Posted on June 01, 2023 by New Jersey Bride
By Eleanor Gilman
While most wedding flowers are discarded and forgotten after the reception, Leona Davis and her helpers give them a second chance to bring joy.
The idea blossomed when Leona’s daughter suggested repurposing her own wedding flowers into smaller bouquets and sharing them with residents at a local nursing home. The recipients were thrilled and Leona, who lives in Haddonfield, knew they were on to something. In 2016, she formed Forget Me Knot—a service that restyles wedding flowers into new arrangements to donate to others—with volunteers in her basement.
Brides contact Leona while planning their wedding. “Flowers are expensive and a lot of thought goes into their choice,” says Leona. “When brides find out about Forget Me Knot, they’re excited that the flowers will be adored for a second time.”
Volunteers pick up the blooms at venues in New Jersey, Philadelphia and parts of New York and Delaware, and deliver them to Leona’s house. The next morning, they recut and arrange the flowers into “bedside bouquets” tied with a ribbon bearing the name of the couple who provided the flowers. That same day, the floral arrangements brighten the spirits of those who may be lonely or ill in nursing homes, care facilities and hospitals. “A bride may request a destination that is meaningful to her, maybe a nursing home her grandparent had lived in,” says Leona. The wedding couple pays $700 to $800 to cover the cost of renting vans and trucks that transport the flowers.
“Donating flowers is a unique and kind way to start a marriage,” she notes. “It says a lot about character and gratitude.”
Interested in giving your wedding flowers a new life in a different way? Enlist a floral preservation artist to turn the gorgeous blooms from your big day into stunning keepsakes.
