Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary

Bowerbird Flowers & Apothecary, located in Durham’s University Hill district, is led by  mother-daughter team Diane Joyal and Lily Joyal, offering full-service floral design for weddings and events.

Diane and Lily have been serving North Carolina couples since 2016. After previously working at UNC Children’s hospital, Diane decided to try a new career, one that would bring more joy to herself and others. And what could be better than bringing flowers to someone’s door, or making a bride’s wedding flower dreams a reality?

Creative Durham, North Carolina Wedding Florist

Like her mother, Lily found floral design to be the perfect creative outlet.

“My mom does all the buying for flowers, and she does an amazing job of creating gradients and color palettes for clients,” Lily says. “For weddings, we’ll do arbors or [flowers] hanging from the ceiling or have a tree on the wall. They’re almost like giant sculptures that are temporary. We probably spend three hours on-site building something, and it’s only going to last for a day, but it’s very fun to do.”

Bowerbird uses the best blooms the season has to offer, sourcing from North Carolina farmers as conditions allow. “We start local, then we go out regionally, and then we go out to American grown,” Diane says.

Working with a smaller wedding flower budget? Don’t worry. Bowerbird Flowers also offers floral essentials for your intimate wedding or elopement. All you have to do is order online and choose from one of their color palettes/styles (at least one week in advance). Their team also does smaller events throughout the year including corporate, private events and parties.

Unique Wedding Favors and Gifts

Bowerbird also sells a curated selection of home, garden and self-care products, perfect for welcome baskets for your wedding party or guests, including premade gift kits. All of Bowerbird Apothecary’s herbs are organically grown and sourced locally when possible.

North Carolina Flower Workshops

The Durham florist’s apothecary features a botanical bar where guests can enjoy herbal drinks that are nonalcoholic, as well as spritzers, elixirs and tea. Beyond that, Diane, Lily and their team offer flower design workshops and classes, great for your wedding party, or a unique bridal shower activity.