A Budding New Business: Bear River Floral Walks Down the Aisle
Wedding bouquets date back to the days of the Greeks and Romans, and are one of the many traditions surviving the fall of these mighty empires. They are just as essential today as they were two hundred years ago, and when brides in the Grass Valley area needed someone to supply bouquets, they turned to Bear River FFA’s floral class.
Bear River High School’s Agribusiness pathway begins with classes in sustainable agriculture. By the end of the three-year path, students can receive certification in floral design and are able to create monthly arrangements for over 50 paying customers. A wedding was a first for students in Lauren Glomson’s Advanced Floral course — and they got to work with two brides this past quarter.
“I was hesitant to take this on at first, as weddings are a lot of pressure to be perfect,” Glomson said. “But the Advanced Floral students exceeded my expectations. It was such an awesome experience to have the chance to do florals for two weddings!”
Throughout September, the class cut and arranged more than 90 bud vases (or mini arrangements) for the special day. Seniors Layne Landry, Audra Paasch, and Wyatt Fowler had the opportunity to make the arrangements onsite the day of the wedding.
“They just add a lot of joy,” Paasch said. “I feel like I never really placed any value in flowers until being in the floral class, but now I notice.”
Fowler and Landry described the atmosphere before the wedding; it was an early, chilly morning at the venue, as Glomson walked them through the process of arranging the florals. It was surprisingly simple, Landry said, until they ran into an issue.
“The vases (we used) were clear, so you could see the water in them,” Paasch explained. “And the water we got out of the hose outside the venue was brown, and it was getting progressively browner.”
Luckily, they were able to access the faucets inside to replace the dirty water.
“It was a different experience,” Fowler said. “The arrangements all had to look really similar, but for our subscriptions, they can all be different and express each person’s personality.”
“I didn’t think I would get tired of doing it, but towards the end I was thinking ‘I cannot make another bud vase,’” Paasch said.
Paasch, Landry, and Fowler say Bear River floral was honored to have been given such a huge responsibility and appreciated the excitement and challenge.
“It was a bit scary, but also fun,” said Advanced student Callie Roberts. “In the end, it felt really amazing being able to help out. These were a part of someone’s big day, so they had to be near perfect for them!”
Bear River’s Agribusiness pathway hopes to continue blooming under Glomson’s guidance, and with two weddings under their belt, they have already started down a path of growth.
