Weddingbee boards

So it turns out the online wholesale flower companies (bunches direct and fiftyflowers etc) all ship their flowers from plantations in South and Central America. 

While I would never judge anyone for not caring about this, I don't think having pretty flowers is worth supporting what I consider to be environmental and human rights abuses.

Costco offers Fair Trade Certified roses - but only in red and white (which will by my last resort if I don't find another solution)

My wedding is in New England in September, so I don't think there's anything I could get from local farms except sunflowers or mums (not a fan of either)

I have emailed two florists in the area who advertise themselves as eco friendly and asked for suggestions - both told me I'd have to pay for a consultation.  I was really hoping to DIY this as I'm using old bottles as centerpieces and really only wanted to stick a few blooms in each bottle - so it seems absurd to pay a florist to stick a flower in a bottle. 

My colors are navy, ivory, and burgundy.  I had orginally planned on something like this:

and making a really loose bouquet with the same flowers and a thick ivory ribbon.

Any suggestions??

What a beautiful inspiration pic! One option would be to grow the flowers you want yourself if you have the space and the appropriate climate. Other than that if you can't find what you're looking for, have you considered making the flowers out of recyclable paper/newspaper?

@JoJo Bananas:

Yes, I love dahlias and contacted 2 farms out in Western Mass about them...they both said they can't guarantee them after Aug 31 depending on weather  :(   I'm still hoping I can find them somewhere!!

@MissHelen:

I WISH I could grow them myself!!  Such a fantastic idea for people who are not me..hehehe... the only plants that have successfuly survived my two trouble making cats are cactii with spikes!

bumpus.   any other ideas brilliant bees?

Wait. Seriously? There are florists that make people PAY to just ask about pricing? How ridiculous! They'd never get my business.

Would you consider silk flowers? A lot of them look real unless you look very closely. I think you could DIY the bottle flowers, whether it's growing your own flowers or silk flowers. So are you looking for a bouquet also or just the centerpieces?

@galloway111:

I think it was because I was up front in my email and said I planned to DIY the actual arrangements but was looking for a trustworthy place to purchase the flowers. I guess they figure if they're not going to make the big bucks setting up, they can still make money making "suggestions".  I get that its a business, but I was disappointed all the same.

I'll have to check out some of the fakes. The cheapo ones I see at Michaels come to mind when I think of silk flowers, so I may just need to get a better idea of whats out there... but I'm thinking worst case scenario, I just order a few hundred of the white Fair Trade roses from Costco and maybe mix them with some greens I pick myself around here. 

@piglet_625:

Ooooh thank you!! ! :)

I had seen that first one before too - the selection was a bummer. They don't even have ivory or burgundy roses! And lillies are pretty - but my grandmother passed recently and the smell has such an association to the funeral....  

The second one, you're right! Its linked from an organic/fair trade site, but says nothing about that on the actual website!  They do have beautiful burgundy roses and gerberas - I'll give them a call tomorrow and ask where the flowers come from!

@mtnhoney:

I got this email back from a local florist:

Thank you very much for your inquiry! 

It is an unfortunate reality that most of the flowers used in wedding (and other) industry décor are outsourced from other countries (most of them South of the Equator).  In recent years clients have voiced rising concerns about this, especially as the issue relates to harmful pesticide/fungicide use, inhuman working conditions, and the like.  To be able to assist these clients, we have developed a “Green & Non-Outsourced Floral Program” in which we ensure that all flora used comes from local (within the U.S.) sources.  Occasionally a client will permit a Canadian import and we also work closely with a Dutch farm that uses only humane conditions for its workers.

To give you an idea, I have attached our most updated Flora List of blooms that can be obtained without outsourcing to other countries.  It list is somewhat limited, but does nonetheless, make it possible for clients to use flora that is only grown locally.  So to answer your first question, yes, we can order and deliver flowers that are grown in the United States.  Please note that it may be possible to obtain other species of flowers, but much depends on how the local farms and growing season is going.  More obscure species may require us to play-it-by-ear (as far as availability goes).

As for the second question, while we do have a minimum ($2K)for non-DIY clients, there is no minimum order amount for DIY client orders.