Sustainable Wedding Planning:
Top Tips when Choosing Eco-Friendly Flowers for Your Wedding or Event
As you might expect we here at My Flower Patch think that flowers are a beautiful and essential part of weddings and events. But did you know that the floristry industry as a whole can be quite harmful to the environment? Traditionally florists have often used imported flowers that have been grown with heavy pesticides and fertilisers. These flowers are then transported long distances, which contributes to the carbon footprint of your event.
If this matters to you, as it matters to us, you will be pleased to know that at My Flower Patch we are committed to sustainable wedding and event floristry.
All of our flowers are sourced from British growers, and we focus on using local growers as a priority. We hope you think British-grown wedding flowers are as fabulous as we do.
We use sustainable florist practices whenever possible; we don’t use micro-plastic based floral foam. Floral foam is a non-biodegradable material that can be harmful to the environment. There are a few sustainable alternatives to floral foam, such as chicken wire and moss, we will use the most suitable method according to what arrangements you would like us to create.
Your wedding bouquet and all of your event flowers will be delivered to you in recyclable (or returnable) packaging, and I will also re-use any props, mechanics and vases that are used during your wedding. These are either returned to me by yourselves after your event or I can offer a cleardown service.
We are always looking to reduce single use plastic. We pride ourselves on choosing more planet friendly options instead, and we are always looking for ways to improve our sustainable credentials.
As part of our wedding flower consultation, we will discuss the ways we can use a variety of eco-friendly flower arrangements to wow you and your guests, whilst doing our best to tread more lightly on the planet.
Here are some top tips for choosing eco-friendly flowers for your wedding or event:
- Ask your florist about their flower sourcing practices. Find out where your florist gets their flowers from and how they are grown. If your florist is committed to sustainable floristry, they should be happy to answer your questions.
- Talk to your florist about the ways in which they will arrange the flowers. Do they use floral foam?
- Talk to your florist about what happens to the flowers after your event. Will you be taking them home and giving them away to guests? – discuss this as part of your consultation so that appropriate containers are used? Will you be asking the florist to return to do “cleardown” if so, are they going to donate the flowers on your behalf? At My Flower Patch I offer a cleardown or breakdown service and as part of this I donate flower arrangements to local businesses and members of the community so that the flowers are enjoyed by many people after your big day.
In addition to choosing British-grown, eco-friendly flowers and sustainable arranging techniques, there are several other things you can do to make your wedding or event more sustainable. Here are a few tips:
- Choose a sustainable venue. If possible, choose a venue that is powered by renewable energy and that has a commitment to sustainability. My nearest venue – Chalk Barn is a shining example of a sustainable venue.
- Serve sustainable food and drinks. Serve locally sourced and organic food and drinks whenever possible. You can also avoid single-use plastics by using reusable plates, cups, and utensils.
- Encourage your guests to be sustainable. Provide your guests with information on how to be sustainable at your wedding or event. You can also encourage them to share lifts to your wedding or take public transport to the event where appropriate.
- Consider digital invitations or set up a wedding website where people can find out all the information about your wedding rather than having to post lots of printed information.
By following these tips, you can choose eco-friendly flowers for your wedding or event and make your big day more sustainable. By choosing sustainable floristry, you can help to protect the environment and support local businesses.
If you like the sound of an eco-friendly florist for your special event, then My Flower Patch would be thrilled to be your florist for weddings and events in Wiltshire, Berkshire or Hampshire.
If My Flower Patch are not local to your wedding venue then I can highly recommend you looking at Flowers from the Farm, a UK wide network of British flower growers and florists who use British-grown flowers of which I am a proud member. You can use the Find Flowers map to help you find someone local to your venue to work with to provide British-grown flowers for your wedding or event.
Click here to read more about My Flower Patch as an Eco-friendly Florist.
Photos taken by
Kevin Belson, Dan Watkiss, Raj and Jade, Rich and Maria, Lydia Stamps and Robert Auckland.