Dear Petal’s Edge,
What happens to everything at the end of the night after the wedding is over? We’re concerned about who is going to clean up all of our flowers, centerpieces and other decor items. Our site has taken a deposit from us dependent on cleaning up after ourselves. Who cleans it all up? And any advice as to what to do with everything after the event? We don’t want to throw it all away.
– Anita S.
Anita,
You don’t mention if you have hired a professional florist, but if you have (even if just for bouquets) you may want to start by asking them if clean up is part of the services they can offer (or if it is already included in your contract). Depending on what you have ordered, they may already returning at the end of the night to pick up any rental items. Most florists are aware that many sites expect vendors to clean up their items. That can often be a delicate dance, as technically if the item isn’t rented, then it belongs to the couple. Some florists rent both the container and the flowers.
When we clean up, we don’t want to impose upon the site or the caterer to deal with floral arrangements, but we also don’t want to dispose of something that someone might have intended to keep. My first piece of advice is to communicate clearly in the weeks leading up to your wedding with all of your vendors about your plans – who is taking what, who is packing what, and what is being disposed of and by whom. That way you don’t have to worry about it at the end of the night. If you don’t have a professional florist or even a day-of coordinator that can help you with the task, assigning some reliable family members or willing friends is the next best thing. Don’t try to do it yourselves! It’s your wedding night!
As far as what happens with the flowers, it really can vary. Many couples use the flowers for a brunch the following day. If your brunch is at a different location than the wedding, your florist may be able to help you store and/or redeliver the arrangements that evening or the next day. Be prepared for additional delivery fees, especially if the florist is taking the arrangements for overnight storage and redelivering them the next day. Friends and family can also help move flowers, but make sure they are equipped with boxes in which to transport the arrangements and have an appropriately sized vehicle (SUVs or a van work best if it’s an especially large quantity of arrangements). If the flowers need to be stored overnight, you will want to have a cool, air-conditioned space. Talk to your brunch venue to see whether receiving the flowers that evening after the wedding is an option or whether they have to be redelivered in the morning.
If your centerpieces are simple, non-rental, low arrangements, you can easily give them to your in-town guests to take home and enjoy! In some cultures, guests expect to take the centerpieces. Make sure you are not using specialty containers your florist expects to get back, and if so, ask if they can be built in a liner that your guests can take.
Often arrangements get thrown away, as flowers are perishable and can only withstand being handled and moved around for so long. This is particularly the case with large arrangements. That expensive and large arrangement may have looked great on your guest table or as a focal point for the ceremony, but it is ill-suited for a senior center or nursing home. For large scale arrangements, the containers are often rented, so reusing can be problematic without rebuilding it to suit its new home. It’s unfortunate but true.
If none of these options work for you, a final option after the wedding is over would be to find an organization that could reuse or donate the flowers, such as Plants & Blooms Reimagined or Petal Share (a organizations in the DC area). Organizations like this can either come to the event at the end of the night to take away the flowers and will redesign the arrangements as necessary for a worthy cause. While your florist may be willing to do this for you, do expect to be charged for any additional work. And make sure to book these services ahead of time!
We do not suggest donating the flowers directly to a hospital or assisted living home without consulting them first, as they are often not prepared to deal with that quantity of flowers. The most ideal arrangements to donate are low arrangements – things than can fit on a reception desk, side table or similar surface. Larger scale or site specific designs may or may not be in containers or have flowers with shortened stems. This puts the receiving organization in an awkward position of having to rebuild arrangements or find containers for them that they may not have.
We hope that helps! Best wishes for a wonderful wedding!
