What do wedding flowers cost?
This is the season for inquiries about wedding flowers!
I have so much fun sitting down with couples to come up with proposals for their big day.
It’s my goal here to give you a picture of what you can expect to pay for wedding flowers.
Unlike other customer experiences, the cost can be a bit more complicated when it comes to flowers. So much depends on what each bride is looking for. I like to liken the pricing of wedding flowers to the price of a contractor for a home remodel. Everything is custom. Everything is dependent on the couple’s unique vision and desires
Does the bride want a huge cascading bouquet with lots of variety? Or does she want something more small and dainty? Does she need large table arrangements for 25 tables? Or maybe garlands for 10 tables with candles. Are pieces going to be moved from ceremony to reception? Is there a floral installation or arch involved?
You can see why it’s not simple to put a price tag on any one of these items!
Alaskan wedding photography by:Echo Photography & Lauren Roberts
The Bridal Bouquet
So let’s get into the nitty-gritty by starting with the bridal bouquet - arguably the most important floral piece.
Your flowers will be part of your wedding photos which will be with you for a lifetime and beyond. This is your special floral piece! Give yourself permission to get exactly what you want.
Turnstone Farm bridal bouquets start around 350.00. Each piece is a work of art and completely custom. My flower designs will make you feel chic, elegant, and magical.
The Bridesmaids Bouquet
The style of your bridesmaid’s bouquets largely depends on your bridal bouquet, but not always! Usually, brides choose to have smaller versions of their bouquet for the bridesmaids. However, if you are choosing a cascading bouquet, don’t think you need to get your ladies a cascade as well. Their bouquets should be smaller and more modest. Turnstone Farm bridal bouquets start at 185.00.
Sometimes customers choose to give their bridal party a single bloom to hold. This can be a simple and elegant visual statement. Single blooms start at 15.00 each.
Floral Combs & Crowns
A stylish addition to your wedding attire are flowers for the hair! Floral combs are 75.00. Floral crowns start at 175.00.
Boutonnieres and Corsages
Expect to spend 35.00 - 65.00 on each one. The lower price reflects a standard boutonniere worn on a shirt or coat. The upper price covers a slightly more elaborate wrist corsage. Remember corsages can be worn on the wrist or pinned a jacket/blouse/dress.
Alaskan Wedding Photography by Lauren Roberts
Custom Arrangements
These may include any of the following: chapel flowers, table garlands, table arrangements (small or large), flowers for the bar or welcome table, etc.
So much about the actual price depends on the style of your arrangements, the flowers you choose, the vessel you desire, and the density of the arrangement.
Expect a small and simple table arrangement to start at 85.00. A larger, more elaborate one could reach 750.00+.
I know this is a huge price range! That’s why I spend so much care putting together your proposal. I want to make sure you get exactly what you want. I want your event to feel exactly as you envision it. I want your guests to feel honored, welcomed, and loved.
Floral Arches/installations
Arches and installations are dreamy. They are gorgeous, add a layer of luxury to your event, and create an amazing backdrop for your ceremony. Remember, the photos taken in front of an installation will be with you forever! It is because of this that installations are well worth the money.
A simple arch may start around 700.00. Expect to spend well over 1500.00 on anything more elaborate!
Other floral installations that you may want to consider in and around the reception area are: floral walls and hanging florals.
If you want to communicate abundance, magic, and beauty, this is for you!
Alaskan Wedding Photography by Kristian Irey
Interested in booking flowers for your wedding? I’d love to get to know you better and put together a proposal!
Foam Free Floral Arch at Raven Glacier Lodge
Creating wedding florals in the most earth-friendly way is important to me. This summer I had the amazing opportunity to create two arches at the lovely Raven Glacier Lodge. In both arches, I used completely renewable materials (chicken wire and floral water tubes) to create the form in which to hold the flowers and foliage.
Here are the steps to creating a beautiful foam-free arch:
Create a cage. Cut chicken wire the length you need to hold your installation. Gather branches with leaves attached and lie the branches inside the chicken wire. Be sure to size your cage so it’s big enough to hold all your stems and water tubes but not too big so it’s hanging way far off your structure.
I recommend creating the cages at your studio and then adjusting them as needed once you get to your event space.
Wrap the chicken wire around the leafy branches and secure it with bits of wire. This is the foundation of your installation. The leaves will eventually dry, and if you are able to take the installation down after the event (or get your clients to return it), you can use this again and again.
Attach your cage to your arch. I use zip ties for this. Cut your zip ties close once it is secured.
Begin designing with foliage. Use foliage to begin creating your shape.
Add in focal flowers. If these need a water source, be sure to cut stems and put them in water tubes.
Add supporting flowers and small bunches. Bunches of flowers can be made, stems cut, and wrapped in wet paper towels. These can then be wrapped in a bit of plastic and stuck in the chicken wire. If the bunches are bigger than the chicken wire holes, you can snip it to make a larger opening.
gently pull back on flowers once they are secured or gently shake the structure to make sure everything is solid!
Add additional foliage.
Add final flowers to round out your design.
Hide all mechanics with any final foliage and floral bits. Don’t neglect the back-side of your installation! Pop in some foliage or leftover supporting flowers to add a special touch.
Let the party begin!
I source all my flowers first from my urban flower farm, then from other Alaskan flower farmers and and finally from Mayesh Wholesale, who guarantees that everything I order from them is American Grown.
Local and seasonal flowers are more fresh, more beautiful and more earth-friendly!
Hatcher's Pass Elopement Flowers
I had the pleasure of creating wild and romantic florals for this adventurous couple who trekked up to Alaska for a picturesque elopement in Hatcher’s Pass.
Thank you to Echo Photography for these amazing photos.
What I love about creating wedding flowers is helping to transform a person to their most gorgeous version. I love creating a piece of art, from natural, ephemeral and inherently beautiful materials. I hope that each piece makes my customer feel like their highest most glamorous self on their wedding day.
Hatcher’s Pass is dear to my soul. Growing up in Eagle River and being in love with skiing, I spent many many days escaping to these mountains. My dearest friends shared precious times with me here.
I’ve run mountain ridges here. Climbed routes. Bagged peaks. Telemarked down powdery slopes. Played hooky from high school because the roads were too bad. Camped all seasons of the year here: sometimes in the car, in a hut, or under the stars. One night we slept on a tiny island on a tiny lake and counted over 50 shooting stars (none of us really slept). Berry picked. Celebrated my mom’s 70th birthday. Attended weddings. And so many more adventures!
This is such a special, wild and easy-to-access landscape that has something for every adventurous soul.
3 Reasons to Buy American Grown Flowers
I’m passionate about Alaskan grown flowers. When spring arrives our tiny farm bursts with blooms from May through September. If I need extra flowers for an event, my go-to are other Alaskan flower farmers. I have a few favorites in the Matanuska Valley!
But lets face it: during our cold winter months, it’s just impossible to get locally grown flowers. So we can go without OR we can buy flowers from the next best source: other American farmers.
Here’s 3 reasons why buying American grown is an awesome way to spend your hard earned cash:
1) Lower carbon footprint. Flowers are a perishable item. Once they’re cut, they start dying unless the process is slowed through refrigeration. Buying flowers from closer to home guarantees that less energy was spent getting the flowers to you fresh.
In addition to less time in the fridge, the flowers are less traveled. Less traveled means less fossil fuels to ship them about. As an Alaskan, for half the year we must ship in our flowers! But we can choose whether they come from CA or from South America. The latter being over twice as far.
2) Support American farms. I am not a MAGA American. I do, however, want to support local and keep money in the hands of small family farms and businesses.
Suburban sprawl is a huge threat to our farmland. Buying from other American farmers helps put money into rural hands to keep communities thriving without having to sell out to development.
Help keep farmers on farms. Help keep rural America alive.
At this time only 20% of all flowers sold in the US are American grown. WOW! We have lots of room to grow this market. There’s room for other small farmers to get in on this action. Farm on!
3) Less harmful chemicals. We grow all our flowers without the use of chemicals. We don’t spray. We fertilize only with compost and naturally occurring amendments like bone meal.
I want to be able to toss all the expired flowers I grow straight into the compost without worry of chemical leaching.
Imported flowers have less stringent environmental regulations. This means, questionable chemicals may be gracing your table alongside that gorgeous supermarket bouquet.
While “American grown” does not guarantee a chemical-free bloom, it does guarantee that farmers must follow our environmental guidelines for which chemicals to use. And although I don’t condone chemical use on farms, the chemicals used in other countries can be much worse.
And don’t take it from me: follow these links to learn more about American Grown and the Slow Flower movement.
Tablescape Inspiration for your Holiday Table
Let’s be honest: the holidays are going to look a little different this year.
Most of us are usually looking forward to slowing down, and heading inside with big gatherings of family and friends. Instead I’m hoping this year we’re all going to heed advice from health experts and keep our gatherings small and within our “bubbles”.
Since there’ll be less family and friends, maybe we can instead focus our effort on bringing our creativity to the table.
Leaves, fruit and mini pumpkins make for simple and lovely decoration.
Here are some simple ideas I’ve come up with to bring your table to life.
Hang things. This is a great trick if you’re in a pinch for extra table space. Use clear fishing wire to hang natural items from above: flowers, grasses, pine cones, etc. Just be sure nothing is going to fall on your delicious food. Give it a good shake before hanging to make sure it’s secure!
Mix vintage and modern. Don’t fret if nothing you have in your home “matches”. Use a mix of new and old, vintage and modern. Then use color to bring everything together.
Mix tall and short. Create variety for the viewer by using taller arrangements mixed with low arrangements or simply items artfully set on the table.
Use twigs and sticks. Almost all natural objects look cool and funky when brought inside. Place twigs in a glass vase or arrange them on the table. The best part is they don’t need water. My faves? Spruce and birch. But get creative! Can you find colorful twigs this time of year??
Use bud vases (or my favorite - empty glass spice jars). Your flowers or other gathered items will go way farther if you divide them and place 1-3 stems in a bud vase or jar. You can then artfully arrange items all the way down the table so that each diner has a nice view of something beautiful.
Use fruit. Whole or cut open fruit looks gorgeous and really gets the taste buds primed :) Grapefruit and other citrus, colorful apples, papaya, etc. Play around with what you think might look interesting.
Buy some flowers. Nothing brightens up the home like flowers! This winter we are partnering with other American farmers to bring you a fresh, gorgeous and seasonal bouquet for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. These will be for pre-order only and will go on sale the week of October the 26th. I can’t wait to share these with you!!
For additional ideas and some fun inspiration photos go here!
And lastly, after your holiday celebrations send me a photo of your table: turnstonefarm@gmail.com or tag me on Instagram @turnstonefarm! Can’t wait to see what you create :)
Take apart your flower bouquet and place in bottles! This is a great way to make your flowers go way farther.
Find a fun goblet to arrange your flowers in.
Locavore's Guide to the Holiday Table
Not only are we flower growers, but we are supporters and consumers of local foods! We grow, gather and hunt our own, support our Alaskan farmers and support our American farmers.
The more we can support our local farms, the better we can do in keeping land in agricultural production (and out of development and suburban sprawl). Local food and flowers are better for our families, our communities and our planet.
We want to support other farmers and we want to share with you how to fill your holiday table with local food.
VEGETABLES
Once the markets have closed these are my go-to sources for getting local veggies. In the summer there are so many more options but for now these folks have you covered.
Arctic Harvest Deliveries: offering weekly custom boxes YEAR ROUND full of fresh veggies sourced directly from Alaskan farms.
Arctic Organics: Veggies grown using organic methods in Palmer, Alaska. They offer weekly deliveries to Anchorage.
Anchorage Greens: Hydroponic greens grown all winter long. They offer a weekly subscription service that offers a “rotating selection of premium greens and herbs”.
Meat
There is lots of delicious meat in this state! This is not a comprehensive list. Please comment below if you have other farms that you purchase from.
Arctic Harvest Deliveries: These guys also source meat for you so you don’t have to. But if you’d rather buy direct from a farmer read below!
Blood Sweat & Food Farm: Chicken, pork, meat subscription boxes, eggs and more! Check them out. Kenai Peninsula
Lunachick Farm: Hens, ducks, pork, eggs, goats, etc. Located in Anchor Point. They offer weekly deliveries to Anchorage. We just bought 3 laying ducks from them. We’re still figuring out all things regarding duck care but are having fun doing it :)
Luke's Poultry Ranch: Chicken and Thanksgiving turkeys grown in the Big Lake area. I just reached out to them via Facebook and they have turkeys available NOW!! Don’t delay, cause they’ll be sold out quickly!
Seafood
While most of us fish to fill our freezers, buying from fisherman is always a great plan B. And honestly we bought in all our fish this year. We purchased whole fish and processed them in the back yard. It saved us the time spent traveling to and from Kenai. And it saved us from not knowing if we’d actually fill our freezers!
Su Salmon Co: They’re sold out for 2020 but just wanted to list them here because this is where we bought whole fish to fill our freezer. And Alaskans, don’t get too snobby here - Chum are a delicious and inexpensive way to load your freezer. We just cooked up a few fillets last night: DELISH!
Copper Valley Fish Collective: When not on their boat these guys are our backyard neighbors! They offer wild Alaskan Salmon Shares and amazing smoked salmon.
Catch 49: Salmon, halibut, prawns, canned items, smoked salmon and more!
Alaskas Own: Alaska's first CSF (Community Supported Fishery). Based in Sitka, AK. Pick up locations in Anchorage.
Flowers
Turnstone Farm: Last but not least you want local beauty. Imported flowers are hard on the planet and often sprayed heavily.
We're here for you! During the spring and summer months WE GROW FLOWERS for your table.
During the winter months we source American Grown flowers to make your special occasions absolutely elegant. Be on the look out for our newest offering: we’re doing flowers for the holidays!!! Thanksgiving, The Winter Holiday of Your Choice and Valentines Day.
If you enjoyed this guide please share it with your friends!
Preserving the harvest part 1: pressing flowers
We all know that summer won’t last forever. That’s why I’m all for figuring out how to preserve the harvest. Not only for food but for flowers too!
I’ve dried flowers in the past but am just now re-discovering the process of pressing them. This is the first season I’m really trying to press a lot of blooms, so I’m a relative newbie. But you can follow me along here as I discover what methods and varieties work best.
Since I only have a small commercially made flower press, I’m putting to use my cherished library of flower and farming texts (and some of Jason’s old college texts) to press in a very no-fuss way.
Pressing whole poppies with a small commercial press.
Here’s a few tips to follow when pressing your blooms:
1) Press flowers before they expire. This is a great way to extend the life of your bouquet subscription or market bouquet. But don’t wait till the blooms are wilted. Press while there’s still a little life still in them.
2) Press individual petals and whole blooms. Play with pressing both! Larger blooms with a thick center may not work so well but smaller flowers like forget-me-nots, poppies and cosmos (to name a few) press lovely whole. I love leaving on the stems too!
3) Use a semi absorbent blotting paper on both sides of the bloom. You can purchase a blotting paper, use water color paper or even a few sheets of newspaper.
4) Press flowers by layering between blotting paper and press either using books as a weight or a commercial flower press.
5) Change blotting paper as needed while flowers dry. If you don’t, you may get some molding.
6) Make sure flowers are completely dry before removing them from the press. Store for later use (think winter art-making) or start creating something of beauty now!
Pressing whole poppies using tissue paper as a blotting medium and books as the press. These pressed beautifully. I love pressing with the stem attached!
Garden Picture Escape
I just want to share some beauty with you! Here goes…
A few of my early dahlia varieties! Can I just say, I am loving these :)
Ready for bouquet making! My backyard gets transformed into a floral studio at least once per week.
Poppies! These are some of my favorite blooms this summer. They are bringing me SO MUCH JOY!!
A quick afternoon harvest. During the peak blooming months I’m harvesting 3 times per week.
A seasonal bridal bouquet using stock, ranunculus, peonies and ladies mantle.
5 Easy Tips for a Longer Lasting Bouquet
I want to make sure you get the most out of your flowers this summer!
Here are 5 easy tips to make your bouquet last as long as possible.
1. BUY LOCAL - When you buy our Summer Bouquet Subscription, you’ve checked this one off the list! Local flowers are often picked day of sale which means they are the freshest you can find anywhere.
2. RE-CUT STEMS - When you get your flowers home, snip the end of each stem with clean, sharp scissors then place in water. Re-cut stems every few days.
3. FRESH WATER - Place your bouquet in cool tap water. Keep vase nice and full, since flowers can really suck up the water. Replace water every 2-3 days, or daily if you can!
4. PLACEMENT - Place your flowers in a cool part of the house, out of direct sunlight and away from appliances that give off heat. Heat significantly decreases vase life. If you’re really hard-core about extending the vase life of your flowers, you can even place your flower arrangement in the fridge overnight. Take it out in the morning and enjoy!
5. REMOVE FADED BLOOMS - Not all flowers have the same vase life. Some are fleeting and ephemeral and may only last 3-4 days, others will last a solid 7-10 days! As your bouquet ages, remove tired-looking flowers but leave good looking ones in place. Re-arrange as needed!
4 Ways to Enjoy Your Bouquet Subscription
Thank you so much to all my awesome bouquet subscribers. I couldn’t do this without you!
As a farmer, I have a lot of expenses up front: seeds, soil amendments (organic of course), labor, seed starting supplies, marketing material, etc. A lot of money goes out the door before I have even one flower blooming in the garden. EEK!
Farmers around the nation have embraced this “community supported agriculture” or “CSA” model to give them a vital cash boost when they most need it - the early spring/summer. In return the farmer gives back produce or flowers ALL SUMMER LONG or as agreed upon.
It’s a big ask for customers - to come up with a bulk payment up front and I AM SO GRATEFUL TO YOU!!
So when your much anticipated bouquet subscription starts I wanted to give you a few fun ideas for how to enjoy your flowers :)
1) Display in a classic tall vase.
If you just want a no-fuss way to display our flowers, this is for you! Get your bouquet home, fill a vase with water, re-cut the stems and place in water. Enjoy :)
Cut stems and place in a tall vase.
2) Arrange in a low vase or urn.
This will be a fun, creative process for those wanting to play a little more with arranging.
If you’re doing some extra arranging, feel free to snip a few additional stems from your yard or garden. I love adding a bit of spruce (this also adds some nice structure for the other flowers in a low vessel) or a snip of aspen. If you have other perennial foliage or flowers in your garden, don’t be afraid to cut a few! Not everything does amazing in the vase, but you don’t know until you try.
I like to start with some sturdy foliage (why I love spruce), then add some flowers (be sure to cut as short as desired). Then just keep adding flower by flower, adding foliage here and there. Don’t look for perfect! Just look for done :)
3) Disassemble and place stems into individual bud vases. It’s as easy as that.
I love putting these all over the house: in the bathroom to freshen things up, on the kitchen windowsill (although keep out of direct sun), on your bedside table (if you really want to pamper yourself), etc.
Make sure to check daily for adequate water - flowers really drink big and tiny vases can go dry in no time.
Take apart your bouquet apart and place individual stems in bud vases.
4) Float larger blooms in a shallow bowl or jar.
Cut the stems short and float large and/or double bloomed flowers in water. Flowers that do well floating include peonies, dahlias, ranunculus, roses, and large double zinnias. This is by no means an exhaustive list! Experiment :)
Larger blooms float beautifully!
There you have it!
Now I want to hear from you! How do you love to display your flowers? Comment below OR send me an email at turnstonefarm@gmail.com! Include photos :) You can also tag me on facebook or instagram @turnstonefarm.
Are Flowers Essential?
All sorts of new phrases have entered our collective vocabularies in the past couple months: social distancing, hunkering down, essential business, etc.
As I write this non-essential business is back in business but I’ve been pondering this question lately: are flowers essential?! Hmm… guess it totally depends who you ask! But I’m here to convince you that YES, THEY ARE!
They deserve a place in your precious garden and a place on your table.
Here’s why:
You and I know we feel better when we have flowers to view in the garden. I’m always soothed when I look out my kitchen window and see flowers. In fact, I’m designing my gardens so I see MORE flowers out my window.
We also know there’s something almost magical about having flowers on our dining room table. But why?
Is it really beneficial to our health and well being? It seems like it is but I wanted to dive into the research to see what science has to say about all this.
In one study office workers were put in a room to view pink roses for 4 minutes each.
After the study workers that had viewed the flowers “resulted in significantly increased parasympathetic nervous activity”. And remember the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system. It helps us feel calm and relaxed, it is the opposite of our sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our “fight or flight” response.
So viewing flowers was demonstrated to significantly reduce the stress response. Even after only 4 minutes! And we all know decreasing stress increases our bodies natural abilities to fight disease and keep us healthy.
In addition, “ 'comfortable,’ 'relaxed’ and 'natural’ feelings were more common in subjects exposed to roses.”
Note, that the study used roses, but in fact, any flower could be substituted in here. Think Turnstone bouquet :)
In this study by researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey, flowers were demonstrated to have “immediate impact on happiness”.
In addition, “study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers”.
Flowers were also shown to connect people. “The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.
So what to do?
I know most of us have plenty of time outdoors to bask in nature’s beauty. But if you’re heading back into the office anytime soon (or toiling away in the spare bedroom), take along some flowers. Gift to your friend, boss, spouse, or yourself! Fill your indoor space with flowers :)
If you’re still hunkering down at home, make a place in your garden for flowers - and remember, these are for you! You need to be able to see them regularly out your window - while washing dishes, folding laundry, lounging on the couch, etc. And make sure you regularly cut them and bring them inside for the dining room table :)
If you don’t have enough to cut: 1) make a note to plan a bigger flower garden next year and 2) buy fresh flowers from the farm! We’ve got you covered.
Bouquet subscriptions are for sale until July 3rd. So reserve yours here if you haven’t.
Here’s to health! Here’s to peace!
And yes, flowers are essential.
Flowers are scientifically proven to reduce stress and make us feel better!
3 Ways to Get Flowers this Summer!
With all the uncertainty surrounding the world these days I wanted to come up with some sure-fire ways to get my “flowers to the people” this spring and summer!
I don’t know if farmers markets will be open this year and if they are I’m not counting on flowers being “essential” enough to be part of them.
Read on to find out details about how to get your Turnstone Flowers this summer!
1) HOME DELIVERY
Home deliveries will start in late May (and will be the only way to purchase my amazing and unique tulips bunches! CAN I JUST SAY HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT THESE TULIPS!!??).
You will be able to order a medium or large, lush market bouquet or a seasonal bloom arrangement through my on-line shop. These will be delivered to your home or the home of someone you love within the Anchorage bowl for no additional charge.
Each Monday I’ll input my inventory then will send a notification email (so get on my email list if you’re not already!). Each Wednesday I’ll close my shop so I can put together my orders. Each Thursday I’ll deliver!
I have prices set but know that these may change as the blooming season draws closer.
Due to the nature of our current global and community situation I will be very picky about how I deliver. Here’s the scoop:
Deliveries can be to homes or businesses but I cannot enter a building to deliver. I will also follow strict social distancing and will not deliver to you in person. I won’t even knock on your door! I will leave your bouquet in a jar or bucket (that you leave for me) outside your front door.
Make sure you (or the bouquet recipient) leaves a jar with water, or bucket with water, in a shady spot near the front entrance. I will text the recipient right after I drop the bouquet. If a jar is not available, I will leave the bouquet sitting near front door. Please grab it as soon as possible :)
2) BOUQUET SUBSCRIPTIONS
Thanks to everyone who has already purchased a 2020 Bouquet subscription!!! I’m so grateful to all my past and present subscribers.
This year I am offering 3 different options for bouquet subscriptions: 1) an “every week” option that will give you bouquets once per week for 10 weeks, 2) an “every other week” option that will give you a bouquet every other week and 3) a “once per month” option that will give you one bouquet during the months of July, August and September.
HEAD OVER HERE to see pricing for 2020 subscriptions and to sign up! I hope this makes it more affordable and convenient for everyone who wants to participate.
As of now, you have 5 different options for pick-up. I added 2 new pick up sites! Please know that I may be re-organizing pick-up options as the COVID situation progresses. I WILL LET EVRYONE KNOW BY MID-JUNE! Thanks for being flexible :)
3) ADD ON TO FIRE ISLAND OR ARCTIC HARVEST DELIVERIES
I’m super happy that this year, in lieu of my farmers market, I am partnering with 2 businesses to have my bouquets as an add-on product to their on-line shop. Although I will miss the market and I will miss seeing your face, I am so thankful to have another option to get “flowers to the people”!
Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop is doing home delivery and curbside pick up. READ MORE HERE
Arctic Harvest Delivery is also adding my flowers to their on-line ordering program. READ MORE HERE
My flowers will be available to add on to your Fire Island or Arctic Harvest order starting in June (as long as this snow melts quickly!).
And finally a note about my harvest process in regards to sanitation.
This year, more than ever I have sanitation as one of my top priorities. This is not something flower farmers have had to really think too much about in the past, but alas here we are.
1) Harvest - flowers risk very little contamination risk in the field. There is ample growing space and only myself and maybe one other helper is ever out there tending. There’s rain, sun and wind to dilute and keep tings cleanly!
All harvest is done with gloves and a mask. Flowers are bundled and put into sanitized buckets and are then left to condition overnight.
2) Arranging - Flowers are arranged on day 2, after they have had a chance to condition in a cool spot.
All arranging is done on a sanitized table while I am wearing gloves and a mask. They are then wrapped in a paper sleeve and put back in clean sanitized buckets for delivery.
3) Delivery - I deliver all bouquets out of my personal vehicle. All high touch areas are sanitized before loading.
When off-loading your bouquet, I wear gloves and a mask to deliver your bouquet to your doorstep. I won’t ring your door bell, won’t knock on your door, and won’t even touch your jar or bucket that you leave out. Once you receive your flowers you can recycle the paper sleeve and arrange your bouquet to your liking.
ENJOY IT and let it MAKE YOU HAPPY!
Top Three Photos that Say "Turnstone Farm"
I want to go share three photos that represent what my farm is!
Enjoy the eye candy!
This first one is the farm in full bloom! My farm is lush, and busy. I try to squeeze in as many plants as possible onto my tiny plot. Every year I try to add more. This means I have to constantly give back to my soil in the form of compost, organic fertilizers and cover crops. I have implemented no-till practices in order to keep all the micro-organisms in the soil healthy and to keep as much carbon out of the atmosphere as possible.
This second one is of my bouquet subscription bouquets. If it wasn’t for my regular bouquet customers (farmers market customers and bouquet subscribers) I wouldn’t be farming! Thank you to all who buy these bouquets and bring them into your homes. I love picturing the flowers from my garden inside your homes. Flowers on a table really do make a house a home.
This last one is a bridal bouquet from my dream customer. I love creating designs that look like they’re spilling from the garden. I colorful, I like big, I like lush, I like wild.
If I could give advice to all you brides-to-be it would be this: ditch the white and blush and go freaking rainbow! Ditch the eucalyptus collar and go fern and spruce!
Your Local Wedding Flower Primer
All local Alaskan flowers in a large, lush, cascading bouquet.
As the summer winds to a close I’m reflecting on a very fun (but hot and smoky) wedding season.
For those of you looking to get married in 2020, I want to talk you through the how-tos and what-to-expect when using our local flowers for your wedding.
Sourcing
During the blooming months of summer (May through September) I source all my flowers for weddings and events from my garden and/or from my flower farming friends in the Matanuska/Susitna Valley.
My garden (Turnstone Farm) produces blooms from tulips to dahlias and a variety of smaller blooms and foliage. In addition, I love walking my local trails and alleys looking for foraging material.
Two of my other favorite farms are Brown Dog Farm and the Persistent Farmer. The former grows a huge variety of high quality blooms and foliage. The later is an expert in growing dahlias. Both are a very far trek from my home garden and studio but worth the drive when I need additional design material.
Design
My ideal wedding customer doesn’t necessarily need to have the local vision. But she/he must want something a little wild and edgy. Not because this is what you get with local, but because this is how I like to design! As the photo above represents, I like the bride to look like she’s holding a garden in her arms.
My happiest customers want a variety of floral textures and may have a color palate but aren’t in need of specific floral varieties.
Pricing
The photos of your wedding will last a lifetime! The flowers in your photos will forever represent your amazing day. Because of this, they are worth every penny.
Local flowers are not necessarily less expensive than the local wholesaler. Why?
Farming in Alaska is more expensive than many places in the Lower 48. We have to ship supplies, seeds, equipment way farther than most farmers.
I pay fair market value to the farmers I source my flowers from.
I pay my employees a living wage.
Every penny you pay for local flowers, however, supports your local Alaskan economy! Thank you!!
How to Book a Wedding
Booking a wedding with the farm is easy! Head over to our “Flowers” page and scroll down to the “Weddings” section. There you will be prompted to fill out a quick contact form. We will get back to you ASAP so we can talk about your flower vision.
Other Things to Think About
When visioning for your special day, look at lots of online images. Hone your ideal wedding bouquet/arrangement/etc. to one final image. As you scroll through all the great pintrest photos, remember most of the images you see online don’t necessarily represent what’s in season locally. Know that we can produce a floral piece that represents your style while not always getting you every flower variety you request.
If wanting to DIY-it with our bulk flower buckets, look at photos and count the number of blooms/foliage stems in each piece. This will give you a good idea of how many buckets you need for your event.
Why Support Local Sustainable Floristry
What is the benefit of buying local, sustainably grown flowers? Keep reading to find out!
1) You support a local business! Purchasing from a local business keeps money in our community. Our business in turn supports other local businesses. So where does your dollar go when you purchase flowers from us? To local grocery stores, to employees that live in your neighborhood, to local banks, to our local garden stores and to other local farmers.
2) They’re freshest! Most flowers make a journey around the globe before landing on your dining room table. Since our flowers are cut right before you buy them, they will last longer in your vase without the need for chemical floral preservative.
3) Lower carbon footprint! Since we’re way up here in Alaska, most flowers in the grocery and at the flower wholesaler have traveled thousands of miles while being refrigerated. That’s a lot of energy just to bring you blooms! But our farm is RIGHT DOWN THE STREET! We can walk our flowers to the market!
4) No harmful chemicals! Most flowers you buy at the grocery have been pumped with floral preservative after harvest and doused with chemical herbicides and pesticides before harvest. Here at the farm we ONLY USE ORGANIC GROWING METHODS! This means we nurture our soil to avoid weed and pest problems. If we do have issues we only use products that fall under organic certification. After harvest we treat our blooms carefully by keeping them cool, giving them fresh water and selling them super fresh so we don’t need to use floral preservative.
5) Eco-friendly design! All our design is done foam free. Why does this matter? Floral foam is filled with nasty carcinogenic chemicals and never biodegrades. It simply breaks down in the landfill into micro-plastic compounds. What a disaster these are! Not to mention the chemicals released when handling this product. And since we don’t use a preservative in our flowers, after your event, you can compost them worry free!
6) This is my dream! By buying our product, you are supporting my dream of growing and designing flowers. Thanks SO MUCH!
I’d love a comment to let me know what YOUR DREAM is and how I can support you!