“There is less planning time available before weddings are happening, so florists are trying to make everything happen a lot quicker than they are used to,” says Larissa Ushriya, General Manager of Portland Flower Market in Oregon. Together with Amy Williamson, who is in training to become the new manager of the market, they share how the wedding season is currently booming for their florists, flowers are becoming a bigger part of the wedding decorations, and the importance of raising awareness about flowers in the US. 
Larissa Ushriya
Weddings happening quicker than ever
In June, with weddings finally being possible again, florists at the Portland Flower Market were noticing some changes in orders compared to previous years. “Traditionally, there is a much longer planning period before the actual wedding happens. But this past month, we are noticing a lot more couples that want to get married as quickly as possible, now that it weddings are finally possible again. As a result, florists have to work really hard to get the flowers ready in time,” says Ushriya. In addition, Williamson explains that the flower trends for weddings have changed over the years as well. “When you look on social media, you can see that brides want more creative and unstructured floral decorations. Flowers are also becoming a bigger part of the wedding decorations, as we are seeing more and more flower arches and big flower arrangements spread across the whole tables, instead of small bouquets.”
Improvement in sales
During the lockdown, the Portland Flower Market was able to remain open, as agriculture was considered essential. Yet, they still had to deal with severe challenges. For example, all the stores in the Portland Flower Market closed down except The Oregon Flower Growers Association. “From March until Mother’s Day, the vendors that sold our import were completely shut down. Luckily, we also have several florists that provide locally grown flowers, so they were able to continue their business during this time. Fortunately, while a lot of our florists were struggling, things are finally improving, as supplies are back up and sales are currently at an all-time high.”
Flower trends and raising awareness
Two flowers that have been especially popular at the Portland Flower Market are dahlias and peonies. “Because of the recent hot weather, dahlias have been in season a month early and they are already flying off the shelves. Also, the peony season just ended, and they were usually sold out within the first couple of hours. Color-wise, we are noticing a lot of bright colors are popular, such as purples and yellows.” The Portland Flower Market is currently working on a marketing plan, as they want to promote flowers more in the community. “In the US it is not nearly as common as it is in other countries to visit someone and spontaneously gift them a bouquet of flowers. Therefore, we are trying to raise awareness about the beauty of gifting flowers and supporting local florists.”
For more information:
Portland Flowers Market
Larissa Ushriya
larissa.ofga@gmail.com
www.pdxflowermarket.com