Image by Amy Shore Photography
Choosing the flowers for a wedding is one of the most enjoyable parts of the planning process. It’s a time to get creative and think about how the big day is actually going to look, and how a venue is going to be transformed from ordinary to exceptional.
To begin with though, we have to acknowledge the fact that getting married is expensive. Unless you intend to sneak into a register office on a Monday morning with a couple of witnesses and then go to work, this milestone event is going to cost you money. From a floral perspective, it’s highly unlikely that a couple will ever spend so much money on flowers again!
The cost of wedding flowers is like the elephant in the room. Couples don’t like talking about it, and much of the wedding industry seems to be ignoring it. A lack of discussion about what wedding flowers actually do and can cost leads to a huge amount of frustration, misunderstanding and embarrassment for florists and clients alike. A serious lack of information about the work involved for a wedding florist isn’t helped by the media and bridal press telling couples to ask for discounts and special packages, and saying they can have it all on a budget of £500!
In the floral world, allowing 10% of the overall wedding budget is a good rule of thumb. How much you spend will also depend on the flowers used, the number of arrangements, the location and the work involved. Apart from the flowers, labour will (or should) be the biggest additional charge in you floral quote. With the average cost of a UK wedding now costing £30,000, setting aside £3,000 might seem like a colossal amount of money to spend on flowers. Of course no-one is saying you HAVE to spend this much, but my advice is to keep that 10% figure in mind, and you won’t go wrong.
It’s important to remember that certain flowers will always more expensive, and only available at certain times of the year. Elaborate designs can be very labour intensive, and additional costs such as hire items, transport, petrol, staffing and VAT can increase the final cost dramatically. As an experienced florist, part of my job involves advising my couples on costings, and what actually goes into actually providing the flowers for their celebration.
I spend many months preparing for a wedding, sometimes more than a year. The run up to a wedding can involve months of site visits, design meetings, quotes, re quotes, adjustments and mock ups of final designs. A wedding day for me can have a 4 a.m. start to prepare the bridal flowers, and a 1 a.m. clearance because the venue insists on everything being taken away at the end of the night. It’ the unglamorous side of my job that has to be costed into the final fee.
So let’s talk figures. What should you expect to pay for your wedding flowers? Here are some guide line prices that I hope will help you with you floral choices. This general list includes -
Bridal Bouquets - depending on style and complexity £85.00 - £150.00
Bridesmaids Bouquets - from £45.00 - £75.00
Buttonholes and Corsages - from £7.00 - £20.00
Flower Crowns - from £30.00 - £60.00
Large Ceremony Arrangements - from £175.00
Arches - from £350.00
Table Arrangements - Low from £60.00 - High from £125.00
A good florist will always advise and help you manage your floral budget, but please be honest with them about how much you have to spend. Remember the adage, “Champagne Taste, Beer Bottle Pocket”!!