How much should I budget for Wedding Flowers?

How much should I budget for wedding flowers? A question I get asked frequently and one that can be a little tricky to answer as there are so many variables that come into play when discussing wedding flowers. However, I will endeavour to do my best in this blog post to provide you with information and guidance to make sure you get the most out of your planning experience and initial consultation with your chosen wedding florist.

When embarking on your wedding planning journey, I appreciate it can all seem a little daunting and overwhelming. Where do we start? Is another question I also get asked a lot! I want to run you through some really important factors that will ensure you get the absolute most from your florist meetings, which will set you on the right footing for the rest of your floral planning process and ultimately leave you with the break taking wedding flowers that you so very much deserve on your special wedding day.

Why wedding florists ask for a budget?

I understand that it can potentially be tricky to set aside a budget for wedding flowers, when for most of you, you would have probably never planned a wedding before. It is safe to say that most couples are unaware how much flowers cost, and why would you be? There are so many factors involved with effectively pricing wedding flowers that is is a completely bespoke experience for each wedding. Despite the potential difficulties that may incur in establishing an initial budget, I think it is absolutely crucial to be able to offer your wedding florist a rough idea of how much you would be likely and willing to spend. This will not only help you get the maximum out of your consultation it will also be super helpful for your wedding florist. When it comes to floral designs, the possibilities are endless! By knowing your budget range a good wedding florist can be sure to quote designs with optimal visual impact, while also being highly compatible with the practical side of things.

Won’t you just spend all my budget if i disclose it?

Well, yes we probably will, but that is the point of discussing the budget. Quite often couples are misled into thinking that if they disclose their wedding budget then we are more likely to spend more money unnecessarily, or spend for the sake of it. For me, it is quite the opposite, by knowing your budget I can make sure that your proposal is tailored exactly to you and ensure that your floral requirements are maximised to give you the most impact on the day using the best quality ingredients and designs that you wish for. I have run my wedding florist business for 12 years and worked on countless number of weddings beforehand for lots of other florists, so have a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to imagining ideas and creating floral scenarios to fit exact budgets.

Create an ‘essentials’ list & a ‘wish’ list:

I recommend creating an ‘essentials’ list of what you are requiring in terms of bouquets, buttonholes, ceremony decorations and venue decorations, and then a ‘wishlist’ for any beautiful extra florals that you would like to include if possible. I always say to my couples to let me know everything that you would ideally love and I will create an itemised proposal based on this. If I know your rough budget at the beginning of the initial planning consultation , I can offer suggestions that will completely align with this and give appropriate alternatives if needs be. I appreciate that at this initial planning stage, you may not have exact requirements and numbers, but an idea of a guest count will help me determine how many tables you will require. Have a think about ceremony florals and large statement pieces as this is where lots of the budget would be allocated. My advice to all my couples is to focus on the larger, more impactful pieces rather than lots of smaller florals that do not create the same interest and impact.

wedding florist price lists & minimum spend:

Just like anything in life, you absolutely get what you pay for and there are a variety of florists out there working to various price points, with various styles & using various types of flowers, so do your research before contacting florists. Some will have a price list on their website, however, lots like me will not. Each wedding is so individual and there are so many variables that will contribute to the overall final flower cost, it really is impossible to give a set price. Lots of florists will have a minimum spend too, which should be obvious from their website. To ensure we provide the highest-quality floral arrangements for your special day, there is a minimum spend of £3,000 for a wedding (although budgets are typically much higher than this). This allows us to dedicate our creativity and resources to delivering the luxurious, bespoke experiences to meet your expectations.

How much should i budget for my wedding flowerS?

Lots of websites or directory will share certain rules about wedding budgets, however I am not sure if I agree with the 10% of your wedding budget or similar ‘rules’. Wedding websites can be completely misleading on how much you should budget, many giving very unrealistic prices, which helps no one as clients are gauging the wrong expectations about wedding suppliers. My couples come to me because they adore flowers and see them as a huge priority in their big day and typically spend anything from £3000+ which would on average consist of wedding party flowers, simple ceremony decorations and tables. However, to design a floral look for the whole wedding, including large scale luxurious flower installations, anything upwards of £6,000+ is to be expected. The Rose Shed provides a premium service bespoke for each couple, and our prices reflect this. They also reflect the limited number of weddings I take on a year, which ensures you get my undivided attention throughout the not only the planning process, but on the day itself. I will personally hand deliver your bridal bouquet on the morning of your wedding and oversea all floral installations of my team ensuring their perfection.

what should i expect to see in my initial flower proposal?

Wedding florists will work in a variety of ways, however I want to explain the way that I create my flower proposals and some of the things you will be expected to see contained within them. Your wedding flower proposal should be itemised with a breakdown of costs per floral item. You should also check that delivery, set up and clear down charges are included. This fee will be clearly itemised on your proposal and take into account mileage and time spent delivering, installing and clearing down your wedding flowers. If we stay throughout the day to repurpose your flowers, this will be included too.

Check with your florist whether there are any extra labour costs? Do they charge VAT? A good florist will make all costs known and there won’t be any hidden costs coming to you as a surprise at a later date. If after receiving your proposal, it is not what you expected, be honest with your florist and give them a chance to rework it, alternative suggestions and tweaks are a natural process to wedding planning. As I said at the beginning of the blog post, it is easier to give all of your floral ideas as a wish list at the beginning and we can then work around this.

I really hope this post has answered the question of How much should I budget for Wedding Flowers? It needn’t be a difficult conversation to determine budget between you and your florist, it is essentially ensuring that you can both work together honestly in order for the florist to create you a beautiful and realistic proposal that is aligned with your wedding flower vision. The planning process should be such an exciting time, that we want to help at every stage possible to make sure you enjoy the experience as much as the wedding day itself! If you would like to book in a wedding flower consultation then I would love to hear from you via my contact page.

Photo Credit: Ryan Goold Photography