The Dirt

Flowers set the tone, be it the ceremony's altar, a reception lounge, or a beach venue. Explore the 10 most gorgeous flower settings for weddings.

There is so much more to a beach wedding than bare feet, windblown hair, and embossed anchors on the menu card. In a completely fresh and innovative interpretation of the beach wedding, Ivy and Dan combined the simplicity of hand-done details and oceanfront views with the extravagance of a large Persian wedding.

There is so much more to a beach wedding than bare feet, windblown hair, and embossed anchors on the menu card. In a completely fresh and innovative interpretation of the beach wedding, Ivy and Dan combined the simplicity of hand-done details and oceanfront views with the extravagance of a large Persian wedding.

Jane knows good design. She trained her eye through her first career as a graphic designer. That career would eventually set her on a path toward floral design. She’s sometimes in disbelief that the path led here – and that she gets to do something so special with a product that’s so beautiful for occasions that are so meaningful. In short, she calls it an honor to do this work for her clients.

Hanna didn’t set out to create a side hustle with floral design. It happened pretty organically. She started an Instagram account in 2020 to showcase her designs, then she started taking orders. Then, one-off arrangements for special occasions became larger orders for parties, baby showers, and, eventually, even weddings. Hanna had to admit it: she really had something going.

Marian is a retired special education and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She spent the first 20 years of her career in special education, then pivoted to working with international students for 15 years. She wasn’t new to floral design when she started, but she didn’t call herself an expert. Marian has now serviced more than 50 Poppy weddings and she has quickly become one of the market’s most experienced freelance designers. Poppy has been an on-ramp for Marian into a new hobby and job, and we are so lucky to have her!

At Poppy, we believe that your wedding day should be unforgettable, and that's why we're dedicated to providing you with the most beautiful and meaningful floral arrangements. But we also know that it's important to our customers that the products they choose come from ethical sources and support causes that matter.

Erin Kelleher, an Austin, Texas-based product manager, is an avid traveler. She wanted her late October 2021 wedding to be a destination for her Northern California family and fiance’s family from upstate New York. Choices narrowed by COVID-era travel restrictions, the couple chose Carmel. The central coast of California is known for its Spanish-influenced architecture. Erin’s ceremony was at the iconic Carmel Mission, and the reception was at The Beach & Tennis Club at Pebble Beach.

The natural first step in planning your wedding flowers is looking at inspiration pics. You might scroll Instagram and bookmark images you love, or create a Pinterest board to collect your favorites. You’re looking at colors, styles, stems, shapes and vibes that speak to you. You’re a diligent couple that’s done the homework; you’re prepared with pics and links to show your wedding specialist during your consultation. So, you’re crestfallen when you learn that the floral designer won’t be able to create the bouquet of your dreams. It turns out the gorgeous, rusty-pink rose you’ve been saving over and over in photos is…fake?

When you review your wedding budget, you’ll make peace with some expenses simply being expensive. But when you’ve invested hundreds or thousands of dollars in your wedding flowers, it can be very hard to stomach the thought of simply leaving them behind. The flowers are a living, beautiful testament to the months of planning you put into executing a theme for an unforgettable event. You can create a plan for your flowers when you’re checking other items off your wedding to-do list. Not every option is time- or labor-intensive. And happily, you’ll find peace of mind in getting the most value and pleasure out of your arrangements.

Let’s start looking at floral design for what it is: expert work that requires dedication and a clear path. In our latest blog, Poppy CEO, Cameron walks us through different pathways a florist can take to get into the business, and how Poppy is the first company to create clear paths into the industry. Helping creatives find job opportunities isn’t just about empowering them to do what they love. It’s also part of Poppy’s business model.

We’re breaking a lot of wedding traditions these days. For instance, brides don’t all wear white anymore. There aren’t two little people on top of wedding cakes (OK, we haven’t been doing that for a long time!). And when was the last time you saw a groom pull off a garter and toss it to a throng of bachelors? (Good riddance to that one, honestly.) One tradition that’s stuck around for a really long time – centuries – is carrying flowers on the wedding day. Flowers can symbolize good fortune, fresh beginnings, and even fertility. What’s more, they add recognition to the members of your wedding party and extra romance to the spot where you exchange vows. 

Planning your wedding flowers? Here’s what you need to consider. How many flowers does it really take to create your vision for your wedding day? Where do they go? What kind of arrangements do you need? And how do you allocate your budget to decorate the ceremony and reception sites?

Yes, wedding flowers are expensive, and you’re right to ask why. And, yes, Poppy’s flowers are as gorgeous in person as they are in our photos. Like anything lovely that looks effortless, there’s a lot of work that has gone into making Poppy’s flowers available to you. I think you’ll be more confident trusting Poppy with your florals if you know the story behind why I started this company. For what it’s worth, my knowledge of the floral industry saved me nearly $18,000 on my own wedding flowers. And after that happened, I realized I could put that knowledge to work for other people planning their weddings.

Shopping around for wedding flowers can be overwhelming. We want to make sure booking your wedding flowers and staying within budget is stress-free. Here are the top 5 questions we hear from couples when they are researching to book their wedding florist. We hope these answers help guide you through your wedding planning process.

Through our Poppy Workshops, we work with big teams, small organizations, and groups of friends to create virtual floral design classes. In Poppy workshops, one of our Poppy floral designers leads a team through an hour-long floral design workshop. Our workshops offer a calming mental health break and a restorative hour spent making something of beauty with one’s hands.

There are many pathways to becoming a floral designer. Maybe you were grocery shopping and impulsively reached for a pre-made bouquet – it just looked so fresh and beautiful! You think about the way flowers make you feel. The delicate weight in your hand. The impossibly soft texture of the petals. The nuance of their colors when you hold them against the light here, and the light over there. You feel restored around flowers. Suddenly, you’re wondering: could floral design be your calling? 

At Poppy, we build the wedding flowers of your dreams designed to your budget. These are some of the most important flowers you’ve bought in your life, we want to make the process easy for you! Your journey begins with Poppy's Wedding Style Quiz. 

This is my first Mother’s Day as a mom. Everyone says your business is your baby, but no, it’s not.

For the next two weeks we’re going to be donating 100% of the profits of our Ukraine Kit to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization that provides fresh meals in response to crises while working to build resilient food systems with locally-led solutions.

Introducing the Ukraine Kit, a profusion of yellow and blue flowers in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and sunflowers, a symbol of the Ukrainian people. 

This year Valentine’s Day falls right after the biggest football game of 2022, so we’re doing something a little different. Sponsored by Poppy’s MVP Valentine’s Day Bouquet, our *cheatsheet* will make you sound like a pro, even if you have no idea what you’re talking about. (And it’s only a 2 minute read).

By developing deep, mutually beneficial relationships with key wholesalers, and sourcing directly from farms, we're able to get the best pricing in the market, and we pass those savings on to our customers.

Most of the flowers sold in the US are grown by women. But there are almost no women at the top of the economic pyramid in the floral industry. Poppy is flipping the script by empowering women at every level of the floral supply chain, from seed to table.

Here's what we've learned about how to throw a micro-wedding:

Meet Watermelon Sugar, an armful of sweet summery peonies.

Poppy was rooted in a dream, but has since stemmed into so much more. Read more about the way Poppy developed below.

If we’ve learned anything from this scary, uncertain time, it’s about what *really* matters in life. Family, friends, and that one person you turn to when sh*t hits the fan. The person you want to wake up next to for the rest of your life, whose name is sealed on your heart. ⁠Introducing: The Micro Wedding Package

Since we founded Poppy in 2019, empowering women from seed to ceremony has been central to our mission. With your help, we’re proud to report that we’re making good on that promise.

The flower industry represents the best of international trade -- how it shrinks the world, spreads economic empowerment to those most in need, and reminds us that we're all connected. COVID-19 is gutting our industry, and Poppy is doing everything we can to keep the wheel turning. If you are able, we'd love your support.

We caught up with lifestyle influencer Ella Rose McFadin to learn more about her inspiration for this kit, her love for floral design, and how she stays connected to her roots.

Meet our favorite sister duo, Danielle & Gabby Prescod. Taking inspiration from their favorite waltzes in The Nutcracker, they designed two gorgeous holiday kits — The Danielle Kit and The Gabby Kit.

Meet Nicole Mehta, founder of lifestyle blog “The Perfect Ensemble”. She’s consistently our latest inspo for all things fashion, travel, and wellness, while also keeping it real about the struggles of friendship, dating, and being true to yourself.

We were honored to work with several South Asian brides last summer, as they planned their weddings through the coronavirus pandemic. Paying homage to tradition, each couple brought their own unique aesthetic and style to their wedding.

Poppy is honored to have had the opportunity to support The Wild Mother's #SendFlowerstoGreenwood initiative this past weekend in remembrance of 1921 Greenwood Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Within our own industry, we’ve seen companies pivot like crazy to stay afloat (including us). So today, we’re thrilled to announce a brand new partnership we couldn’t be more excited about: Poppy x Holly Chapple.

Introducing: Poppy Party. You can now send to multiple addresses in just one transaction with Poppy Party. Experience Poppy At Home with your family and friends, conveniently.

Poppy commemorates Juneteenth as it is now a national holiday in 2021.

Now, more than ever, we need a little extra beauty and joy in our lives. Our Poppy At Home kit is such a great way to destress, express your creativity, and make something beautiful.

When you think of Mother’s Day, chances are you might think of flowers. It’s a time-honored tradition to treat Mom to a beautiful bouquet of flowers... But what about the mothers behind the bouquets?

Poppy's first micro-wedding couple.

Very little slips past Kyle, but still Jackson managed to surprise her with his proposal. With their dog, Daisy, in tow, Jackson proposed at the Japanese Gardens in the National Arboretum in August 2019.

Kenzie Butera, launched her app, Maro, and got married on the same day. No big deal... just another day in the life of our busy entrepreneurial bride.

This past August, Jay, our Director of Engineering, and his better half, Claire, had an intimate micro-wedding at the Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, DC, followed by a small reception at the Arts Club of Washington.

With very little motivation to leave the house on a cold January evening in 2017, Brittany almost cancelled her plans to go out. In a “Sliding Doors” moment, she rallied and ended up spending the evening at Drafting Table, where she met her husband Shawn playing Connect Four.

Despite all the uncertainty in the planning process, Becca and John still had the beautiful wedding that they’d dreamed of. “Poppy made my vision come true, even though things felt so up in the air,” said Becca. “I was worried it wasn’t even going to happen. So for it to exceed my expectations was incredible.”

This past October, we worked with Anuja and Rob on their modern Indian microwedding in Georgetown. They originally planned for a wedding in May 2021, but realized that with the pandemic, there’s no time like the present.

Sparks didn’t immediately fly when Amita, a psychotherapist, and Nitin, a serial entrepreneur, swiped right on Bumble... Read how we turned their New York City apartment into a lush, indoor garden for their micro-wedding.

This Memorial Day, Poppy is honored to partner with Memorial Day Flowers, an organization that coalesces businesses from all over the world to commemorate fallen soldiers.

With the pandemic affecting so much of their story already, Mackenzie has one dream for her wedding: for Dr. Anthony Fauci to officiate!

Mackenzie Miller and Jake Ryon are getting married at their October wedding this fall.

We sourced Lauren’s flowers from a sustainable, local farm in the North Bethesda area. The flowers themselves were beautiful and bright, and they echoed a joyous sentiment, as Lauren and Matt picked those colors to embrace happiness and positivity on their special day, despite all the chaos of the year behind them.

Kyle and Jackson didn’t have the wedding they initially planned with their micro-ceremony last September. But now, with the world opening back up, the pair wanted to fully celebrate the way they originally intended to — with all of the people they couldn’t have at their micro-wedding.

With sky-high pricing and low tech adoption, the wedding floral industry is ready for a new approach.

Give Mom the gift of self-care this Mother's Day with the Poppy x Alaya Flowers + Tea Gift Set: an armful of luxury, event quality, and Rainforest Alliance certified flowers, and two floral teas sourced directly from organic, Fairtrade International Certified farms at the base of the Himalayas.

Her text read: I think I am transgender. Please don’t call me. I am not ready to talk about it on the phone.

Modern wedding planning has been rewired – with endless tools to plan your dream day online. You can use virtual reality to tour your venue, software to visualize your floorplan, and a dozen apps to manage your to-do list. But, somehow, you can’t even find the actual price of wedding flowers online.We think it’s time for florals to catch up. Enter: Poppy.

How our CEO and Founder, Cameron, moved into the world of flowers and start-ups by embracing her creativity instead of hiding it.

When I met Kaifa, I was so relieved to find a partner who had been reducing floral waste for years, and could work with us to reduce floral waste from our events.

In response to the senseless murders of black citizens by the police and white vigilantes, our team is speaking from the heart in unequivocal support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Artist Meg Biram talks about her meandering path from journalism school grad to a full-time artist, her secret to feeling like a legitimate business (hint: being organized helps), and the power of making a decision— and then actually sticking to it.

By now, you’ve probably read a few end-of-year recaps. Let this one be a missive from the land of beauty.

One thing we’ve learned at Poppy in the craziness of the 2020 pandemic: Love always wins. People are still getting married, even though their wedding looks a little bit different and a lot more intimate than the ones before it, pre-pandemic.

"I’m a political operative who started my career on Capitol Hill and then began moving around the country to work on Democratic campaigns. I find myself back in Washington DC between election cycles, where I cox for a women’s crew team and participate in a competitive karaoke league."

Finding your wedding flowers on the internet might seem confusing. Where do the flowers come from, anyway? And how do they end up at your venue?

‍With weddings trending smaller and more casual, detailed and personal florals have become a decor staple. We have all the details on 2021 Wedding Trends here.