Slow Flower Power
By : Kaity Teer
The farm-to-table movement has transformed more than just the culinary world. The growing number of farmerflorists means it’s simpler than ever for couples to source local blooms for everything from bouquets and boutonnieres to centerpieces, garlands, and flowers crowns.
At Triple Wren Farms in Ferndale, Sarah Pabody grows flowers and blueberries on the 22-acre farm she shares with her husband and children. “Choosing local flowers is one way our couples make the beauty of the Pacific Northwest part of their wedding,” Pabody said. “They can show family and friends what they love about living here.”
Last year, Pabody provided floral services for forty-two weddings in Whatcom County. Couples inspired by the region’s natural beauty often ask Pabody for arrangements that incorporate local foliage, culinary herbs, and evergreens in addition to specialty cut flowers. Raspberry foliage, green blackberry clusters, magnolia leaves, oregano and rosemary stalks, and cedar branches are all materials Pabody has used recently in her designs.
True to their enthusiasm for the Pacific Northwest, some of Pabody’s couples even request evergreens mixed into summer bouquets. Pabody said, “I think foliage is really coming into its own right now. While many brides continue to request soft, romantic, big-bloomed bouquets, I’m seeing many more requests for bouquets that are mostly green and offer an abundance of textures and fragrances.”
Pabody offers three wedding packages in order to make locally grown flowers accessible at a variety of price points. Couples with a DIY-attitude can purchase blooms in bulk and rent vases and jars directly from Triple Wren Farms. Pabody even offers public and private workshops on floral design, which have become an in-demand activity for bachelorette parties. Brides and bridesmaids can visit Triple Wren Farms to harvest flowers and make flower crowns.
Another popular option is what Pabody calls a “hybrid wedding.” Couples can choose to make their own flower crowns and bouquets, for example, but hire Pabody to furnish the ceremony and reception florals.​ Pabody is also available for fullservice floral design, and other area florists also source their blooms from Triple Wren Farms.
“The flower farming community is so generous, and always willing to offer help and advice,” Pabody said. “It’s good for our environment and for our local economy. My business is stronger if I’m surrounded by other like-minded farmers who want to see more brides and grooms choosing locally grown flowers.”
Paul D’Agnolo of Foothills Flowers Farms in Van Zandt— a one-acre flower farm he operates with his wife, Sadie Beauregard, whom he met while they were both farming on Bainbridge Island—offered a similar perspective. He said, “The farming community here in Whatcom County is a tight-knit group that works together and supports a lot of young farmers.”
Like Pabody, D’Agnolo and Beauregard offer couples a variety of packages that range from buckets of fresh-cut flowers for DIY weddings to full-service floral designs. They celebrate the growth of the slow flower movement. When locally-grown flowers and foraged ingredients are included in your celebration, “it’s a way of honoring nature and showing it amazing reverence,” D’Agnolo said. “You can’t match it.” ♥