Ohhh this is going to be a good one and potentially a tad controversial. Say it with us, “Flowers are expensive.” Listen, even as a wedding florist myself, I find that flowers can be expensive, especially when bought in large quantities for big events like weddings. When you pile on all the added shortages, shipping increases and issues, and other things it seems never-ending. Fear not though! We are here to help you maximize your floral budget! Truthfully that is one of the biggest parts of our job aside from creating bouquets and arrangements of course. So let’s dive in! HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR WEDDING FLOWER BUDGETThe first thing we like to look at is what are your floral needs, not wants. Harsh, I know. But it is the cold hard truth. Items like bridal bouquets, bridesmaid bouquets, and boutonnieres are often seen as must-haves, which we typically agree with. However, it has become more popular amongst our couples to nix the extended personal flowers that go to parents, grandparents, officiants, flower girls, etc. Some couples even go as far as to cut all the boutonnieres for everyone! Cutting those extra flowers for your family and officiant from your proposal has saved some of our couples $400-$600! Photography: Ellen Sargent Photography The second place we often see couples saving money is centerpieces. While the fewer centerpieces you need, the less money you will be spending is still our number one rule. We have been getting really creative with our couples and doing 2-3 different centerpiece styles per wedding. We are still creating those large grand elevated arrangements that really make a statement but we are also sprinkling in smaller centerpieces like a few bud vases and votives or candles and greenery. Choosing more than one style of centerpiece not only brings a fun added visual element but also is friendly to your budget. Photography: Ellen Sargent Photography Another great way to maximize your flower budget is to decrease the number of different types of flowers in your bridesmaid bouquets and arrangements. Monobloom bouquets and monochromatic bouquets are very much coming on trend for 2023 and can be very budget-friendly. For example, we typically use 9-12 different blooms and greenery in a bouquet, and by removing just one type of filler flower or greenery you can potentially save 5-7% on your overall budget. We promise there are so many ways to make that all rose bouquet look modern and timeless. It doesn’t have to resemble the one your mom had in the 80s or 90s. Check them out below! Photography: Jordan Jankun Photography, Zack Griswold Photography, Illume By far one of our most popular ways couples have been saving money on their wedding flowers is by repurposing ceremony pieces in the reception space. We do want to give a big warning though because not all ceremony items are able to be reused and not all arbor pieces will look good once cut down from the arbor and laid flat on a table. Arrangements like aisle flowers in particular are easy to repurpose for the sweetheart table, bar, by the band/dj, etc. If you have a moveable arbor think about moving it to a corner in your reception space to make a photo-op moment. Another great repurpose item would be your bridesmaid bouquets. We don’t recommend using them as centerpieces as they can look a little tired after they have been out of the water and moved around a ton. However, they are great for places like bars, bathrooms, cake tables, welcome tables, etc. One last thing to note on this is depending on whether or not you have the manpower to move these items yourself, you may have a small added labor cost from your florist to cover their extra time on site to move the items. Below you'll see an arbor flower piece repurposed in front of the sweetheart table and after that aisle flowers repurposed for the sweetheart table again. Photography: Moho Photo, Gold Wing Photography Our last tip on how to maximize your flower budget is to trust your florist! Cliche, I know but it is the truth. When we suggest using some more traditional blooms like carnations in your arbor or big install pieces it is because it can drastically save you money. Carnations cost around 2.50/per stem while garden roses cost around $15.00/per stem. We, of course, aren’t putting them on full display but rather using them as supporting blooms in the backdrop. Maybe adding in a pop of color or just adding to the overall fullness. We will of course still be using garden roses in your bouquet but trust us even our most luxurious high-end weddings have some budget-friendly blooms tucked in. Peep the full circle arbor below with peonies, garden roses, stock, ranunculus, and carnations! Photography: Jordan & Amy Demos Have any more tips we missed? Drop them in the comments below and let us know if you will be using any of these tips to help maximize your floral budget?!
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Please note this post may not be up to date pricing as the 2022 and 2023 wedding season flower shortages have effected the pricing from both local farms and large wholesalers. We have seen anywhere from a 10-15% increase on the cost of wholesale flowers and greeneries. This is often a question a lot of couples come to us with, “How much do wedding flowers really cost?” or “How much should I spend on my wedding flowers?” The answer to this question is completely personal and something individual to each couple. There are a ton of different wedding blogs and websites out there saying you should spend only 8-10% percent of your total budget on flowers. While that % could be totally accurate for you and for individual situation, we find that couples we work with tend to spend a little more, somewhere in the 12-15% even up to 18%-20% range. So let’s break it down! What does a $1,500, $3,500, $5,000 and $10,000+ budget look like. Please remember these examples are based on an in season wedding in New England with roughly 4-6 attendants on each side and roughly 100-125 guests. This of course does not include tax, delivery or any breakdown fees. $1,500 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: hydrangeas, sunflowers, alstroemeria, tulips, stock, gerbera daisies, mums, standard roses, carnations, leather leaf fern, lemon leaf, isreali ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $215-$235 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $105-$125 Boutonniere: $18-$19 Centerpiece: $40-$50 Couples who have around a $1500 budget usually pick up their flowers or have them delivered to their venue. (We do not offer setup weddings or full service weddings under $3500.) This means we create all the bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces and other flowers for you and deliver them to you ready to use. This is a great option for couples who are on a budget or are looking for an affordable, easy and convenient flower experience for their wedding. Typically couples who opt for this are not very picky about flower choice. They typically have a color palette and style but aren’t set on having a lush peony bouquet. Photography by: Great Impression Portrait Studio $3,500 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: peonies, ranunculus, astilbe, anemone, delux roses, garden roses, lisianthus, dahlias, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $275-$295 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $145-$165 Boutonniere: $20-$21 Wrist Corsage: $45-$55 Centerpiece: $125-$150 Arbor: $325-$475 Couples who spend around $3500 usually have a simple setup wedding. This means all the bouquets, boutonnieres and other wearable flowers are delivered to site ready to be used. The other items such as the arbors or more elaborate centerpieces are assembled on site the morning of the wedding. Typically these are centerpieces that involve loose greenery runners and small amount of other florals in the form of bud vases or blooms tucked into the greenery. The arbor is typically a medium to large sized top corner arrangement with a mix of flowers and greenery. Photography By: Darling Photography $5,000 Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: peonies, ranunculus, astilbe, anemone, standard roses, garden roses, lisianthus, dahlias, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus. (Typically the same flowers as above) Bridal Bouquet: $275-$295 Bridesmaid Bouquet: $145-$165 Boutonniere: $20-$21 Wrist Corsage: $45-$55 Centerpiece: $195-$245 Small Arrangements: $75-$95 Arbor: $625-$825 Greenery Chandelier: $245-$265 You’ll notice the cost of the bouquets and other personal flowers stayed the same. We find couples who have roughly a $5,000 budget opt for more lush centerpieces and arbors. If their venue allows they will include a greenery chandelier or two. Some couples also opt to add in smaller arrangements throughout the venue in places like the bar, dessert table, bathrooms and welcome signs. These weddings are typically done as simple setups or full service weddings. Simple setups just like the one above do not require us to come back for a strike. However, if a couple opts for items such as a greenery chandelier or other install, we consider those full service. A small strike fee would be added to the bottom of your estimate to cover our time and travel back to the venue after your event to clean up and breakdown these items. Photography by: Ellen Sargent Photography $10,000+ Budget Most Common Flowers and Greenery Used: lily of the valley, orchids, gardenias, king proteas, xerographica(large air plants), blooms from the category above that may be out of season, eucalyptus, huck, olive, italian ruscus Bridal Bouquet: $365+ Bridesmaid Bouquet: $195+ Boutonniere: $25+ Wrist Corsage: $70+ Centerpiece: $285+ Other Floral Details: $950+ Arbor: $1250+ Aisle Flowers: $450+ Floral Chandelier: $5250+ Large Floral Install: $1,500+ Couples who have a larger floral budget like this, are almost always booked as a full service wedding and are booked for a weekend instead of a single day. We call them “Exclusive Weddings”. This means you are our sole focus for the week! We do not book any other weddings the week of your wedding so that we can focus solely on you and your special day. With a budget like this we are able to create some stunning flower walls, flower entrances to a tent or grand staircase designs dripping in greens and flowers. Couples also opt for larger arbor installs with flowers and greenery typically wrapping around the entire arbor or most of it anyways. They also usually have lavish aisle flowers and elevated centerpieces or lush garlands. While this may not be the majority of our couples, they are sure to stand out. Photography by: Coryn Kiefer Photography Still not sure where you fall on the budget spectrum? That is totally fine! We’d love to setup a complimentary consultation to help you set a budget and create some gorgeous wedding florals.
Schedule your complimentary consultation below. Today we had the pleasure of speaking with a couple of amazing wedding photography pros! These pros are here to give us their best advice from selecting your wedding photographer to the must-have photos on your wedding day and beyond. Let's introduce these amazing wedding pros quickly before we jump into the fun stuff!
Amelia, the owner of Amelia Marie Photography, is based out of Burlington, Vermont but serves all of Vermont, New England, and beyond. Amelia is truly an adventurous soul and is not afraid to jump in headfirst for her couples. Amelia has that warm personality that just invites you in. You will truly leave any session with her feeling like you've made a new friend. Ellen, the owner of Ellen Sargent Photography, is based out of Boston, MA but has some very strong ties to Vermont as she grew up on the shore of Lake Champlain. One of our favorite things about Ellen is that she has mastered the art of simultaneously streaming a Boston Bruins game while catching up on the most recent episode of The Bachelor. We have worked with Ellen numerous times on weddings and her talent has never ceased to amaze us. We were recently featured on Vermont Weddings with Ellen after she reached out to us for a Surprise Spring Mini-mony for some of her amazing clients. Check out the feature here! We curated a list of questions for Amelia and Ellen and they so graciously answered them all in great detail.
Thank you so much Ellen and Amelia for letting us #AskTheExperts and breakdown some photography questions. We have worked with Amelia and Ellen many times and a lot of photos in our portfolio actually belong to them. We highly suggest you check them out if you are in the market for a wedding photog. We will leave links to them below! Who do you want to see us chat with next? Venue Owners? Caters? Bakers? Let us know in the comments. Ellen Sargent Photography Amelia Marie Photography |
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