Bergen, owner & designer, of Fire & Blooms loves celebrations and creating beauty through foraged florals, wildflowers, and locally grown flowers to enhance celebrations. She loves that no two floral designs will ever be exactly alike and considers that part of the wedding magic of what she creates.

Read below to learn more about Bergen and her approach to floral design and Olympic Peninsula weddings!

What inspired you to become a floral designer?

I have always been immersed in nature.. My mom is a gardener and some of my favorite memories are being with her in the garden. But what really launched my desire to be a floral designer was a floral design class I took my sophomore year of high school.

It was a basic class where we replicated arrangements of the teacher but at the end of the class we got to order our own flowers for the show and make an arrangement. I made an "s" shaped white arrangement which won best of show. From then I was hooked, and at fifteen I went and got a job scrubbing buckets at a local floral shop.

I worked in and out of floral shops all through college and after but in 2017 started out on my own floral design business, Fire and Blooms. I wanted more freedom to create and use more sustainable practices. I a three dimensional thinker and really enjoy the process of playing with shapes. I got a Bachelors of Art in university with an emphasis in sculpture and ceramics. Each arrangement to me is a sculpture. I love seeing how putting different textures and shapes play off each other and create something new.

What types of weddings do you specialize in?

I'd say what I'm most known for is the huge organic shaped bouquets. There are too many textures and flowers to use only a few, in my mind more is always more. I swear even though they look big I've learned techniques so you aren't hauling a bowling ball around your wedding day!

I mostly specialize in free formed floral designs with an emphasis on locally grown flowers, foraged items and texture.

What do you think your designs add to a wedding? And how do you hope your couples look back on their flowers?

I think they bring emotion, movement and romance to weddings. I love bringing scents, flowers with meaning and local flowers to couples weddings, this way when they look back they can see it with fondness and familiarity. Weddings are one of the only occasions in our lives now where we get to have custom art pieces of nature to adorn us and bring texture and depth to our celebrations.

I hope my couples look back on their flowers as something that reflected them. That when they pass by a flower in a garden that was in their bouquet it's smell and visual will bring a warmness and joy to their hearts with the memory of their wedding day.

What advice would you give to couples who aren’t sure where to start?

Honestly, don't read too much advice or look on too many blogs. I think we are so overwhelmed with choices. A lot of couples come to me confused and conflicted on their direction. It's actually simple, ask yourself what do I love?

I actually love having couples come to me without detailed plans and ideas because then I get to guide them with questions that will help lead them to what they are looking for. It's so much more than colors and how many are in your bridal party. Your flowers are a reflection of you. Do you love hiking on in the PNW? Maybe I'd put evergreens in your bouquet so you smell them as you walk down the aisle. Do you love cooking? I'd love to put herbs like rosemary and mint in your boutonniere. It's one of my favorite parts of my job is creating art that fits each couple.

What do you think makes Port Townsend, and the Olympic Peninsula, such a special place for couples to say “I do”?

It is such a special place because it still seems removed from the bustle of it all. There are places on the Peninsula where you can get married on mountain top and then go have your reception at sunset on the beach. It's the place where the mountains meet the ocean and there is something so wild and enchanting about that.