Rita Feldmann Flowers

Rita Feldmann has been surrounded by flowers since birth. A second-generation florist, she spent her early youth selling flowers from the back of a horse-drawn milk-cart in Melbourne’s South Yarra. In her teens, Rita began working alongside her mother servicing the weekly requirements of hotels and on large-scale events, happily performing the fiddly corsage wiring work for hundreds of hotel guests per week. My goal with each wedding is to do something unique that celebrates the best of what is in season locally in the chosen space. I design to support our local industry and growers. We are so fortunate in this region as it produces such a significant percentage of cut flowers for the Australian market. I avoid use of imported flowers because of the carbon footprint associated with flying perishable flowers into the country and because of the heavy use of chemicals in the quarantine process, which stipulates fumigation and devitalisation of many varieties to stop the introduction of pest and propagation. This process can involve immersing the majority of the cut stem into a glyphosate solution (otherwise known as “Round-Up”). Because of health and environmental concerns associated with the use of this chemical, I do not wish to expose myself, my co-workers or my clients to the chemically treated stems. We do not use any floral foam because it is a plastic material that does not biodegrade yet becomes a microplastic very quickly. Because of its crumbly nature and use in water, it can very easily make its way into the sewer and storm water systems and into the ocean, in addition to producing a large amount of non-biodegradable landfill. Over the years I have designed many different structures that allow for huge aerial displays and freestanding arrangements and I’ve found that not using foam has directed me to a whole new level of creativity and design.