Getting to the root of floral design, wedding planning, & creative business.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
FOR THE BIG DAY
At The Dirt, we share tips on how to stay calm, cool and collected while planning a wedding, hype creative women in business we admire, and give an insider’s view to the floral supply chain. Dig in.