In part five of our series “When a Wedding Planner Gets Engaged”, I want to talk about what no one tells you about flowers. A lot of couples I work with love flowers, but really don’t know what goes into the cost of flowers and find out that they are pretty expensive! This can potentially blow your budget wide open!

While planning my own wedding, it was clear that I really wanted to have nice centerpieces and an awesome bouquet because I LOVE flowers and they are so much part of what I do as a planner/designer. Even though I am in the industry, I was still amazed at how much flowers could cost even with flowers are in season.

Photo Credit: Dee and Kris Photography

We all love flowers but no one really likes to talk about how much they cost. I am sure you got sticker shock when you met with the florist and then they gave you a breakdown of how much it will cost to make the wedding look beautiful. The following breakdown is based on averages. The actual costs can fluctuate depending on where you live, what time of year and what type of flowers you are having.

CEREMONY

$300 – One Bride’s Bouquet
$20 – Groom’s Boutonniere
$750 – Bridesmaid bouquets (six at $125 each)
$25 – Fresh flowers for bridesmaid hairstyles
$80 – Groomsmen boutonnieres (four at $20 each)
$40 – Father and grandfather boutonnieres (two at $20 each)
$90 – Mother and grandmother corsages (two at $45 each)
$50 – Ring bearer’s basket
$40 – Flower girl’s basket of petals
$300 – Ceremony arrangements (two displays at the altar)

COCKTAIL HOUR

$275 – Escort-card table arrangements

RECEPTION

$1,500 – Dinner table arrangements (ten at $150 each)

$220 – Floating candle arrangements (fifty-five at $4 each)

DESIGN

$600 – Floral design fee

THE GRAND TOTAL: $4,265

(excludes setup, breakdown fees and taxes)

As you can see the grand total is over $4,000! Why are flowers so much? Flowers are tied to the market rate. It is very similar to when you go to a restaurant and see lobster on the menu and it says “Market Rate”. Flowers are based on petroleum prices; so when petroleum goes up, so does the price of flowers because farm tractors, farm equipment, greenhouses and the transportation and delivery of the flowers to market all involve petroleum. Florists are not trying to gouge you with the design fee. The design fee is a fee in which you pay for the florist’s expertise and experience. It’s not a good idea to try and “haggle” or “negotiate” this fee because the person who is designing your flowers brings a great deal of experience to the plate in order for your wedding to look beautiful. As I said, this is an average cost. Prices differ based on many variables.

The last thing I would like to cover is that make sure that you are clear on what type of design you would like. If you are wanting a rustic theme, let your florist know. Have open communication and if there is something that you don’t like or not sure about, ask! The florist is there to help you and wants to do everything humanly possible to make you happy with their work. There is no such thing as a stupid question!!!