A flower grown to be cut and arranged is a different crop than a flower grown to be looked at in a bed — it needs to hold up off the stem, open at the right pace, and be planted in the volume a working florist actually needs. Eastern River Farm, run since 2018 by Jennifer and Scott Joray in Pittston, Maine, is built around exactly that distinction: a farm first, with a floral studio growing directly out of it.
Grown, Not Sourced From a Cooler
Jennifer Joray works as the farm's farmer-florist, which means the flowers in a given arrangement were planted, tended, and cut on the same property rather than bought wholesale from a cooler the morning of an event. The farm describes its growing practice as regenerative, raising heirloom blooms without pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides — a self-described growing standard rather than a third-party certification, but one that shapes how the fields are planned and rotated season to season. The operation is family-run, with the couple's daughters listed as co-owners, and the floral studio itself is housed in a century-old barn on the property.
A Farm That Sometimes Hosts a Wedding, Not a Venue Business
It is worth being precise about what Eastern River Farm is and is not. The farm is not a wedding venue for hire in the way that term usually gets used — the property at 766 Kelley Road is not generally open to the public, and the gate opens for weddings, seasonal workshops, and special events by appointment. Some weddings and events do take place on the farm, and the couple offers wedding and event florals in both full-service and a la carte tiers, grown to order rather than pulled from stock. But the core of the business is the flowers themselves, not a rental hall with a floral add-on.
The flowers in the arrangement were rows in the field a few days earlier, not a wholesale order from somewhere else.
Beyond Weddings: Workshops and Farm Consulting
Eastern River Farm also runs seasonal workshops and offers hourly farm-consulting for other growers looking to start or refine their own cut-flower operation — a sign of a farm that treats its own regenerative growing approach as something worth teaching, not just practicing quietly.
What “Farmer-Florist” Actually Means for a Wedding
For anyone planning a wedding or event, working with a farmer-florist rather than a traditional florist generally means the flower selection is shaped by what is actually in season on that farm, not a fixed catalog — which can mean more conversation up front about timing, but often means fresher, longer-lasting arrangements. It is a fair question to ask any florist directly: are these flowers grown on-site, and if so, in-season for your date. Located in Kennebec County near Augusta and Gardiner, Eastern River Farm serves couples and growers across Maine. To learn more or inquire about a date, visit easternriverfarm.com.
