This is a post I've been meaning to write for a while.. but you know, time flies when you're having fun! However a recent trend in enquiries, and some Q & A on instagram made it my top priority. There seems to be so much confusion around the cost of wedding flowers, and I totally understand it! Instagram is flooded with so many beautiful weddings, with gorgeous florals, but no one ever talks about the cost behind those pics. Most people have never had a wedding to plan before, and there are so many variables involved in wedding flowers. Flower choice, location, season, date... it's a really unique industry to be in. We work on tight deadlines with a perishable item, it can be super stressful! I also get that weddings are EXPENSIVE! Everything adds up quickly and planning a wedding is a huge life expense. I planned my own wedding, and we'd just bought a house that needed massive renovations. Literally the bathroom walls fell in a month after we moved in! We had a few dinners of toasted sandwiches trying to pay for it all!
So I thought I'd be totally transparent, and share some weddings (with brides permission) and their price ranges. So you can really see what budget you need to create a certain look/style. I'll delve into the WHY it costs what it does also. A great rule of thumb is 15-20% of your wedding budget for florals. But of course that depends on how important flowers are to you on your day! I've had brides who wanted masses of flowers and allocated generous amounts to creating this, and I've had brides who were just happy with a simple bouquet to carry. It is YOUR day after all!
I love working with brides that put their trust in me to create something unique and beautiful for their day. Being a wedding florist is a wonderful job and I can't imagine doing anything else, but it can be highly stressful and hard on your body. We work long hours, on our feet. And at the end of the day we need to be paid for our hard work & experience, just like anyone else. Love of your job doesn't pay the mortgage unfortunately!
So lets start with the behind the scenes part, the part that you don't really see but is just as important as the end product. We typically will start our journey with a couple with a consultation or email enquiry. We compile a quote and work out costings behind your vision. Once a quote is accepted we book you in and reconcile your payment against your invoice and send you a receipt. From here, we may chat via email a few times, about additions to invoice or removing items that are no longer needed. We will also chat to wholesalers about availability and pricing. Flowers are very much like fruit and vegetables, the prices fluctuate with supply and demand as well as seasons. We often contact the venue as well to get setup/ packdown times and any regulations they require. There's also alot of workshop chat about upcoming weddings, "maybe we should try this, did you see this flowers started its season it would look amazing in that wedding next week.."
We also deal alot with quarantine and import issues. We can have grand plans for 500 stems of a certain variety of rose, but if a plane is delayed, or there is quarantine issues, we start from scratch with usually little notice.
Leading up to the wedding we will have a consultation to check everything on order is correct and you don't need any changes. We will send a final invoice and start compiling a flower order, sundries needed list and book staff in for the date. Occasionally we will also need to hire another van if its a large wedding, or even book a mobile coolroom if the weather is predicted to be hot. So as you can see its alot of work before the flowers even arrive! Every vase and candlestick is cleaned, counted twice and packed safely to get to the wedding safely.
When the flowers arrive we cross check orders to make sure everything has been delivered to standard - there is sometimes weeks some flowers aren't quite the right shade etc and are sent back and we organise replacements. Everything is processed (stems cut, leaves removed) and flowers needing refrigeration are placed in the cooler. Then we start designing your dream flowers! On the day, we deliver your bridal party florals, setup your ceremony and reception. We work quickly and cleanly to not impact your venues work schedule. The next day we often have items to pickup from a venue, bring back to the studio, wash/ clean and put back in storage.
Now the interesting part, what do wedding flowers actually cost?
I've collated some wedding photos to show a few different price points, and what was included. Most couples who choose us for their florals spend between $3000- $6000.
*** THESE PRICES ARE INDICATIVE OF MY BUSINESS AND ALL FLORISTS WILL CHARGE ACCORDING TO THEIR EXPERIENC & OVERHEADS****
BRIDAL PARTY ONLY $1500- $2500
If flowers ain't really your top priority, or your budget is a little tight for masses of blooms, beautiful bouquets can still be affordable! For bouquet only packages we also offer a pickup service from our studio
INCLUSIONS (example only)
1 bridal bouquet
4 bridesmaids
7 buttonholes ( groom, 4 groomsmen, 2 dads/ family members)
2 corsages (for mums/ family)
Throw away posy ( for bouquet toss)
SIMPLE BUT STUNNING $2500-$4000
This wedding was held at Ravensthorpe and incorporated the brides English heritage with some Aussie touches.
INCLUSIONS 1 bridal bouquet featuring king protea, imported and local garden roses, eucalyptus foliage and accent flowers
2 bridesmaids
8 buttonholes
2 pageboy buttonholes
2 corsages
6 posies for ceremony chairs
10 guest tables with a wood slice (provided by venue) 3 jars of flowers and tealights
1 bridal table long and low arrangement
Cake flowers
Throw away posy for bouquet toss
Delivery of flowers, setup and packdown following day.
Above pics by Anchor and the Sea
ABUNDANT AND LUSH $4200- $5000
This gorgeous wedding was held at Crooked River Winery in Gerringong. Bridal prep, ceremony and reception were all in the same location. We created a dark, moody palette and we used premium blooms such as peonies and phalanopsis orchids. The bouquet was our typical abundant style. Flowers were important to this bride so we focused on show stopper flowers and florals being the main decoration of the wedding. This is a style/ price of wedding we do most often.
INCLUSIONS
1 bridal bouquet featuring peonies, phalanopsis orchids, premium garden roses, luxe foliage and imported roses
4 bridesmaids
6 buttonholes
Florals on arbour (arbour provided by a stylist)
Welcome sign florals
30 cones of rose petals in a basket
Arrangement on signing table
Bridal table featuring florals running down table, candles and florals on stand behind table
12 guest tables with a gold geometric cube, flowers matching bouquets cascading out. Accented with tealights
Cake flowers
Throw away bouquet for bouquet toss
Delivery, setup and collection of hire items following day
Above pics by Alana Atkins Photography
FULL STYLING SERVICE $7000- $8500
This wedding at The Rift Bowral was a super special one - it was my besties! Being an amazing designer herself, we spent months refining every detail. This wedding was abundant in florals, even though there was only 55 guests in attendence.
INCLUSIONS
1 bridal bouquet of premium roses, peonies and locally grown blooms
2 bridesmaids bouquet
6 buttonholes
1 flower girl bouquet
Large floral arrangement for grazing table
Abundant ceremony pieces - then moved to reception space
Large arch fetaure arch behind bridal table
Head tablescape of multiple flower arrangements, candles and bud vases
2 long banquet tables of footed floral arrangements, bud vases and massed candles
Seating plan florals
Welcome sign florals
Cake florals
Delivery to Bowral
Packdown following day, disposal of excess floral waste
SUPER LUXE FULL SERVICE - $12,000 -$15,000
This wedding was again at Ravensthorpe and I designed the whole concept from beginning to end. All decorations from candles, florals, lighting, stationary was designed by me with a vision board for the couple. The theme was romantic and classic, with a feeling of bringing the beautiful gardens of Ravensthorpe inside the marquee. The couple decided on a colour palette and mentioned they'd love a feature piece and I designed from that. It was a huge amount of preparation, lots of site visits to check measurements, weight loads and custom designed rigging was fabricated to base our floral design. We had 6 staff work 3 x 10 hour days on this wedding.
INCLUSIONS 1 bridal bouquet of premium flowers, peonies, garden roses, imported roses, delphinium, sweet pea
3 bridesmaids bouquets
7 buttonholes
3 corsages
1 flower girl posy & crown
Welcome sign florals
30 cones of petals for tossing
2 x 2m tall flower stands for entry to ceremony (later moved to entry of reception)
3m long hanging installation over centre of room
6 x 2m flower arrangements creeping to roof to create "garden" effect
Arbour behind bridal table covered in blooms with 2 x vintage chandeliers
14 tables, alternating with
-a low abundant floral arrangement on footed stand
- 3 candle boxes with foliage surrounding and flower heads
Lush bridal table with masses of candles, flowing flowers and foliage
Assorted candles on every table
Wishing well florals
Florals on custom designed seating chart
Cake Flowers
Table numbers
Delivery, installation, packdown and disposal of excess waste
Full exclusivity of wedding date
SOME POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN BUDGETING FOR FLOWERS
All of the above weddings (except for The Rift Bowral) were within a 35 minute drive from our studio and had a small delivery fee. Any weddings on the South Coast or Southern Highlands do incur a higher travel fee
Venues that do lunch service prior to your wedding reception may incur a higher cost due to setting up on a tighter schedule. Extra staff may need to be employed to execute this within given time frame
Moving flowers from ceremony to reception is a great idea, but be mindful of distance and weather conditions. Waiting for a ceremony to finish and usually photographs before florals are moved incurs a wait time.
Venues that require end of event packdown will incur a higher fee than a next day packdown.
Working with a colour palette rather than specific flowers is a great idea to create a desired look within budget.
All of our quotes are itemised, so there is total transparency about costs.
I truly hope this has helped you on your journey with wedding planning and budgeting. I have been as open and honest as I can, and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me