Setting a Realistic Wedding Floral Budget

by Kaitlynn Putnam

We all know that planning a wedding can be stressful, time consuming, and not to mention…. expensive. It’s never easy talking about money, but determining a budget before hand is crucial for setting realistic expectations, and especially helpful when planning with your florist.

So how should you structure your wedding budget?

1. Determine the total budget you are willing to spend on your wedding.

2. Decide which wedding services are most important to you. For example, some couples choose to have a large, beautiful venue over full service catering. Others, a large wedding arch of flowers instead of centerpieces for all the tables. Whatever you choose, make sure you carefully think through which elements are most important to you.

3. Put a generous amount of your budget towards those items that are highest on your priority list.

4. When reaching out to vendors for their services, be realistic and flexible. Most vendors are more than willing to try to find ways to work within your budget, but doing so may also require some flexibility on your part.

Now, let’s say that you’ve determined flowers for your big day are at the top of your list! As a florist myself, I find that the majority of clients that come to me aren’t even sure where to start when setting a budget for flowers. If that’s you, don’t worry! It’s common and more than understandable to be unsure about exactly what you are looking for. Your florist is there to help!

When pricing out flower arrangements, florists have a variety of factors they need to take into consideration. Because of this, many florists choose not to share pricing on their public sites and opt for clients to “request a quote.”

When I first started Sweet Afton Floral, I knew I wanted to do things differently. From the beginning I have made it my goal to be transparent with clients about pricing. Since opening this business 4 years ago, I’ve created multiple resources for inquiring parties; such as, a budget calculator, lists of average prices, and several blog posts breaking down pricing and everything that goes into providing flowers for clients.

You can view my resources here: www.sweetaftonfloral.com/investment www.sweetaftonfloral.com/budget-calculator https://www.sweetaftonfloral.com/for-couples/ alookbehindweddingflowercosts https://www.sweetaftonfloral.com/for-couples

Although those resources listed above are the most comprehensive, here are a few basics to keep in mind when budgeting for flowers:

1. Flowers go through an entire lifecycle - literally - before even making it into your florist’s hands! There is a very good reason flowers can be costly. From the farmer’s cultivation and care of the flower stems, the length of time they take to grow, harvesting each stem, properly packaging and distributing the stems to wholesalers, each flower goes through quite the process before making it to the florist. Once there, the florist puts in more work before they can begin the creative process - processing (stripping leaves, fresh cut, and fresh water) for each stem, storing and keeping the flowers cool and fresh, and, finally countless hours of design and setup to make your floral dreams a reality!

2. Florists charge what we need to charge. This is our livelihood. You’re not only paying for our services and the time we put into your wedding, but also our artistry/brand, which we’ve worked very hard to create.

3. Cost of floral arrangements will vary most often based on the following factors:

• Flower types

• Labor and design time

• Style

• Size of arrangements

• Florist’s experience level

4. Every florist prices differently for a variety of reasons. In my experience, florists in Utah tend to charge within the following price ranges:

• Bridal Bouquet - $300-$450 each

• Boutonniere - $15-$30 each

• Bridesmaid Bouquet - $75-$150 each

• Corsage - $25-$40 each

• Flower crown - $50-$150 each

Ceremony and Reception flowers are difficult to assign an average cost, simply because designs can vary greatly from wedding to wedding.

• Centerpiece - $25-$200 each

• Garland - $15-$85 per foot

• Cake flowers - $30-$150

• Arch - $275-$4000

• Petals - $25-$65 per bag

• Welcome signs - $60-$250

• Vase arrangement - $60-$150 each

5. COMMUNICATE with your florist. Be honest with them about your budget and ask for their counsel as needed. Floral designers know the floral industry better than anyone and will have the best guidance and ideas! We have a lot of experience working within budgets and know how to make each and every wedding beautiful!

6. TRUST your florist and have an open mind! We have worked with a lot of flowers! Trust us when we give you suggestions. And, if you feel comfortable with it, we love when we are given creative liberty and aren’t forced to work within tight expectations.

Planning wedding florals doesn’t have to be difficult or stressful. It can be a creative and exciting process! The biggest keys to success are making sure you maintain open communication with your florist, and are upfront with your expectations. I promise you that most experienced florists will try and do the same and will be grateful for your understanding and openness. Happy wedding planning!

Sweet Afton Floral www.sweetaftonfloral.com facebook and instagram: @sweetaftonfloral