How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in Today's Market?
Whether you're planning an intimate garden wedding or a romantic rooftop celebration, flowers are used to enhance your overall wedding style and design. From bride and bridesmaid bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages to ceremony decor, centerpieces, and your cake - wedding flowers typically make up a large portion of your wedding day decor. Traditionally, about 10-15% of your wedding budget is devoted to wedding flowers. So, before you go wild with your Pinterest inspiration board, make sure to consider the following cost breakdown and money-saving tips from local Southern California floral designers and experts.
“One of my favorite parts about being a floral designer is being able to create art out of flowers. I love being able to take the couple's personality and style and create something custom and special for them.” -Mindy of Primrose & Petals
What is a Floral Minimum?
When communicating with potential floral designers, you will likely encounter ones that require a floral minimum. Simply put, a floral minimum is the minimum budget a vendor will accept in order to work with you. This is a common practice that ensures the highest quality suppliers and blooms are used to create your arrangements. It also protects the floral designer when custom ordering stems they cannot resell. Not every designer has a minimum spend and will depend on the individual design studio.
Photos by Nicole Catherine Photography, Floral Design by Primrose & Petals
Average Cost of Wedding Flowers (Southern California)
Full Aisle Arrangements: Range from $2000-4000
Aisle Floor Arrangements: Range from $150-500 each
Ceremony Arch (Medium-sized Floral Sprays): Range from $100-400 each
Full Ceremony Arch Coverage: Starts at $50-100+ per foot depending on fullness - Can range from $2000-8000
Arch Rentals: Range from $100-500
Bridal Bouquet: Range from $150-350
Bridesmaid Bouquets: Range from $75-150 each
Boutonnieres: Range from $15-30 each
Corsages: Range from $20-35 each
Standard Centerpieces (60"-72" Round): Range from $110-400 each
8-Foot Table Floral Garland: Range from $250-800 each
8-Foot Table Greenery Garland: Range from $120-200 each
Candle Options: Many floral designers have an inventory of options at an additional rental fee.
**The above prices will vary depending on the individual floral designers and availability, the look/style of the arrangements, the types of flowers used, the season, the container/vessel, and how many stems are used, etc.
Photos by Nicole Catherine Photography, Floral Design by Primrose & Petals
"Each event is totally unique. There are so many styles and trends that make pricing such a huge range." -Casey of Flower Duet
What Services Does a Wedding Floral designer Provide?
Most reputable wedding floral designers will provide an initial consultation call for you to discuss your wedding floral vision, design ideas, and chat about your options. You then will receive a detailed proposal with the total cost of services and floral contract to reserve your date. They will then order, receive and store your flowers leading up to your big day. Some designers include mock arrangements, venue site visits and delivery/set up and clean-up in their packages while others may charge an additional fee for those services. Be sure to ask your floral designer these 10 Questions before booking!
Check out our Floral Design & Wishlist Template to guide you even further with a step-by-step design template to send to your potential florists.
Photos by Taylor Kinzie Photography, Floral Design by Primrose & Petals
"Prices are up across the board for everything -florals, labor, transportation, candles, and vessels. Florists will charge more for you to take the vase home because supply chains are still very tough!" -Emma of Leta Verbena
How to Save on Wedding Flowers
Discuss your budget with your floral designer.
Flowers should generally range between 10-15% of your total wedding budget. Make sure you discuss the numbers with potential floral designers in your initial consultation call. They can help you set priorities and offer alternatives to ensure you stay within budget!
Opt for seasonal flowers or bigger blooms.
Think supply and demand! During each season, particular flowers will be in bloom and thus more readily available giving you the best bang for your buck. Similar to choosing seasonal, you can opt for bigger blooms to increase fullness without having to increase the number of stems.
Less is more!
Sometimes in design, less is more and flowers are a great way to incorporate this concept. Instead of having extravagant arrangements at each table, shoot for 1-2 "wow factor" moments. Emma of Leta Verbena suggests, "Focus on the areas that are photographed the most - your bridal bouquet, ceremony, sweetheart table (and repurpose the ceremony to the sweetheart table to save a bit of money!)”
Repurpose flowers from the ceremony to the reception.
One of the best ways you can save on wedding flowers is by repurposing the arrangements you already have! Check out these 5 Ways to Repurpose Your Wedding Florals.
Choose a venue with natural beauty.
If you're going for a lush look without the heavy price tag, look for a venue that provides its own natural beauty! There are many outdoor venues here in Southern California that provide panoramic views and private garden landscapes that don't require a fancy floral backdrop. Need venue recommendations? Check out the 6 Best Outdoor Wedding Venues in Los Angeles or the Top Outdoor Wedding Venues in Conejo Valley for inspiration.
Keep an open mind.
Amazing things can happen when you allow creative freedom! Trust your floral designer and their expertise to bring your vision to life with the budget you provide.
