Our #1 Tip for Hiring a Wedding Florist
If there’s one tip we can give to couples who are beginning the journey of finding a floral designer for their weddings, it would be this: hire a florist who does not use floral foam.
If there’s one tip we can give to clients who are beginning the journey of finding a floral designer for their weddings, it would be this: hire a florist who does not use floral foam.
What is floral foam, you may be wondering? Sold everywhere from craft stores to wholesale suppliers, these recognizable green bricks are used by florists to soak in water and then used as a base for their flowers, holding everything in place and hydrating the stems throughout a wedding day.
But WHY wouldn’t we want to use that!? It kind of sounds amazing!?
Well, it’s not. Here’s why. Floral foam contains two chemicals considered toxic to humans: phenol and formaldehyde. These are carcinogenic and can even cause cancer after prolonged exposure. Not only are the florists who handle these blocks of foam at risk, but the animals who ingest these harmful microplastics once they’re dissolved into water sources are in danger as well.
Not good- and totally against our ethos here at Stems Brooklyn; we want to support and draw inspiration from the earth, not work against it.
Luckily, there are tons of foam free alternatives out there, and our studio employs many of these techniques!
Look, it’s a reality that heat + direct sun = a disaster for flowers. When we’re designing a lush floral chuppah outside in the July heat, it’s imperative that our flowers have some kind of hydration source, lest they wilt before the ceremony even starts! Here are some alternatives we’ve found to be stellar for us:
1. Water cups.
So simple, so easy. Cups (and you can buy these from a wholesale supplier OR use something as simple as a cut-open water bottle) can be attached to your ceremony mechanics and filled with water to provide a handy hydration source for flowers.
Larisa Shorina Photography
2. Chicken wire.
Found in your everyday hardware store, chicken wire makes a great matrix for stuffing into vessels and providing a structure for flowers to be inserted into, allowing your florist to obtain every angle necessary for the design. We also attach chicken wire to installation mechanics, and will often pair it with cups for extra support!
This mechanic featured chicken wire wrapped around blocks of Agrawool, a biodegradable alternative to floral foam. We’ve stopped using Agrawool because it makes us itchy!
3. Moss.
Moss, soaked overnight or even for a few hours, makes a great sustainable alternative to floral foam. We like to roll up moss into a “sausage” shape, then tape it or chicken wire it into a vessel, and voila! Stems are ready to go in and get hydrated.
A long & low centerpiece designed using moss & chicken wire in a reusable dish.
Ultimately, designing without floral foam is a bit harder and requires some thinking outside of the box, but we believe it’s worth it to avoid these dangerous chemicals. If you’re planning your wedding, make sure your big day isn’t tainted by toxic microplastics- opt for a florist who will work diligently to find amazing, foam-free solutions!