More than just flowersFlorals | Lauren Brown, Indy Urban Acres
Photos | Jackie Santana Photography Flowers and greenery can make a wedding worthy of a magazine spread--but they're often costly, and can sometimes seem like a frivolous, ephemeral expense. With thousands of dollars invested in the crucial elements--venue, food, photographer--we couldn't justify spending the minimums many floral companies provided us. Then we discovered Indy Urban Acres' wedding services. Indy Urban Acres, a nonprofit farm associated with the Indy Parks Foundation, grows fresh produce that's donated to Gleaners Food Bank for distribution to tens of thousands of people dealing with food insecurity. At the time, Indy Urban Acres also offered floral arrangements for weddings and other events* at a fraction of the price, and the best part is the proceeds helped the farm grow more food for those in need. *Note: Indy Urban Acres no longer offers this service, but Lauren Brown, their lead floral artist, has started her own company, Woven Blooms. And she's keeping the spirit of giving back in her new business: 10% of the profits from each wedding she books will be donated to the Humane Society of Indianapolis! 🐾 Why we chose Lauren: She was able to work within some tight limitations and made fresh flowers possible, even though one of our close family members is seriously allergic to many floral scents. Lauren built our bouquets and boutonnieres with that in mind, sometimes forced to be creative and not use a type of flower she normally would. As you can tell, the final product didn't suffer any, and we thankfully had no allergic reactions the day of the wedding. Our favorite reason to work with Lauren: Even after the roses and dahlias had wilted, our flowers lived on in the way they gave back to the Indy community. |