Nicole Wright is a florist of 16 years and co-owner of The Pink Peony LLC, a floral shop specializing in memorial flowers, weddings, and large events in Waterford, WI. Her love for nature and the changing seasons influences her the most when designing her lush and texture-filled garden style arrangements. Nicole sources only the finest American grown flowers and foliage available and incorporates locally grown and foraged blooms whenever possible. She does anything possible to make her business more green by repurposing and reusing vintage vases, vessels, and materials, and she has eliminated toxic single use products many florists across the earth still use.

Hi! New member here! In my bio I share about myself and my book, Returning Home: Reconceptualized Sympathy Flowers, but I wanted to share a bit about my Grandma Yvonne's memorial and how it inspired me to make the funeral and funeral flower industry a better and greener place.

My grandmother passed away in April, 2020. She was suffering from dementia and had been in a senior care home for a few months. Sadly, we were unable to visit her near the end due to unfortunate regulations. My grandmother would question why family was no longer visiting, craving physical comfort in her last days. I believe a loving family and community are one of life's greatest blessings. When loved ones are removed from you in a physical form, when you can't touch or hold each other, share a smile, or look into each others eyes, your spirit just can't bear it. Without that physical comfort, I believe she decided to return home.

Following her passing, our family held an intimate gathering at a local funeral home. My grandmother had a special place in her heart for Hawaii, so gorgeous Hawaiian-grown flowers and foliage were delivered in from a small family farm in Hana, Maui. I designed a lei of cymbidium orchids for her to wear and a sheath bouquet to rest atop her casket. Family gathered around and enjoyed a slideshow of fond memories. Our simple family service and a delicate display of blooms from her favorite place on Earth was perfect.

This intimate family funeral reminded me that we didn't need to have a showy, commercialized service with large, overdone floral displays to celebrate the life of our loved one, but a simple family-oriented service. A service full of laughter and tears over the wonderful times shared, carrying on about where she is now, and a thoughtful representation of flowers were all we needed.

My grandmother's funeral was not the only intimate service I provided flowers for that year. Funeral arrangements, and every other occasion for that matter, became less grand and more thoughtful. Now, years later, this thoughtful simplicity is here to stay. The floral industry is returning home to organic garden-style designs focusing on local and American grown flowers and foliage.