Image of Eco-Florist The Naked Florist
It’s May! That means Meghan and Harry wed THIS MONTH. The countdown is on, but it sounds like plans are coming together. This week, let’s talk flowers.
Have you heard the news? The royal wedding flowers will be locally sourced and foraged! Early April, it was announced that Philippa Craddock will be the royal wedding florist. Craddock will be foraging for seasonal blooms around the Crown Estate and Windsor Great Park. There are rumours floating around about what the florals will include, but the only thing we know for sure, is that every royal wedding bouquet includes at least one sprig of Myrtle. Myrtle symbolises love and hope; a message relevant for every marriage, not just the royals.
Philippa Craddock is a local florist, based in central London. Here studio is the preferred supplier for V&A, Kensington Palace, Banqueting House and Hampton Court Palace. No wonder she was their first pick! Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, Hermes, Jo Malone, British Vogue, Lancome, Space NK and Fortnum & Mason are just some of the highly prestigious clients Philippa Craddock also works with. She’ll be no rookie to the pressure of perfection on the 19th of May.
“I am excited and honored to have been chosen by Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markel to design and create their wedding flowers,” Craddock said. “Working with them has been an absolute pleasure. The process has been highly collaborative, free-flowing, creative and fun.”- Philippa Craddock.
Image: Dancing Blossom Studio
Eco-wedding flowers don’t simply describe where the flowers are sourced from, and we’re happy to hear that the royal couple have thought of this too. The royal wedding flowers will be donated to charities after the wedding, for the memories, and florals to be enjoyed for several more days. Can you imagine rest homes lighting up at the idea that the royal wedding flowers would line their hallways? What a great way to reduce waste and encourage life and joy.
Flower budgets span into the thousands, and generally after a wedding, they are discarded and thrown into the rubbish with the rest of the decorations. What a waste! To add to it, when decomposable matter enters landfill, rather than breaking down productively and nourishing the environment around it (as it usually would in the compost), organic matter emits methane gas, which negatively effects our atmosphere.
Image: One Poppy Wedding Flowers
To reduce the impact of your wedding florals, follow Meghan and Harry’s footsteps, or consider the ideas below:
- Gift your florals to your guests. The MC can let them know that as they leave the venue, they may take a bloom from the centerpiece, or organize an alternative way for guests to easily take them home.
- Freeze dry your bouquet
- Hang your bouquet upside down to dry (I did this with a bunch of roses five years ago, and I still enjoy them)
- Create incense sticks from your flowers
- Press the petals, and make note cards from your bouquet to use in your thank you letters
Speaking of wedding bouquets, why the heck is a bride expected to carry a bunch of flowers on her wedding day anyway?
A few theories:
- To mask her ‘scent’ – in case of bad odour, from the time when bathing was a special occasion!
- To banish bad spirits – different herbs warned off bad luck and spirits
- To protect the bride – similar to above, but also protecting her from other people who would try to steal her good luck
- To make the couple frisky – bouquets used to be edible aphrodisiacs! They’d eat them to start their marriage of with passionate lust…
Whatever the reason, tradition is tradition, and if Meghan walked down the aisle without a bouquet, the whole world would have something to say about it! Although we know Meghan to be strong willed and questioning of the norm, the press around their sustainably sourced wedding flowers, indicates she’s not battling against this tradition… but we’ll soon find out (in 18 days!).
Peonies, Meghan’s favourite, may appear alongside the Myrtle in her bouquet, but the rest is yet to be revealed. The royal couple seem to have a few different ways of doing things, and we love how they continuously merge tradition with contemporary.
For more tips on how to organise your eco-friendly-florals, find our Mindfully Wed E-Guide here: your go-to guide to planning your own eco-wedding.
