Floral on a Budget – Updated May 2022

We work a bit differently around here. There is no set pricing on wedding and event floral. Why? Because budgets and expectations vary so greatly among couples. We try to work within your budget and try to fit the pricing to what you would like and can afford. However, even the most basic of wedding floral will probably cost you at least $1000. This is typically $1000 using florals and vessels that you have purchased, and doing it on your own.

Flowers are like dresses in many ways — you can spend $1500 or $15,000 — it all depends on what you are looking for and how much you are willing to spend. Most average sized weddings (15-20 tables) with modest floral and perhaps a few more substantial pieces will run you at least $2500. It may seem like a lot at first blush, but many florists won’t even touch a wedding below a certain price point, which may seem counterintuitive for some, because business is business, right? Well yes, sort of, but not really. When you consider how many hours go into preparing for weddings and designing floral pieces, it all starts to make a little more sense. If a wedding takes two people 4 days to put together, that’s the equivalent of 8 days of wages that need to be paid out before any of the other considerations, like the actual cost of flowers, supplies, sourcing, delivery and overhead, never mind the possibility of making a little bit of actual profit. So, yes, business is business, but do the quick math … if a job doesn’t pay the bills, and you essentially have to work for free, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to take it on.

So where does this leave you?

You can get some beautiful floral on a tight budget, but if you would like fresh centrepieces and and additional larger pieces, try to budget at least $2500 for your wedding/event floral. There are some options that will cost you less, but the floral won’t be large and lush.

While you can’t get diamonds on a rhinestone budget, you can get some beautiful pieces to accent your decor and add to the overall feel and look of your wedding. Keep this in mind when you are trying to decide what you would like and how much you are going to spend.

If you’re still not sure, and want to get a sense of what floral generally costs, have a peak at some of the ready-to-go arrangements at your market or local shop. You might be surprised by the pricing, especially when you consider both the type and quantity of floral you are seeing. While you might be able to get a great price on your wedding floral, try to keep the prices of those small floral pieces that you would purchase for a birthday or other occasion in the back of your mind. This will help orient your thinking around what to expect when you are building a budget and choosing your florist.

Something to keep in mind with the current pricing… The base cost of flowers, floral supplies and vases/vessels have (in some cases) almost doubled in price over the past few years because of the impacts of the global pandemic… increased inflation, supply shortages, as well as increased shipping costs, means higher pricing on pretty much everything. In other words, the item that might have cost you $50 two years ago, is going to cost you much more today. This will also apply to food costs, attire, and even invites, as there is currently a world-wide paper shortage. Small businesses are doing the best they can. The ones that continue to operate are doing so at a higher cost, and chances are they are already offering you the “best” pricing that their set up allows for. Be mindful of this when you receive quotes and estimates, and also be prepared to be flexible because some things may not be available at your price point. Be aware that some items may seem overpriced, when in actuality they are not for the current economic climate. However, they might be outside of your personal price range now and may not longer be a viable option, so be prepared to scale down if you have a tight budget, and inquire with a few different florists to get a feel for pricing in your area.

Here are a few examples of some of the more budget friendly floral options you can expect from a studio like ours: 

$30-$40 Range

A simple arrangement of bud vases on an inexpensive charger plate or beveled mirror with a few votive candles:

If you are using harvest tables, this look works well with a garland of greens running down the centre. Garlands usually run around $17-$24 per foot, but can be more, depending on the type of greens that are used. Eucalyptus will make your garland fuller, for instance, but is a bit most costly than some of the other greens, so will impact the overall cost.

Don’t want your pieces to disappear in large spaces? Consider using coloured glass with simple floral. Interesting glass can add a punch of colour to your tablescape without the high cost of full floral. It can also compliment modern-rustic and boho themes. Add a wooden slab and table number for a complete centrepiece.

Tip: Three different heights works best, and will help your centrepieces look balanced.

Candles and candle holders are a great way to fill space and accent decor. They are also cost effective and are usually provided as rental pieces by you florist. Renting items helps keep costs down and ensures that you have long burning candles in your arrangements. You can also add a bit of bling at a reasonable cost by renting runners to accent plain table coverings. Organza and plain satin are the most cost effective, sequins and embroidered pieces will cost you more.

$50-$80 Range

Smaller floral pieces or short sections of garland with an arrangement of floating candles:

    

$70-$100 Range

Smaller “duos” or longer garlands (4-6 feet long):

Medium arrangements with footed vases:

If this is more your taste, but you can’t afford to put an $120+ arrangement like this one on all of your tables, consider using something like larger light-up orbs (pictured in the background) on alternating tables to help off-set the cost. We provide these as a rental option to fill in the gaps or add an extra touch of bling. You can also rent fancy pants votive holders (with long-burning candles) for around $4-5 each. Small touches can help give a luxury feel, at a lesser cost.

$120+

Larger arrangements, tall arrangements and ceremony pieces:

Tall centrepieces are beautiful and can really help balance a space, but they tend to be priced significantly higher than lower table arrangements. A piece like the one pictured here, runs somewhere around $140 with the base rental, but can be slightly more or less, depending on the floral and type of base.

Even larger arrangements, like those used for ceremony decor, tend to start at around $200.

There are lots of options for the budget bride. You can mix and match a few larger pieces with smaller ones and fill-in decor with non-floral items that go along with your theme or colour palette. Keep in mind that floral designers, like us over here at Hello Poppy, will work with you to help you figure out how to stretch your dollars by choosing different set-ups and combinations of floral. We can do lots of great things with smaller budgets, even though it might look a little different than what you first had in mind.

The best place to start

Share your vision and your budget. Once your floral designer has a sense of this he/she can share some ideas of what they can realistically do within your budget, and perhaps offer up some ideas and options that you hadn't considered.

To find out more about floral pricing, check out the previous blog post entitled “The Skinny on Floral” or contact us if you would like to chat!