To the untrained eye, nothing appears to be ‘off’ about our styling and floral for this event but each time I look at it, or it’s referenced as inspo by a future client, I am met by an uncomfortable feeling.

This event, despite being a beautiful one to be involved with, was certainly one that challenged our ethos.

That was because the bride (end client) and the event coordinator and stylist had roses in mind to be incorporated in the table and room styling.

The problem? The event was in late June, during a period where locally grown roses are out of season, and even if you can get roses grown locally - they are often in whites and pinks … and of questionable quality (but that’s a discussion for another time).

This job was negotiated at a time when Oxytocin was navigating our stance on imported produce. We had just brought in a self-imposed surcharge in a give-back initiative whereby we pledge to donating a percentage of revenue from any event requiring predominantly imported stock, and passing a portion of that surcharge onto the client whilst educating them on why this is our approach.

The client in this case was gracious, understanding and totally willing to take this on board to achieve their desire look for the event. The event turned out beautifully - with enough local flowers and fresh local produce to eclipse what those roses meant to me, but still - the event is bittersweet to me and not something I tend to promote because of this.

In the grand scheme of things, we used 1 unit (box) of imported Nina roses for this event - 10% of the retail spend on the imported flowers was donated to the Australian Conservation Fund (ACF) - the highly effective charity of choice at the time.

The images captured from the day by Teniola of Tenikomo Photography were delicious, and a literal feast for the eyes. The other vendors we rubbed shoulders with on the day were all such brilliant and professional people to encounter - many of them small business newbies too.

In short, the event was too beautiful to not earn a space on our page, even if it does feel slightly unsettling.