The Economy of Sale

The question of what kind of flowers to use at a wedding is usually approached with many opinions, a boatload of images from Pinterest, and unfortunately, sometimes very little understanding of the seasonal nature of blooms.  The purpose of this blog is to help you understand why Bloom Magic Weddings is serious about following the seasons when we design for our clients.

The cut flower trade is an enormous business that has its roots (pun intended) all over the globe.  The global production of cut flowers is currently thought to be $42 billion per year.* The United States is the largest consumer of cut flowers, with consumers purchasing blooms in a variety of ways, totaling $1.83 billion annually.  The growing, packaging, distribution, and transporting of flowers is a gigantic industry that involves planes, trains, and automobiles (well, actually, refrigerated trucks).  When we rely on flowers grown outside of the United States, we often unconsciously support a supply chain that is environmentally unfriendly on many levels.

So what drives the choice of which flowers couples select for a wedding?  Although I could not find data specific to weddings, the 2018 study Washington Cut Flowers Consumer Market Research, found that 4 in 5 people buying flowers do not consider locally grown when they buy flowers.  The leading factors are the color of flowers, particular type, cost, and perceived longevity. There is much to do in educating consumers – just as in sourcing food locally, we can do the same with flowers.

And the winner is…

Which flower is most popular for weddings?  Depends on how long you want to research!  The peony is always in the top 5.  Showy ruffles, delicately voluminous petals, grand sizes, and luscious colors and fragrance are some of the enduringly alluring qualities of peonies.  Their color rich mop like blossoms are a longstanding favorite for bouquets, in purest white to candy pink to raspberry and even lemony yellow.  Available in the USA in May and June, peonies now enjoy an extended season with farmers in Alaska being able to provide stems as late as September.  But then, the situation changes drastically.

We live in a world where anything can be had through the internet, at any point in time. It is possible to get peonies from New Zealand in November and December.  While this might mean your favorite comes to the party, it will be a tough journey getting there.  Your flowers will be cut in Auckland and processed for a plane ride to Los Angeles. Next they will go through customs, and then be placed on trucks for distribution to wholesalers across the “Lower 48”.  If your peonies are going to Chicago, they will eventually after a few days make it, having travelled about 8,200 miles from field to florist.  They will be about 4 times the normal price, as much as $15 – $20 each off season.  And this year, they were scarce, because there was so much rain, and fewer flowers.

So many benefits!

If I haven’t convinced you about peonies, in addition to being green buying local and getting the best price, locally sourced flowers will be fresher, and a true reflection of the season. Seasons should be celebrated! A Cubs game is not available in November. A pumpkin spice latte is not available in March. A dahlia is not harvested in April, and a peony is no-go in February. Choosing flowers according to the season allows you to make a statement inspired by nature. Embrace your date, and allow your florist to help you create beauty that reflects the season. You will enjoy the wedding flowers as you make a conscious choice to care where your flowers came from. See yourself and your guests in a magical memorable time and place, celebrating nature and one of the most natural things we know: two people in love.

*facts cited from https://www.petalrepublic.com/floristry-and-floriculture-statistics/

SPOILER ALERT: I will write about what flowers are in season when, later in the year. 🙂