If you’re getting married (or hosting any kind of fabulous soiree, really) in the greater Bay Area anytime soon, you ought to call Jolie Devoto. She is the creative genius behind Farm to Table Flowers, a floral design enterprise which is both truly revolutionary and totally old school at the same time. She and her family own an organic flower farm on a ridge above Sebastopol called Devoto Gardens, where they grow the most gorgeous variety of blooms you’ll find anywhere. Jolie uses these flowers to design and arrange floral arrangements and then delivers them straight to your event. No unfair labor or absurd shipping all the way from Chile, no middleman, just their Farm to your Table. Doesn’t get Greener than that unless they come from your own backyard.
Pretty perfect, right? So, imagine my delight when Jolie and her fiance Hunter contacted me about an engagement ring. Such an honor. When I went to deliver the completed engagement ring and matching band, Jolie and Hunter greeted me with an enormous sheaf of irises and foxgloves and some soap made from the farm’s French lavender.
They treated me to a tour of the grounds, with over 55 varieties of heirloom apples (including my beloved Pink Pearl), pinot noir vineyards and countless rows of flowers. The sweet William were in full glory, the lilacs and roses were tantalizingly fragrant, and the sweet peas had just started to pop out. I just couldn’t get enough of the incredible views all over the valley and pretty much wanted to move right in.
After I reluctantly said my goodbyes and got in my car, I glanced in my rearview mirror. Jolie and Hunter were holding hands across a rough-hewn table strewn with flowers and exclaiming over her “perfect” ring. I slowly drove through the gate with a lump in my throat and a little thrill at witnessing this unexpected gift of gratitude.
(Jolie christening her ring with soil, planting succulent logs)
You can find out more about their flowers and the magic that the Devoto family works on the farm (moth pheromones! Tuberose bulbs transported from India!) by reading her blog, and if you want to bring your own bouquet home, you can find them at farmer’s markets all over the North Bay throughout the summer.