Creating a wedding that is more sustainable, and more aware of the environment and the impacts we have on the planet & climate change has fast become a “trend” for many couples getting married, and we are absolutely HERE for it. So for The Flowers Issue, we asked two of our beautiful directory members to share their thoughts on how to keep your flowers more eco-friendly for your big day. The creator of stunning cakes, Janelle of Dark Cherry, is offering up their advice on why you should have spray-free, organic florals on your wedding cake, and how they’re going about achieving this in their backyard. And glorious florist extraordinaire, Julia of Flowers by Julia G, is sharing some tips on ways you can make your wedding flowers more sustainable. Please enjoy “Eco-Conscious Florals For Your Wedding Cake & Styling!”
From Janelle of Dark Cherry! Using wedding vendors who either use their own florals & greenery or source them locally is a terrific way to make your wedding flowers more eco-friendly. We are in the process of establishing our very own flower and foliage garden so as to have ready access to gorgeous, spray-free, organic blooms and greenery whenever needed. In the wedding seasons to come, we will have a lovely selection of roses, peonies (if the flower gods are willing to let them grow in Perth!), cosmos, dahlias, jasmine, creeping fig, and many others. We are also establishing a range of edible items, from herbs through to things like lemons, limes, passionfruit, apricots, and berries, as well as edible flowers such as linaria, nasturtiums, primroses and cornflowers, all grown organically to be used in the cake business.
Image: Dennis Tan Creative / Cake: Dark Cherry
Roses are always popular as they have an elegant, timeless romance to them. On the practical side, they also last wonderfully as a cut flower. Wilting flowers on your cake is something to avoid, so using flowers that will withstand being cut & displayed is a must. Other favourites for cake florals are cosmos, dahlias, scabiosa, blushing bride, Geraldton wax, freesias, and lisianthus – either teamed with beautiful greenery or left to shine on their own.
Image: Luminous Weddings / Cake: Dark Cherry
Not only does this approach of growing our own flowers, greenery & fruit provide us with pesticide-free gorgeousness, but it also helps us reduce our environmental footprint by not having to solely rely on imported items. Imported items, especially in recent years, have been subject to unavoidable delays and significant price increases, so having flowers and ingredients available to us by simply going into the garden allows us to keep our costs down. Where we don’t have something in our garden, or a couple has their heart set on a particular florist, we, like many other bakers & vendors such as stylists, are more than happy to work with the couple’s chosen florist, or head off to the beautiful flower markets in the dark of the early morning to ensure we get the best pick of the bunch! Flower markets are a great way to get local flowers for your day.
Image: Shoot Me Jimmy / Cake: Dark Cherry
Images: From the garden of Dark Cherry
Dark Cherry has had more and more eco-conscious couples getting in touch, and we encourage all of our eco-conscious couples to ask their vendors about how they can be more environmentally friendly. There are florists who have their own hire ranges that help minimise wastage (like Flower Nation in Perth), and there are lovely spray-free and organic flower and foliage farms (like Jelcobine Foliage Farm) where you can purchase beautiful, organic florals. There are also several companies (like Petite Ingredient) that provide stunning little edible flowers that can go straight onto your cake with no need to wire or wrap stems.
A little snippet from Jelcobine themselves…“We pride ourselves on being 100% chemical free, plastic-free, and a zero-waste farm. Our priority is to keep everything organic and protect the wildlife on our farm.”
Images: From the garden of Dark Cherry
And from Julia of Flowers by Julia G! Some points to think about when choosing an eco-conscious wedding florist are listed below – some great points to set aside in your wedding planning journey.
Shop local!
Ask your florist if they can source Australian-grown flowers for your big day. Many flowers are imported from overseas, which increases the air miles on your wedding flowers, and they are also sprayed with a lot of chemicals in order to meet Australia’s strict biosecurity laws. There are many beautiful flowers grown locally and you can thus also support the local flower farming industry. Some vendors like Dark Cherry mentioned above are starting to grow their own florals for use on cakes & in styling, which is the perfect way to keep the florals local and sustainable.
Images: Nicole Paton Photography / Florals: Flowers by Julia G
Work With The Seasons
Similarly to the above, by working with Mother Nature you can ask your florist to source you the best seasonal flowers, which can also sometimes reduce costs. Sourcing out-of-season florals can get a) expensive and b) are often not local and need to be shipped, which is not great for the environment.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Ask if your florist recycles their green waste and other materials such as soft plastics (unfortunately a lot of flowers still come wrapped in plastic).
Also, is it possible to gift your wedding arrangements to guests at the end of the event, or even donate them to a nursing home following your ceremony? The perfect thank you or heart-warming donation.
Images: Nicole Paton Photography / Florals: Flowers by Julia G
Hire Items or Use Your Own
Is your florist open to using some of your vessels or using vases you source second-hand on Marketplace or other platforms? Or can you hire items rather than buy new, ones to avoid wastage? This way you reduce the cost of buying new ones, and by using second-hand or the ones you already have, you’re working your way towards a circular economy – sustainable and eco-conscious.
Reduce Floral Foam
Can your florist use chicken wire or vases to create installations and arrangements, rather than floral foam which is nasty for the environment? A terrific question to check with your florist if you’re hoping to be more eco-friendly with your wedding florals.
Images: Nicole Paton Photography / Florals: Flowers by Julia G
About Cakes by Dark Cherry: Cakes by Dark Cherry is a dream job and passion project all rolled into one for cake artist, Janelle Adams. One of her favourite parts of helping couples choose their wedding cake is the cake tasting session where she gets to see your ‘cake face’ and hear your cake appreciation noises! Get in touch and let her feed you cake!
About Flowers by Julia G: I am a studio-based florist working in the inner western suburbs of Sydney. I am primarily a wedding and event florist and can create beautiful flowers for your big day or for your next birthday or dinner party. I also create weekly bouquets for the home or for gifting. I also love to deliver workshops in vase arranging and flower crown making so that I can pass my love of flowers on to others. As a florist, I am passionate about preserving our natural environment and reducing my environmental footprint wherever I can. My beautiful daughter inspires me to do so every day.
A story about being eco conscious and one of those cakes features preserved Ruscus- full of chemicals and imported from China….