How does one go about defining a budget for wedding flowers? There is a common rule of thumb that flowers can cost 8 to 10 percent of your entire wedding budget. And it is common place for many Bride's to spend such that. I suppose this estimate may shock some especially if they already have a $30,000 event in front of them without the flowers. It is quite easy to see the flower budget grow as you lay out the many places you'd like to dress with beautiful, romantic, stylish bouquets from the church to the reception tables. Let's look at the overall picture when it comes to the flower industry.
First of all, it is common place to decorate a wedding with flowers and candles. And to bring it to the next level of wow by turning to tall cascading designs is one's own preference; hey if you have it, flaunt it. While an average table centerpiece comes in at $50, you might see many flowers at a local grocery store that can do the trick for $13. Good Luck finding the many similar varieties you'll need as well as finding them in usable conditions. The grocer buys from a local flower market in mass quantities and has their florist break them up in groups of 3's (you actually get less flower stems in one bunch now than you did 2 years ago). Thus, if you do the math, a stem still costs you over $1.25 in not so good condition and from a massive corporation swallowing up family owned flower shops and artsy floral designers trying to make a modest living. Here lies one reason to turn to your designer. Support your family owned businesses.
Ultimately, why are bouquets over $100 and into the $200's? Everyday when we walk into our flower market we as designers see a rise in cost for what we must spend to bring them to you. Also, the weak dollar drives costs as well as poor weather conditions. Exotic flowers from Thailand and Hawaii cost more to fly them here with cost of fuel, and of course, out of season blooms are a pretty penny when the market has few places to turn to in order to provide one with their 'peony' dream wedding. Taking this into account and the hours shopping the just perfect blooms, coupled then with the handling and preparation of the precious stems, requires care, attention and understanding.
Prepping the flowers not only means placing them in water. Stems must be cut just right, foliage removed and stems cut again and again to 'draw open' the blooms that make the bouquets. This isn't true for all flowers. Some require tight wrapping to ensure straight stems, others need very little water to avoid peeling stems. In essence, one can spend 2 hours prepping the flowers for the designing stages. Gathering the selectively chosen flowers takes more time. One cannot assume the bouquet will take its' shape in one try, nor not shift as additional flowers are added. It takes a patient hand and a good eye for color and texture to form a rhythmic flow of flawless petals and blooms in the style the client requests, and if they twist and fall out of place, one may start the process over.
After bouquets are made, a delicate hand continues the process to yet another bouquet in just the right shades as the first. And then comes the 15 boutonnieres, and 15 corsages, all perfectly wired and gathered, then ribbon tied and pin embellished. Phew, are you feeling the exhaustion yet?
Nonsense, we love it! Ribbon wrapping is the fun part, much like wrapping an expensive gift just right? Would you wrap a diamond in tissue paper? Satin ribbon is preferred here and layers of it with multiple colors shows modern and may be more time involved, but completes the bouquet.
Is this entire process mess free? Most designer shops have a barrier between the client and the 'back' where it all happens. Floors are a mess, and one might think one has had a flower fight. Petals are everywhere, water, wire, pins, thorns, cut stems, beheaded flowers, and maybe body parts with those unskilled (cutting stems sometimes cuts fingers).
With all of this said, I'd leave the flowers up to a true, passionate floral professional; fleurLILY Chic Wedding and Event Styling, one who knows the industry, is fluent in flowers, and knows how to turn your eye candy magazine $300 bouquet into a more realistic expense of $175 to $200. Don't dissect the bouquet to figure out the cost per stem, it cannot be done because there lies a design story and history behind its' making to place it in YOUR hands to cherish!
First of all, it is common place to decorate a wedding with flowers and candles. And to bring it to the next level of wow by turning to tall cascading designs is one's own preference; hey if you have it, flaunt it. While an average table centerpiece comes in at $50, you might see many flowers at a local grocery store that can do the trick for $13. Good Luck finding the many similar varieties you'll need as well as finding them in usable conditions. The grocer buys from a local flower market in mass quantities and has their florist break them up in groups of 3's (you actually get less flower stems in one bunch now than you did 2 years ago). Thus, if you do the math, a stem still costs you over $1.25 in not so good condition and from a massive corporation swallowing up family owned flower shops and artsy floral designers trying to make a modest living. Here lies one reason to turn to your designer. Support your family owned businesses.
Ultimately, why are bouquets over $100 and into the $200's? Everyday when we walk into our flower market we as designers see a rise in cost for what we must spend to bring them to you. Also, the weak dollar drives costs as well as poor weather conditions. Exotic flowers from Thailand and Hawaii cost more to fly them here with cost of fuel, and of course, out of season blooms are a pretty penny when the market has few places to turn to in order to provide one with their 'peony' dream wedding. Taking this into account and the hours shopping the just perfect blooms, coupled then with the handling and preparation of the precious stems, requires care, attention and understanding.
Prepping the flowers not only means placing them in water. Stems must be cut just right, foliage removed and stems cut again and again to 'draw open' the blooms that make the bouquets. This isn't true for all flowers. Some require tight wrapping to ensure straight stems, others need very little water to avoid peeling stems. In essence, one can spend 2 hours prepping the flowers for the designing stages. Gathering the selectively chosen flowers takes more time. One cannot assume the bouquet will take its' shape in one try, nor not shift as additional flowers are added. It takes a patient hand and a good eye for color and texture to form a rhythmic flow of flawless petals and blooms in the style the client requests, and if they twist and fall out of place, one may start the process over.
After bouquets are made, a delicate hand continues the process to yet another bouquet in just the right shades as the first. And then comes the 15 boutonnieres, and 15 corsages, all perfectly wired and gathered, then ribbon tied and pin embellished. Phew, are you feeling the exhaustion yet?
Nonsense, we love it! Ribbon wrapping is the fun part, much like wrapping an expensive gift just right? Would you wrap a diamond in tissue paper? Satin ribbon is preferred here and layers of it with multiple colors shows modern and may be more time involved, but completes the bouquet.
Is this entire process mess free? Most designer shops have a barrier between the client and the 'back' where it all happens. Floors are a mess, and one might think one has had a flower fight. Petals are everywhere, water, wire, pins, thorns, cut stems, beheaded flowers, and maybe body parts with those unskilled (cutting stems sometimes cuts fingers).
With all of this said, I'd leave the flowers up to a true, passionate floral professional; fleurLILY Chic Wedding and Event Styling, one who knows the industry, is fluent in flowers, and knows how to turn your eye candy magazine $300 bouquet into a more realistic expense of $175 to $200. Don't dissect the bouquet to figure out the cost per stem, it cannot be done because there lies a design story and history behind its' making to place it in YOUR hands to cherish!
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