What is a farmer-florist???
The key differences, and what you should consider for your wedding
Woo-hoo!!! You’re engaged. You said yes to your partner, and are so excited to plan a celebration to commemorate your unity. You’ve secured the venue… did you pick the white barn with open rolling pastures, the lush redwood grove with the babbling brook, or did you go for a grand garden estate venue with the trendy “Love is Blind” sort of feel???? You’re working on your guest list, your menu, and your attire… But now, what about flowers? With so many options out there, and so many different terms how do you sort through it all? With so many different titles of folks who work with flowers, how do you know who is the best fit for your wedding?
What exactly is a farmer-florist? It’s not as simple as a farmer who has a knack for design skills, and can create beautiful arrangements and bouquets (although that is part of it). It’s also not exactly a florist who decides to try their hand at growing some flowers to overcome the supply chain issues (although I know plenty of those as well). Instead, I believe a farmer-florist is someone who has been in one profession or the other, and is evolving beyond their current skill set to bring flowers to their communities in a responsible, sustainable, and safe manner.
A flower farmer cares deeply (one might say obsesses) about the growing process. They are going to want the highest yield for return on investment. They are going to care about the health, and vitality of their plants, as this directly translates into stems sold. The “conscious” farmer is also going to care about what is used to grow their crop. I say ‘conscious’ as I’m not sold that all methods deemed as ‘certified organic’ are necessarily the best ones. A flower farmer is putting together bunches for sale at the farmers market, grocery stores, or for wholesale. NOW, where a flower farmer is likely lacking is the ability to transform those stems into a tapestry of design that translates into stunning beauty.
A florist on the other hand typically understands how to create beauty with texture, form, color, and movement. There are definitely the wire-service florists who are simply following recipes to assure the buyer is getting exactly what they ordered. Wire-service florists should understand design principals, but may not exercise them often as they are only required to replicate a recipe. Not all florists are wire-service only, some will work on bespoke designs that align with their own style, but still take wire orders.
Florists who do not take any wire-service orders are often artists in their own way. They have an understanding of the principals of design, and how to effectively use them. They work most frequently on weddings and events, but will take bespoke orders for special celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries, and congratulations. This group is considered to be floral-designers. They range in experience from someone who is simply gifted, to someone who has studied floral design, and carries many accreditations behind their name to prove it.
Somewhere in between is the farmer-florist. Offering the knowledge and expertise of ethical growing practices, and the talent to turn their flowers into beautiful bespoke designs. The new cohort, which has been growing steadily the past few years (which I argue is a result of the pandemic opportunities realized - I’m on of those!) and they are slowly starting to rise to the calling of satisfying the floral needs of their communities.
To help, the following Venn diagram outlines their focus, and shows how a farmer-florist falls right in the middle of all of these titles and responsibilities.
So what should you consider for when selecting one the different types of floral professionals available for your wedding?
1. How important is it to have safe, sustainable, and local flowers?
As a floral designer, having no knowledge about growing flowers 10+ years ago, I had no idea the flowers I was using were imported, covered with pesticides, and irresponsible to be using for my clients. Now as a farmer florist, I’m completely in charge of my environmental footprint. A farmer-florist should know what is used to grow their flowers. A responsible farmer-florist is using safe practices, without chemicals and synthetics. A florist simply cannot know how their flowers are being grown, unless they are using local farmers to source from. So, if this is important to you, ask. Ask the florist about their sources. Ask for the names of the farms they are sourcing from, and research that farm’s growing practices. Farms growing responsibly, and ethically, are happy to talk about their methods, as it’s often a pillar of the foundation of their brand.
2. Do you want control over exactly what type of flowers are used in your wedding?
A farmer-florist is fairly unlikely to promise any one type of flower. I always say, Mother Nature is fickle, and a farmer can rarely control whether she decides to play fair or not. Farmer-florists should be working within a color palette, so your wedding day flowers shouldn’t be a complete surprise, however, it’s important to understand the limitations related to forces beyond the control of a farmer-florist. Many farm-florists will custom grown for each client, and approaching them only a few months before your big day, they may not have specific flowers you’re requesting in their plan. Some will outsource to other local farmers (I do!), and some will only use what they grow. A farmer-florist is also going to use what is geographically, and seasonally appropriate. So if you want peonies for your late July wedding, you’re going to have to find someone who is willing to import those from Alaska. (Side note peonies don’t grow well in zone 9b - where we are - so this is something you’ll never see me offer).
3. What do you need for your wedding?
Florists and floral designers have to buy wholesale. Whether that is through a local flower farmer, or with an international wholesaler that is importing flowers. If you are having a micro-wedding, or even an elopement, you might be hard pressed to find a florist/floral designer who is willing to take on your wedding. This is why you’ll often see minimums for floral designers. They have to assure taking on a wedding will be profitable with little waste, and often a single bouquet just doesn’t make sense for them. If this is you, it’s best to seek out a farmer-florist who essentially acts as their own wholesaler, and can create designs for you without the waste of minimum orders from wholesalers.
4. Do you have visions of grand installations, or other complex designs in your wedding?
If you want a chandelier of flowers, a floral designer might have more experience in this area. This is not to say that a farmer-florist can’t do this, but rather think back to the conversation of a farmer trying to gain more florist skills, or a florist trying to gain more farming skills. If you want all local, sustainable, and responsibly grown flowers, ask your farmer-florist about their installation skills. They may have done some, and they may have done none. They may be waiting for the perfect client who will give them a chance to show off some of their skills, and trust that they will pull in the right freelancers who can help with complex designs.
5. Who do you click with?
No matter what the title of the floral professional you’re working with, assure you have a good relationship with them. If you feel that the person you are interviewing isn’t quite the right vibe, perhaps it’s not. You want to have a memorable, and joyous day, and if there is any sort of tension, it will sour the mood. You may be in love with a certain style of a designer, but find that they won’t answer your emails without charging you extra (this is why you really want to have your ducks in a row before you get started on your search). Or you may have a cousin who grows flowers, but isn’t very responsive since they are busy maintaining the health of their crops (leaving you feeling anxious and abandoned). Be open and honest when meeting with floral professionals. They do have limited time, which should be respected. However, as a client, your needs should be met, so ask lots of questions in advance, and if it’s not a match, continue your search until you find the right one.