How to Have More Sustainable Wedding Flowers
As a farmer-florist, I spend most of the year growing flowers, harvesting them at their peak, and designing with what the season gives us. I also design weddings and events, which means I see the floral industry from both sides: what’s possible when we work with nature, and what it costs when we don’t.
Wedding flowers are often beautiful, but they can carry a surprisingly heavy environmental footprint. Imported blooms flown thousands of miles, chemically intensive growing practices, plastic floral foam, and piles of single-use materials all add up quickly. And at the end of the night, much of it is simply thrown away.
The good news is that you don’t have to give up beauty or abundance to have more sustainable wedding flowers. Many of the most striking weddings I’ve worked on are the ones that lean into seasonality, local sourcing, and thoughtful design choices.
Here are six ways to reduce the environmental impact of your wedding flowers, without sacrificing aesthetics or intention.
1. Choose Seasonal, Locally Grown Flowers (and Farmer-Florists)
If there’s one decision that matters most, it’s this.
Seasonal, locally grown wedding flowers haven’t traveled thousands of miles in refrigerated planes and trucks. They haven’t sat in cold storage for weeks. They’re cut fresh, often within a day or two of your wedding, from nearby farms and gardens. That freshness shows up in their movement, color, and longevity.
When you hire a florist who prioritizes local, seasonal sourcing, or a farmer-florist who grows flowers themselves, you’re reducing carbon emissions, supporting regional agriculture, and investing directly in your local economy. You’re also getting flowers that actually belong to the time of year you’re getting married. Tulips and lilacs in spring. Cosmos and zinnias in summer. Dahlias and chrysanthemums in fall. That kind of seasonality creates a look that feels grounded and intentional, not generic.
Green flags to look for in a sustainable wedding florist:
They talk openly about where their flowers come from and often name specific farms.
They discuss what’s in season for your wedding date.
They use compostable or reusable packaging and minimal plastics.
They’re excited to design with what’s available, rather than importing specific varieties.
Red flags:
“Any flower, any time of year,” with no sourcing explanation.
Peonies in December without acknowledging they’re imported.
Heavy plastic use and vague answers about origin.
A seasonally focused florist will invite you to trust the season, and that trust almost always pays off.
2. Request Foam-Free Wedding Flowers
Floral foam is one of the wedding industry’s dirtiest secrets.
That green block used to hold flowers in place is essentially a single-use plastic. One brick contains roughly the same amount of plastic as ten plastic bags. It does not biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into microplastics that contaminate soil and waterways.
Floral foam also raises health concerns. It’s made with phenol and formaldehyde resins, and florists who work with it long-term often report respiratory irritation, skin issues, and exposure to fine dust from dry foam.
The good news is that foam isn’t necessary. Skilled florists can design foam-free arrangements using reusable mechanics like chicken wire, metal flower frogs or kenzans, water-filled vessels, and reusable frames. Many designers find that foam-free wedding flowers have more movement and life than foam-based designs.
Even large-scale weddings can be entirely foam-free. If sustainability matters to you, ask your florist directly whether they design without floral foam.
3. Skip Baby’s Breath and Waxflower
Some popular filler flowers come with ethical baggage that most couples never hear about.
Two I personally avoid are baby’s breath (gypsophila) and waxflower. These flowers are largely controlled by companies with documented ties to land expropriation and occupation. Choosing not to use them is a values-based decision about where your wedding dollars flow.
If you love the airy, cloud-like look of baby’s breath, there are ethical alternatives. Locally grown limonium, Queen Anne’s lace, and seasonal wildflowers can offer similar texture without the same political concerns. A florist who is thoughtful and transparent should be willing to work with these boundaries and suggest alternatives.
4. Avoid Imported Flowers for Anything That Touches Skin or Food
For any florals that touch bodies or food, I draw a firm line.
Imported flowers are often grown with heavy pesticide and fungicide use. Unlike food crops, cut flowers are not regulated for chemical residue in the same way. Many imported blooms arrive coated in substances that are illegal on edible plants but legal on flowers.
That means boutonnieres, flower crowns, and cake flowers made with imports can expose people to residues you would never knowingly put near your face or your dessert. Imported flowers are also often fumigated just before shipping to meet border requirements, leaving additional residue behind.
For anything worn or placed on food, choose locally grown or certified organic flowers. Small local farms typically use minimal or organic-approved pest controls, making their flowers safer to handle, smell, and eat around.
Communicate this clearly to your florist: for anything touching skin or food, request locally grown or organic flowers only.
5. Eliminate Single-Use Plastics in Wedding Floral Design
Beyond foam, a surprising amount of plastic sneaks into wedding flowers.
Zip ties, plastic floral tubes, cellophane wraps, synthetic ribbons, and plastic picks are often used once and thrown away. Ask your florist how installations are secured and whether reusable alternatives can be used. Wire, clamps, rope, twine, paper wraps, fabric ribbon, and glass or biodegradable water vials can often replace plastic entirely.
Many local flower farms already avoid plastic packaging, delivering flowers in buckets of water or wrapped in paper. Sourcing locally, or simply requesting minimal packaging, can prevent a pile of plastic waste from ever being created.
6. Have a Plan for Your Flowers After the Wedding
What happens after the wedding matters just as much as what happens before it.
Plan to reuse flowers throughout the day. Ceremony arrangements can move to the reception. Arches can be repurposed behind a sweetheart table or bar. This reduces waste and often lowers overall floral quantities.
After the event:
Donate flowers to hospitals, nursing homes, or shelters.
Share arrangements with guests to take home.
Compost what remains, returning organic matter to the soil instead of a landfill.
Flowers are meant to complete a cycle. Let them do that.
