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Rae Carter started Second Bloom to save beautiful wedding flowers from the landfill.
Invitations, tablescapes, gowns, color palettes — months of careful thought and planning go into creating the perfect wedding day. For many, decorating with fresh floral arrangements can make a special day even more spectacular. But every choice a couple makes when putting together an event can come with a cost. According to Kate Harrison’s Green Bride Guide the average wedding generates 400 pounds of waste and 63 tons of CO2. With close to 500 weddings taking place annually on Martha’s Vineyard, that all adds up quickly. Is there a way to reduce wedding waste while still enjoying beautiful flowers?
Rae Carter, founder of Second Bloom, asked this same question. After witnessing a wedding’s clean-up crew tossing floral arrangements in the trash, Rae leapt into action. Armed with a few buckets and the help of her husband, Rae salvaged as many flowers as she could. “The flowers were stunningly gorgeous,” Rae says. “We just gave them out to whomever we could think of. Then I realized that this was just one small wedding; this must happen thousands of times on the Island.”
And so, Second Bloom was born. In 2023, Rae incorporated Second Bloom as a non-profit and recruited her friends Anne Davey and Ellen Berube to help collect flowers, arrange them, and deliver them across the Island. Working in collaboration with local wedding and event planners, Second Bloom swings into action to bring beautiful florals to new homes after they’ve finished serving their original purpose. “It's such a win-win because when people have special flowers for this special day, they don't want to see them thrown in the trash either,” Rae says. “They're happy to know that somebody else can continue to enjoy the flowers that made their day special.”
Rae and her crew of Second Bloom volunteers collect flowers from events and tie them into new bouquets before rehoming them with organizations across the Island, including the hospital, food pantries, Hospice of MV, Island Elderly Housing, the Red House, the Center for Living, and local senior centers. “The recipients obviously are very happy to receive flowers — I think part of the joy is the unexpectedness, the random act of kindness,” Rae says. “And then for all of us volunteers, we love working with flowers, so we're happy to do that, too.”
Jenna Sylvia, event coordinator and owner of Coastal Coordination & Power, connected with Rae through the Vineyard grapevine. With CC&P, Jenna plans events and weddings of all shapes and sizes on the Island. CC&P partners with Second Bloom to rehome floral arrangements after they’ve served their purpose at an event. For Jenna’s sustainability- and budget-minded clients, Second Bloom’s free service is a no-brainer. At an event like a wedding, florals have a lifespan of about eight hours. And, especially for the many destination weddings that take place on the Island, it doesn’t make sense for guests to bring the flowers home for themselves. Folks are typically more than happy to pass their flowers along for even more people to enjoy — they view Second Bloom’s services as both an act of kindness for the community and a step toward reducing waste.
“The Vineyard is such a unique and beautiful place, but it’s a fragile ecosystem,” Jenna says. “It’s important that we can work together as a community to better the environment. Especially with industries like the wedding industry that can have a ton of money behind them, we need to keep sustainability at the front of our minds to protect our little Island in the middle of the ocean.”
When people have special flowers for this special day, they don't want to see them thrown in the trash either. They're happy to know that somebody else can continue to enjoy the flowers that made their day special.
– Rae Carter
How You Can Get Involved
- Connect with Second Bloom to donate flowers from your next event by reaching out through their website.
- Volunteer to help with flower pick-up, arranging, and distribution by emailing Rae at [email protected].
- Have extra vases on hand? Second Bloom also accepts vase donations! Email Rae at [email protected] to coordinate a pick-up.
- Second Bloom also accepts monetary donations, which are tax deductible. Venmo @secondbloommv or mail checks to Second Bloom MV, P.O. Box 2844, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. Donations help keep Second Bloom stocked with necessary supplies, and supports their dream of expanding into a flower delivery van!
More Ways to Think Green with Wedding Flowers
- Shop local and seasonal.
- Use dried flowers instead of fresh-cut.
- Decorate with potted plants, herbs, or other live greenery.
- Repurpose floral arrangements throughout the day if your event takes place at multiple venues.
- Rent plants from local nurseries or landscape companies.
