Shop seasonally and locally to pick sustainable wedding flowers

Between bouquets, boutonnieres, and ceremony and reception packages, many weddings are overflowing with flowers. But this abundance of flowers can come at the expense of the planet.

In the United States, about 80 percent of fresh cut flowers are imported, many of which come from countries such as Colombia and Ecuador. Before they become part of your special day, these blossoms are often subjected to a high-carbon journey involving heated greenhouses, refrigerated trucks and airplanes. A 2020 analysis of products sold in British supermarkets found that a bouquet of imported flowers produced 71 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent – ​​around 80 percent more than an eight-ounce steak raised on deforested land in Brazil.