Argh to wedding budgets! Arghhhhhhh to even talking about it! 

When it comes to planning your wedding flowers, and where they sit in your overall wedding allowance, things can get confusing and at times overwhelming. Flowers are an expensive item – fact! A luxury item in many cases. But they play such a beautiful role in so many of life’s experiences and for many of us are a key part of the big wedding day. Let’s face it, most of us don’t have a huge bucket of cash to throw at every wedding element, so we need to think about how we can make the absolute most of the allowance we have. And that’s where I come in – Kristen of Kris McKee Floral Design – with “Pick Your Wedding Posies & The Nail The Price Point Puzzle” to lend a helping hand in the wedding floral budget battle!

At the risk of sounding as old as I am, if I had a penny for every time I heard a newly married couple comment on how they blew their allowance, I’d be on holiday somewhere exotic for 6 months of every year! It’s true, that many couples do spend more than they intended, this is because they didn’t do enough research in the early “saving and planning stages”. As they say, knowledge is power!

So regardless of whether you are planning a big, all-out, no sparkle spared wedding, or an intimate affair on a tight purse string, the following points can help you make the most of that hard-earned money.

Some questions to ask yourself during the planning stages…

  • How important are flowers to you?
  • Are traditions important to you?
  • Would you consider alternatives and non-traditional elements to reduce the overall cost?
  • Where are you getting married? What level of decoration does the venue require? Have you chosen a venue for its look? Or is it a blank canvas?
  • Why do wedding and event flowers cost what they do?

Many people often comment on the cost of wedding florals, ‘Why are they so expensive?’ or ‘Oh, they just mark the prices up because it’s a wedding!’. Nope, the cost of wedding florals is what it is for a few very good reasons. Allow me to explain.

The cost is not just per stem. The cost covers many hours of planning, sourcing the best products, designing, and liaising with couples to get things just right. And this all happens months before the actual day. Then during the week of the wedding, your florist is setting their alarm for 4 am and heading to the markets to pick the best stems for your big day. Once the flowers are sourced they spend hours of prep and tender loving care to ensure each flower is up to the task on the day. And then in the lead-up days, and on the big itself, your florist and their team are arranging and install the designs with care and a whole lot of love.

We also need to consider the impact that climate change has had on the environment and in turn how this has affected the growth and availability of the flowers we most love to use in wedding designs, this all affects the price of the flowers from the growers.

What can you expect from certain price points?

The following price brackets are a good starting point when you’re in the planning stages of your wedding. However, remember that there are other factors that can impact the overall cost so the following is just a rough guide and intended only to allow you a point to start planning.

$2000 – small elopement style. Very minimal flowers – focused on personal items such as bouquets, and buttonholes.

$3000 – $5000 – Includes the wedding party’s florals with a small amount for the ceremony and some reception arrangements – suitable for small weddings

$6000 – $9000 – More abundance across the florals, larger scale arrangements – this is the most common spend point.

$10,000 – $13,000 – Abundance, floral statements, and a bit of a wow factor!

$14,000+ – Creating an absolute floral dreamy oasis!!!

Now that you’ve identified your comfort price point and have a better idea of what to expect, how do you make the most of your floral allowance? Here are some key points that can help you get the most out of your money and reduce the chance of overspending.

Choose a Style – Not Specific Flowers

Find a style you love or a feel/vibe you would like to achieve with the florals.  This allows the florist to select the most cost-effective materials to give you exactly what you’re looking for within your price range, rather than setting all your sights on specific flowers.

Can Your Designs Be Repurposed?

It’s really clever to consider if the florals you have at the ceremony can be repurposed at the reception. Can the arbour be moved to the reception? Can the aisle posies be utilised on the guests’ tables? This allows you to really get the most out of the florals, and reduce waste. But you need to talk to your florist about this in the early planning stages. Being able to repurpose a design depends on how it has been constructed, the flowers used, and the florist power required to move it. Not everything can be repurposed. Being open about your desire to repurpose designs allows the florist to design with this in mind.

Choose Seasonal Blooms

Remember, old Mother Nature designed her flowers to be seasonal, and if you are getting something that is out-of-season it’s likely been imported and will be more expensive. Ask for seasonal flowers, they’ll be readily available, and you’ll avoid imports that cost more and have a negative impact on the environment.

Some Flowers Are Premium – Be Open To Substitutions

Peonies are expensive, as are premium roses and orchids.  Using substitutions can really make a difference to the overall cost and, in my opinion, can sometimes look even better. There are so many beautiful flowers available, and it can be fun finding blooms that are a little less commonly seen or expected. Give your guests something to talk about.

Choosing Key Designs

This is where you ask yourself how important traditions are to you, and if they’re not then you might consider selecting just a few key designs, like an arbour or a hanging installation, rather than spreading the flowers thinly across everything. You can also focus your flowers where your photos will be taken to make the most of those photographic memories.

Hopefully, these tips have provided you with some ideas of how you can make the most of your wedding floral allowance. It’s time to reach out to your favourite florist and start planning the big day. Remember communication is key, let them know what your allowance is, and all of the answers to the questions posed above. Trust me, they’ll be impressed and extremely grateful for the clarity and this will make the process a whole lot more fun for everyone.

Now, go forth and start planning!

About Kris McKee Floral Design: Kris McKee Floral Design is an independent florist based in the inner west of Sydney on the border of Enmore and Marrickville. With a strong focus on creating products that are both beautiful and original, we aim to design and produce floral arrangements that bring joy. Using only quality floral materials, hand chosen from the markets, we aim to use locally grown produce whenever possible. We have a strong focus on sustainable practices and make every effort possible to reduce any negative impact on our environment. We create everything from one-off bouquets to abundant and magnificent weddings and events.