From Seed to Stem: What It Means to Grow and Design Your Wedding Flowers
When couples think about wedding flowers, most envision the end result: bouquets in hand, centerpieces on tables, petals scattered down the aisle. What they don’t often see is the year-long journey those blooms can take to get there—especially when your florist is also your flower farmer.
As a farmer-florist, I don’t just design your wedding florals. I often grow them, too. And that adds a whole new layer of care, complexity, and intention to the process.
Photo: Nicole Jenrow, Details and Daydreams
Planning Begins With the Seasons
Unlike traditional florists who order flowers from wholesalers, I plan your florals around what the land and seasons can offer. That means conversations about your wedding flowers often start a year (or more!) in advance to align your vision with bloom times, planting schedules, and growing conditions.
If you're dreaming of lush peonies or delicate sweet peas, we need to make sure your wedding date lines up with when those flowers naturally bloom here in Michigan. Sometimes I can time successions or lean on tunnels to extend bloom periods, but Mother Nature always has the final say.
Why a Color Palette > Specific Flowers
One of the best ways to work with a farmer-florist is to approach your florals with an open mind and a flexible heart.
Rather than requesting a specific variety ("I want white anemones and only white anemones"), I always encourage couples to start with a color palette and vibe. Think: romantic and soft in blush and ivory, or sunset and bright with coral, gold, and raspberry.
This flexibility allows me to:
Harvest at peak beauty: Choosing stems that are actually blooming their best that week
Avoid disappointment: If a crop fails (hello, unexpected hailstorms), I have a plan B (and usually a plan C)
Design more creatively: Using what the field gives me, not just what's on a wholesale order sheet
The Local Advantage: Sourcing From the Soil
When I can, I grow everything I design with. But I also supplement with other trusted local growers and small-scale wholesalers. Why?
To ensure you have enough volume for your design needs
To support fellow Michigan flower farmers
To get the freshest, most sustainable blooms possible
Local flowers are picked just days—sometimes even hours—before your wedding. They’re not flown in from overseas or packed in boxes for weeks. That freshness is evident in the vibrancy, scent, and presence of every single stem.
That said, I do occasionally source wholesale blooms when needed. For example, in mid-May, Michigan’s floral availability can be limited and unpredictable—so for a recent wedding, I supplemented with carefully chosen wholesale stems to ensure the couple’s vision came to life beautifully.
More Than Just Flowers—It’s a Relationship
When you work with a farmer-florist, you're not just hiring a vendor—you're building a relationship. I learn your story, your style, and your priorities. I walk the rows thinking of your bouquet. I sow seeds with your celebration in mind.
It’s personal. And that’s what makes it so special.
Behind the Blooms: The Work You Don’t See
Every petal in your bouquet carries intention. Long before your wedding day, I’m pouring over seed catalogs, sketching mockups in my notebook, and standing out in the field at golden hour imagining how a just-budding dahlia might play into your tablescape.
There are early mornings sowing seeds in silence, late nights under grow lights checking trays, and months of nurturing tender stems through unpredictable Michigan weather. I spend my seasons not only growing flowers—but growing your flowers.
When I say your bouquet is personal, I mean it. I walk the rows and think about your love story. I hand-select blooms based on what I’ve learned about you—your warmth, your softness, your spark. I might add one stem for sentiment, one for memory, one just because it reminds me of the way you spoke about your person.
There’s a reason your bouquet feels different when it’s placed in your hands. It’s because it is.
It’s not just about matching your color palette—it’s about evoking emotion. Nostalgia. Joy. Connection. Every design choice is meant to mirror the one-of-a-kind story you and your partner are writing together.
Setting Expectations: The Realities of Growing & Designing
This approach isn’t always for everyone—and that’s okay. It requires:
Trust in the process, and in me as both your grower and your designer
Flexibility with the exact blooms used, even when your heart is set on one particular flower
Understanding that nature has a hand in everything I do—from sudden frosts to surprise windstorms
Working with a farmer-florist means letting go of some control in exchange for something more meaningful: a design that is seasonal, sustainable, and alive with intention.
It’s not about perfection—it’s about connection. About honoring the moment you’re getting married in and the land we’re growing from. When you’re open to that process, magic happens. Your flowers will feel like they belong to your story, not just your Pinterest board.
Why I Do It
Yes, it’s harder. It’s riskier. It’s less predictable. But it’s also deeply rewarding. Watching something go from a tiny seed to a centerpiece at someone’s wedding? That never gets old.
So if you're planning a wedding and want your flowers to be more than just decorations—to truly reflect a sense of season, place, and story—consider working with a farmer-florist. We grow with heart, design with soul, and show up with muddy boots and a whole lot of love.
Photo: Nicole Jenrow, Details and Daydreams
🌿 Ready to Begin Your Flower Story?
Every couple has a unique story—and I believe your wedding flowers should tell it. Whether you’re drawn to soft romance or bold whimsy, my goal is to craft florals that don’t just decorate your day, but reflect your love and evoke real feeling.
If you’re dreaming of wedding flowers that are rooted in season, grown with intention, and designed with soul, I’d love to hear from you.
Let’s begin planting the seeds for something beautiful—together.
Start your floral journey here → [Event Florals Inquiry]
