SUSTAINABLE WEDDING FLOWERS: A GUIDE TO ECO-CONSCIOUS CHOICES

1 – LOCAL AND SEASONAL SOURCING

For a long time in the UK most florists have used almost exclusively imported flowers, but over the past 5 – 10 years there has been a movement towards including British grown flowers and foliage in designs. Most imported flowers travel thousands of miles, carrying a massive carbon footprint with them. For every wrap of roses grown in countries such as Columbia or Kenya there is the carbon footprint for flying those flowers to Holland where they are sold at market and then the footprint of their onward journey to the UK. Because flowers are perishable they have to be flown rather than shipped, so one wedding bouquet with say 7 different types of flowers in it will have 7 (usually long haul) flights’ worth of carbon footprint. Multiply that up across all of the designs in an average wedding and the footprint is huge.

To minimise environmental impact:

• Seek florists sourcing flowers within a 100-mile radius – think locally grown and seasonal
  
• Prioritise flowers naturally blooming during your wedding season in the UK
  
• Be flexible with flower selections based on seasonal availability – roses and peonies do not grow naturally all year round

I grow my own flowers and buy from other Scottish growers from around the central belt so most of the flowers I use in wedding designs come from within 80 miles of the studio. In the winter months we also buy from growers in Cornwall who grow under glass using locally sourced biofuel. If a couple’s design choices or wedding date call for it, we do supplement local flowers with imports but we would always prefer to use locally grown where possible.

2 – ORGANIC AND CHEMICAL-FREE PRACTICES

Look for florists committed to environmentally responsible growing methods if they grow their own, or that buy from growers who support these methods:

• Organic cultivation without pesticides (they do not necessarily have to be certified organic to follow similar principles)
  
• Natural pest control techniques rather than chemicals that can harm other wildlife and insects
  
• Avoidance of chemically treated or preserved flowers

3 – WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES

Evaluate potential florists’ waste management approaches:

• Biodegradable or re-usable packaging
  
• Composting of waste
  
• Minimal single-use plastics such as floral foam, cellophane etc
  
• Post-wedding flower donation options (hospices, care homes)

Weddings and events create a lot of waste so it’s worth thinking about how to combat that. Does your florist grow their own or buy from local growers? Flowers sourced this way tend to have minimal packaging and often if there is packaging it is paper, which can be recycled. 

How do they dispose of their waste? And what will you do with your flowers after the wedding? We suggest donating them to family members, hospices or care homes.

4 – ECO-FRIENDLY APPROACHES

Progressive sustainable florists offer:

• Vase rental options so you don’t need to buy vases just for one day
  
• Design repurposing strategies so you get multiple uses out of your flowers
  
• Elimination of floral foam which is harmful to water systems and a single use plastic
  
• Reduced use of other single-use materials

5 – TRANSPARENCY: THE KEY TO AUTHENTIC SUSTAINABILITY

Running a business sustainably is a balancing act and it is very difficult to be 100% green all the time. For instance I drive a diesel van because of the long mileage I often do and the prohibitive cost of electric vans. One day I hope to be in the position to change that. I also take bookings in the winter when it is difficult to use all UK grown flowers because as a business I need to have income year-round. Look for florists who are open about where they could do better.

Credible sustainable florists will:

• Openly share environmental practices and what they would like to improve on
  
• Provide flower origin details
  
• Educate customers about sustainable options so customers can decide how sustainable they want to be
  
• Explain what they mean by seasonal flowers – sometimes people will post on social media using out of season flowers calling them seasonal because of the colours. This makes it hard for the customer to know what is actually in season and sets unrealistic expectations of what is available out of season.

All of this is not to put you off having flowers at your wedding, they are a beautiful way to really elevate your day and bring a venue to life. By supporting local florists and flower farmers you are supporting the local economy and nature as these flower farms create great biodiversity with increases in pollinators and dependent species even on a small scale such as a cutting garden.

– Mel, Briar Rose Design