If only I had a dollar for every time I’m asked this. And I get it, flowers are beautiful, captivating even. Coupled with their short vase life, it makes sense that so many people are wondering what happens to these flowers after the wedding. Let’s take a look at some of the alternative routes your wedding flowers may take after their exit from your reception!
Gift them
One of my favorite ways to extend the life of your floral investment is by gifting them! Yes, take them home. Give them to your guests. Everyone loves flowers - everyone. In our final design meeting, we’ll discuss which flowers you’d like to keep and plans for getting them home and to your guests. While rental vases should always remain at the venue for my retrieval after the event, we can discuss options, such as using a disposable tray insert, to make gifting easy. With some tender loving care, post-wedding blooms can be excellent home decor for days following.
Upcycle
Occasionally the floral stars align and we’re able to upcycle the foliage you don’t gift. I specify foliage because it’s less common that florals can be upcycled. For weddings and events in particular, flowers are ordered ahead so they’re at their peak for your special day. So once the day passes and the flowers have had their time to shine, they’re likely not up for another show stopping performance. Foliage, on the other hand, is generally more resilient and able to go another round.
Donate
For a fee, non-profit organizations like Petals for Hope will collect the leftover flowers, recut and rearrange them and deliver the repurposed blooms to worthy recipients, such as seniors or abuse survivors. How lovely to know your beautiful wedding flowers are bringing joy to someone when they need it most! If this is an option you’re interested in, let’s discuss it during your design meeting as well.
Preservation
Lastly, while it’s not a service Flux Floral currently offers, don’t forget to research floral preservation options. From pressing a few stems from your bouquet into a glorious frame or yielding a stunning resin paperweight, there are many ways to create a beautiful keepsake of your beautiful flowers.
Compost or Dispose
Yes, the eventual end for all wedding flowers is the trash and/or compost bin. Before you get too sad, keep in mind every living thing has an expiration date. Yes, believe it or not, every living thing dies. Everything. So before you go down the silk flower rabbit hole, keep in mind that fresh flowers, unlike silk, are compostable. Poetic, right? Fresh flowers live a beautiful, abundant life and are returned back to the soil to create something beautiful again!
NEXT STEPS
I hope the above blog post helps you in reusing the flowers after the wedding. For more inquiries, visit my website.
-Gerilynn
VENDORS
Floral Design: Flux Floral with Mulberry & Moss • Photographers: Anya Kernes Photography