The Importance of Sustainability
The time is now to start being more mindful of our individual and collective environmental impact.
You would likely be shocked at the amount of waste that the wedding industry generates and being intentional about who you choose to hire is more important than ever. Fern and Flora Studios is proud to have chosen sustainable practices over ease and convenience for 8+ years. What I have found is that the longer that I have implemented these wiser ways, the easier its become without sacrificing style and efficiency that the luxury wedding industry commands. In fact, by using the same mechanics and install methods over and over again, I have become super comfortable and learned the ways by repetition. Being able to create thoughtful floral designs and detailed proposals, while walking away from each event knowing I’ve minimized waste, reduced the impact of forever chemicals on our waterways, and sourced as locally as possible, means so much to me, and I hope it does to you as well.
What this looks like is that when you book with us.
We begin by thinking ahead and working with our incredible community of local flower farmers to let them know the color palettes that we will need from season to season. They start planning to incorporate those colors and floral selections into their planting for the year. My friend Eva, who owns Singing Flower Farm in Edneyville, NC has graciously accepted my requests for years now and grows beautiful, high quality flowers for my couples. I order American grown roses and minimally source from distributors who order from faraway locations where the working conditions are less that ideal. That means that your flowers mostly come directly from the farmers hands into mine, and are incredibly fresh, often picked the day before or in some cases, the morning of your event.
Our vessels are reused over and over, and we have perfected arbors and installs with materials that we come back to again and again. When your event is over, we donate what we can to local non-profits, dry blooms for a later use such as wreath making at the holidays, and compost what is left. I do my best to insure that almost nothing is wasted. You are also welcome to request that some of the blooms be taken home by your guest, or maybe you want to reuse them the following morning for a brunch. These are conversations that I’m comfortable having with you to make the most of your purchase. Do you have special heirloom vases, baskets or containers that would feel meaningful to incorporate into the design plan? I got you. I love bringing in elements that have a story.
Community over consumption.
Fern and Flora Studios spends time throughout the year building community here in our town by providing florals at a discounted cost to elevate fundraising events. My belief is that people will have a different experience where florals and living art are present. So far this year we have worked closely with Love and Respect, a grassroots peer-run non-profit that serves adults that struggle with mental health, substance abuse, and our unhoused population to provide resources for recovery and support as a drop in center. This winter we hosted a winter solstice wreath workshop and raised money to provide a few hot meals for their drop in center.
I really believe that even loving people in these small ways matter. If there is a cause that is near and dear to your heart, let us know. If there is a local organization that you connect with we can discuss donating your wedding flowers on your behalf. I believe in community care as a way to collective heal and those vibrations echo.