Pops of color, muted neutrals, or classic all white, no matter what your theme is for your special day, florals are an essential part of any wedding celebration. Amongst all of the excitement, have you ever stopped to wonder, just where your flowers are coming from?
Think about it: sunflowers in December, tulips in September… is this actually possible? The answer is yes - if your wedding flowers are coming from miles (and miles and miles and probably a plane ride too) away.
Unfortunately, the wedding flower industry is no stranger to producing waste. Besides the large amounts of carbon emissions generated by transporting flowers from other countries, cut flower production uses a great deal of water and relies on pesticides that are harmful to the environment and agricultural workers.
Looking to have a more eco-conscious wedding? Check out these 5 essential tips for sustainably sourcing your wedding flowers!
1) Seasonality is Key
Choosing in season blooms can reduce the cost of your floral arrangements and shorten the journey between field to florist to wedding. In season flowers are also at their peak beauty - full of color, vibrance, and life that imported blooms may not fully capture. Not to mention, those late summer - early fall blooms look absolutely stunning in our barn wood frame!
Take a look at this chart to see what’s blooming across the U.S. Remember, seasonality varies by region!
2) Work with an Eco-Conscious Florist or a Flower Farm
Ready to start looking for your dream florist? Make sure to shop around and ask questions! Full transparency with your wedding vendors is a must to make your vision for your wedding day come to life. Some questions to ask your potential florist:
- Where do your flowers come from?
- Do you work with any local growers?
- How do you reduce waste in your business?
Another great alternative is to work directly with a cut flower farm in your surrounding area. There are many cut flower farms that specialize in weddings! Nothing is more personalized than choosing which blooms get planted and watching them grow.
Check out these flower farms located in Eastern PA:
- Bloom & Gathered Floral Company
3) Don’t Overlook Greens and Flowering Plants
Full greenery bouquets can be as timeless as an all white round bouquet! Lamb’s ear, fern, yarrow, asters, and even trailing ivy occur naturally in nature. Try spotting these plants next time you take a walk through a trail, or even next time you hang out in your backyard! Sourcing your bouquet from the environment around you is a beautiful option for eco-friendly blooms.
Can you imagine a wedding bouquet made entirely of wild plants from your backyard? It can’t possibly get any more sentimental than that.
As an added bonus, greenery presses beautifully! Check out this full greenery bouquet preserved in our natural wood frame.
4) Find Alternatives to Floral Foam and Harmful Plastics
Let’s be real, floral foam has no use other than well… being floral foam. It’s non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, and adds to the growing issue of microplastics in our environment. Think about it this way: one block of floral foam is equal to about 10 plastic bags.
Pliable twigs, chicken wire, and straw are all eco-friendly alternatives to floral foam. More and more florists are ditching the plastic in exchange for green alternatives! Love the look of a cascading bouquet? Ask your florist about floral foam alternatives for achieving that classic elegant look!
5) Upcycle your Wedding Flowers
Three essential wedding keepsakes:
- Your ring
- Your photos
- Your florals
Yes, your florals! Here at the Pressed Bouquet Shop we turn once-in-a-lifetime florals into lasting works of art. Gone are the days of tossing away the floral arrangements you spent time, money, and effort sourcing. Proudly display your wedding bouquet as a pressed and framed artwork or as a functional resin artwork to cherish for years to come.
