Home >
ARTICLES
2. Budgeting your Wedding Flowers
In this article we will give you tips for budgeting your Wedding Flowers.
Flowers can certainly set the mood for your Wedding party. Their beauty, and elegance will take your breath away. The scary part about this is that in Vancouver at least, they aren’t cheap. Some are grown locally and some are imported, but with either option, you could spend a big chunk of money if you run into the wrong florist, or if you don’t have a budget prepared for this.
A great florist will help you get the best for your. They will advice and help you find the right floral combination for your event, without hurting your wallet.
Here are some tips and a list of items to budget for:
a) Bridal Party flowers: These will be your Bridal bouquet, Bouquets for your Bridesmaids, and maybe even a toss-away Bouquet. You will also need a Boutonniere for the Groom, and some for the Groomsmen. You might want to add Boutonnieres for ushers, MC, grandparents and brothers. The ladies can also carry a wrist band corsage, or a pin-on one. And your Flowergirl might carry a basket with petals, a pomander/kissing ball or a small bouquet.
b) Ceremony Flowers: These is a very important part of your budget as they will accentuate the area where you will actually get married (and that’s what the wedding is about, right?). A lot of pictures will be taken during your Ceremony and Flowers in this area will provide the atmosphere for the rest of your event. Basic items are a set of tall arrangements (one on each side), pew decor, petals for the aisle, aisle runner, podium/altar decor, entrance decor. Consider things like: a) is there an altar? Is the ceiling low or high? Will the ceremony be outdoors or indoors? is there a lot of other decoration in the area or church? Are we allowed to have décor on the pews, podiums, altar, chairs or floor/grass? Can I reuse these arrangements and incorporate them into the Reception? Is there an alternative to fresh flowers? (At Katsura Designs we offer a few silk alternatives for Ceremony flowers. Your guests will not look at them up-close and the quality of what we offer in silk is supreme. It is a great way to keep your wallet happy and also it is a great environmental option for Eco-weddings).
c) Reception: Although a lot of your pictures will be taken during the Ceremony, your guests will spend more time at the Reception venue. The most important items would then be: a) Guestbook Décor (wow your guests and say “welcome!” with a beautiful arrangement at the entrance of your venue). b) Centerpieces: low ones, tall ones, candelabras, crystal bowls, vases with floating candles and so on. Your imagination is the limit. But remember, your guests will be looking at the centerpieces for a few hours. c) Headtable décor and d) Extra tables (buffet, cake, gift, etc).
Summary of the basic items that you could include in the budget, and an average price for each category (based on Katsura Designs' most quoted items):
*Bridal Bouquet: $120-$200
*Bridesmaids Bouquets: $40-$70 each
*Toss-Away: $30-$40 each
*Boutonnieres: $5-$10 each
*Corsages: $10-$30 each
*Flowergirl: $20-$50 each
*Ceremony Decor: $300-$900 (average of $500 for two large pieces, with pedestals and urns/vases)
*Pew Decor: $7-$40/pew
*Petals for Aisle and/or tables: $80-$220
*Guestbook table: $50-$190
*Centerpieces: $25-$190 each (our most requested ones are $40-$70 each)
*Headtable: $150-$350
*Cake: $40-$180
*Others: (hair pieces, honemoon suite decor, buffet tables, etc)
You can choose the amounts that you feel most comfortable with and figure out a total budget for flowers. This will help you choose the items that are a “must have” and the items that you can scratch out. Having a budget will also help your florist offer you designs that won’t exceed your plan.
Now, add the totals of the items that you selected from the list above:
- Your Subtotal is: $
- Pick up or Delivery: Our fees range between $15-$40 depending on your location:
- Set-up:Katsura Designs charges $90-$150 depending on the size and amount of items. Special price will be given when also booking rentals (chair covers, overlays, etc). Delivery charge is included in the set-up.
- Return of rentals or Take-down: Katsura Designs has a $100-$180 fee (depending on the time and location)
- HST:
- Your Grand Total is:$
Make as many changes as you'd like until you have a total that fits your needs. Once you have this total, you can move on to the fun part: Choosing your Designs!
Notes: Set-up and Take-down fees can be adjusted depending on the amount and size of the items that you include in your order. If you also book rentals, these fees will be lowered or waived.
We hope this article can help you budget your flowers!
Happy planning,
Katsura Designs
