Flowers continued....

I started my search for an eco-friendly florist or at least a florist who "got" what I was looking for, with high hopes. I was quickly disappointed.

I met with a florist in a small town in North Carolina so excited and eager to share my passion and ideas. I assumed my desire to use non-toxic, in-season flowers for my wedding would be applauded and/or admired. And to my surprise, that was not the case at my first stop.

The florist was very nice, but when I expressed my opinion on only wanting to use organic or non-toxic flowers, she immediately brushed off the idea by saying, "All flowers use chemicals, they'd die otherwise." I knew this was going to be a long appointment that may go nowhere, but I didn't want to give up on her so quickly.

I gently continued to drop hints that I was serious about using local, organic flowers that were in season and I wouldn't back down. But I didn't feel she was listening to me. I mean, I did a lot of research before I went into this appointment. And although I'm not a florist, I know some things about the flower business and how hard it can be on the planet and its workers. She explained a lot of organic flower farms were located in Holland or other countries and that was about my only option. I wasn't happy with that and left the appointment frustrated and discouraged.

A few days later, I heard about another florist who was very into "the green thing" and grew a lot of her flowers at her house. As soon as I pulled into the driveway, it was apparent that this florist and I were going to click. I saw flea market finds, eclectic furniture and there was a no-fuss, natural vibe to her house. My fiancé and I immediately knew she was the one. She listened to everything I said, understood my thoughts and even AGREED with what I was saying!!! We were in-sync on environmental issues and I couldn't be happier. She told me about local, organic farms in North Carolina and showed me pictures of the flowers that would be in season in October. She gave me great ideas, fully supporting what we want to do.

I was relieved to have found this green-goddess of a florist and scratched that off my list as soon as we left!

Next step...the dress!