Ep. 62: Inside a Family-Run Wedding Flower Farm: How Jennifer Joray Grows Cut Flowers for 40+ Weddings a Season
What does it really take to grow enough flowers for 40+ weddings a year—while running a farm as a family and honoring the rhythms of the land?
In Part 2 of our conversation on The Backyard Bouquet Podcast, Jennifer Joray of Eastern River Farm takes us behind the scenes of her full-service wedding flower business and regenerative farm in Maine.
This episode is a masterclass in growing cut flowers for weddings—one built not on shortcuts or burnout, but on systems, intention, and a whole lot of heart. Whether you’re an aspiring flower farmer, farmer-florist, or gardener dreaming of serving your local wedding community, Jennifer’s story is filled with wisdom you can grow from.
From Grocery Bouquets to Wedding Arches: Finding Their Niche
Jennifer’s early years included wholesale and grocery bouquet accounts, even a verbal contract for up to 2,000 bouquets a week. But the pace, the pressure, and the price point didn’t align with her values—or her vision.
“I said, this is not meant to be hurtful in any way, but I didn’t want to be a Colombian flower farm,” she shared. “It was volume. It’s a volume game at those lower price per stems—wholesale and grocery.”
Instead, Jennifer and her family leaned into the higher-value model of wedding flowers. Within a few years, they scaled from 8 weddings to 65 per season, and eventually settled into a sustainable rhythm of 30–45 weddings annually—all while growing nearly every stem themselves.
How a Family of Four Runs a Full Wedding Flower Farm
At the heart of Eastern River Farm is not just beautiful design—but a deeply functional, family-driven system. Each member of the Joray family plays a unique role, from growing and harvesting to styling and packing.
Jennifer still teaches music part-time while managing client communication, crop planning, and all wedding bookings. Her husband Scott, a former Navy service member, now manages the property full-time and leads their highly efficient packing and logistics system.
“We’ve been doing this for six seasons. It works because we know our time,” Jennifer said. “We have a file for each wedding, a timing sheet, a whiteboard system, and a standardized packing process that lets us say yes—or no—to new events with confidence.”
Even their daughters, now homeschooled, are involved. Her youngest began making boutonnieres at age nine. Her oldest is taking on bridesmaid bouquets. They’ve turned their 1840s barn into a floral studio powered by playlists, laughter, and muscle memory.
What They Grow: High-Value Crops for Weddings
Jennifer offered a rare look into exactly what she grows to support her wedding business across Maine’s short season. Their entire crop plan is designed around the demands of bridal palettes, early-season weddings, and efficient harvest.
🌸 Favorite Crops for Growing Cut Flowers for Weddings:
Delphinium – multiple varieties in 70-foot rows, including Galahad, Guinevere, Belladonna, and Astolat
Lisianthus – over 3,000 plants grown under cover
Ranunculus – 100 feet, plus saved corms and overwintering experiments
Zinnias – 3 full rows, used across summer and fall
Foxglove – abundant but requires smart timing and harvest planning
Their favorite perennials and foliage include:
Mountain Mint – “We use it the entire season. We have 300 feet of it.”
Hydrangea – used in bridal, bridesmaid, and statement pieces
Ninebark, Shiso, Eucalyptus, and Scented Geranium – essential greens and accents
Jennifer also emphasized the importance of designing with intention:
“I’m a very flower-forward designer. I don’t use a lot of greenery—maybe a little more in the fall—but flowers are the stars.”
What Regenerative Flower Farming Means to Them
Eastern River Farm is a regenerative farm in practice and in heart. While they are not formally certified, the Jorays have built their systems around soil health, plant vitality, and family wellbeing.
“For us, regen means we’re adding more than we’re taking away,” Jennifer explained. “We’re pasturing our animals, feeding the soil, using organic amendments and compost teas… But we also think about plant health. If the plants are thriving, the soil is probably thriving too.”
And regeneration extends beyond the field. Jennifer shared how her husband Scott ends each day at 3:00 p.m.—to start dinner, reset the space, and protect the family’s energy.
“In the summertime, we’ll go outside and sit. The girls will jump in the pool. I’ll sit with him with a cold drink… we put our feet up outside.”
“That’s part of our regenerative model too—taking time to connect about why we’re doing this.”
Real Talk: Systems, Boundaries, and Learning to Say No
While the floral work is joyful, Jennifer is honest about the learning curve. From early design struggles to client miscommunications, she’s made every mistake—and built systems to avoid them again.
“We style what’s on the invoice,” she said firmly. “If a bride wants a custom color palette, that’s a separate charge. We learned the hard way what happens when you try to be a people pleaser.”
She also encourages growers to price with flexibility in mind—even if you grow all your own stems.
“We rarely buy flowers, but we charge enough so that if something fails, we can buy if needed. That protects the business.”
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Final Thoughts from Jennifer Joray
Jennifer left us with a reminder that resonates far beyond flower farming:
“We only have today. There’s no promise of tomorrow. There’s no promise of anything. We only have today.”
“The balance is hard to achieve—that’s the challenge. But I try to enjoy the moment I’m in. Whether I’m teaching, harvesting, or making a bridal bouquet—I just try to enjoy it.”
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