the shop: a heavy glass cylinder vase for this design. The added weight at the base matters more than people expect once a top-heavy cluster of cymbidium sprays is leaning to one side.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a cymbidium orchid arrangement cost to make yourself?
Cymbidium stems generally run $65 to $75 each, and event glassware in this scale runs $16 to $20 per vase to buy, less if you can rent or find secondhand. A single striking vase is usually affordable for a DIY project. Scaling up to multiple vases for a full event often closes the cost gap with hiring a professional once your own time is factored in.
How many cymbidium stems do I need for a tall vase arrangement?
Two or three sprays clustered together give real presence in an 18- to 24-inch-tall vase with a diameter of 6 inches or more, without looking sparse. Cymbidium reads best grouped rather than spread evenly, since the loose cluster is part of what makes the design feel intentional and architectural.
Is DIY cheaper than hiring a florist for cymbidium arrangements?
Sometimes, but not automatically. Factor in stem cost, glassware, sourcing time, and pieces you need. For one-or two-statement vases, DIY often makes sense. For a full event’s worth of centerpieces, the savings shrink once your own labor is counted.
How do I keep cymbidium sprays from tipping a tall vase over?
Use a heavy glass vase rather than a lightweight one, since the added weight at the base helps counter a top-heavy cluster of sprays leaning to one side. Filling the vase with several inches of water also adds stabilizing weight low in the vessel.
Where can I source affordable event glassware for a wedding?
A local rental company is usually the most cost-effective route for tall vases you’ll only use once. Secondhand marketplaces like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace are worth checking, too, since wedding glassware is commonly resold after a single use.
Closing Thoughts
A cymbidium orchid in a tall vase is one of the easiest high-impact designs you can build, and one of the easiest to overestimate on savings. Run the numbers honestly before you decide.
For one or two statement pieces, it’s worth every bit of the sourcing effort. For a whole room of them, do the math first.
Have you priced this out for your own event yet, or are you still deciding between DIY and a professional? Tell me in the comments. I read every one.
Til next time,
