I know that you know- that I know- flowers are expensive!
I know many people experience “sticker shock” when considering sustainable flowers. But, there are good reasons for the extra expense.
Supply & Demand
Let’s get down and dirty… The past year the flower industry has been decimated. Farmers not in their fields + no trucks or planes to get what blooms there were to market = no or little to no flowers.
This spring, farmers are in recovery mode. They are planting, harvesting, and trying to get back to normal. Here’s the issue. The flowers that were not planted last year could not be harvested this year. Hence the low production.
Now Wedding season is here…..
Brides want their weddings filled with flowers. (understandably)
Flowers are in high demand. Because of the pandemic (supply vs. demand) prices have risen between 15-30%.
Flower Logistics
As a florist, I believe in educating people about flower costs. When we have a consultation, we discuss how and where we purchase flowers. We’ll also go over the following facts:
- flowers are purchased in bunches (not just one stem of this and one stem of that)
- we source from many farmers because all farmers do not grow the same flowers
- flowers are seasonal (all flowers do not grow all the time)
- timing! we must time the delivery of the flowers exactly right so they’ll be perfect on event day
Gorgeous wedding or special event flowers take work! After they are delivered, they are cleaned and processed into a cooler before they are designed. Design and production can take up to a week with more than one designer making it happen. Once designed and loaded into the truck, there is delivery and set up (this can take up to 8 hours) and finally after the event (this could be late into the night or early morning) we return to clean up and retrieve what is left behind.
Whew, exhausting! In addition to the actual flowers, we must include transportation, storage, design, and more in the total cost. As you can see, a lot goes into having beautiful, sustainable flowers for an event.
Choose Local. Choose Sustainable.
We know that there are many choices for wedding or event flowers in Asheville. It’s our hope that people will consider choosing local, sustainable flowers. To learn more about why using local, sustainable wildflowers, please reach out to us.
