Choose Organic Seasonal Wedding Bouquets
Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers is a unique book (it’s 10 years old but there’s not been any other books on this subject) to grow your own bouquets and buttonholes, to avoid spending a fortune on florists.
Filled with gorgeous photos, this enables you to enjoy beautiful bouquets, without the expense, chemicals and plastic wrap.
Many wedding flowers (including lilies) and petal confetti (like delphiniums, hydrangeas and rhododenrums) are not safe near pets.
Read up on no-dig gardening and pet-friendly gardens). Avoid facing indoor displays to gardens, to stop birds flying into windows.
Most flowers for weddings or other occasions in England are flown in from The Netherlands or more likely long-haul flights. Covered in chemicals, and looking and feeling like you would, after a long-haul flight.
The book features info on planting, growing, cutting and harvesting, plus sections dedicated to seasonal blooms – along with craft ideas for centrepieces and flower crowns for bridesmaids, and even jam-jar posies.
Author Georgina Newbery used to work in the fashion industry, but gave it all up to open Common Farm Flowers (Somerset) which she runs with her husband. Together they offer courses on flower-growing and DIY flower buckets for more affordable wedding flowers, to arrange yourself.
They only deal with seasonal blooms, so if you buy from them, you won’t be able to have a winter wedding (unless you don’t want flowers!)
Start with your wedding date
In England, choose 3 to 5 main flowers plus 2 to 3 foliage options, to thrive outdoors in each season. Keep it simple (one main and a supporting colour plus one neutral (white, cream, green).
Choose a spot with 6 hours of sun and decent soil, and plan for 30 to 50 percent more to cover for breakages and buds that don’t open in time:
- Bridal bouquet (25 to 35 stems)
- Bridesmaid bouquet (15 to 25 stems)
- Buttonholes (1 to 2 stems)
- Bud vases (3 o to 5 stems)
- Small table jars (8 to 12 stems)
Where to buy seasonal wedding flowers
If you are not growing your own bouquet, enter your postcode at Flowers from the Farm to find local sustainable florists.
Stem & Green (near Winchester, Hampshire) farms on 2 acres of chalkland, growing seasonal wedding flowers. Although not certified organic, the farm follows organic principles. You can order flowers and buckets to save money if preferred, or hire vases to return a few days later.
Floral Angels (repurposing flower bouquets)
Floral Angels (London) is a nice little nonprofit that delivers donated flower bouquets to hospices, care homes and shelters within London, working from New Covent Garden Market.
Millions of bouquets are bought each year for weddings, Valentine’s Day, funerals or events, then go in the bin after a day or two. This way the flowers are repurposed into beautiful arrangements, to cheer up people who can’t afford a bouquet of flowers, or who have nowhere to gift them one.
Only donate pet-friendly bouquets to homes with animal friends (many flowers including lilies, delphiniums, hydrangeas, rhododenrons and all bulbs are toxic to pets). Also never face indoor foliage to outdoor gardens, to help prevent birds flying into windows.
The Flower Bank (Barnet, London) is a social enterprise that works with young offenders, to repurpose donated flowers to care homes and local community places. Focusing on people with dementia.
The same organisation also picks up leftover food from supermarkets, and delivers it to local food banks.
