How much do wedding flowers cost?

guide to wedding floralsFAQ
Written By Hannah Quimper-Swiderski

Buckle up, we’re talking wedding flower budgets! How much do wedding flowers cost in Alberta? Why do they cost so much? What will my budget get me? All excellent questions! The cost of wedding flowers mainly comes down to quality, experience and time. A more experienced florist that works with the highest quality florals may come at a higher cost, but is a surefire way to avoid disappointment on your wedding day. Read on for a little behind-the-scenes of wedding flower pricing and breakdown of what you can expect for your budget.

why do wedding flowers cost so much?

  • Quality: A professional florist will bring in high quality, florist grade flowers. Think long, sturdy stems, and large, full blooms. I also take into account the ethics and sustainability of the farms that grow the flowers, which typically comes at a higher cost. For more information about where I get my flowers, you can check out this blog post.
    A florist will also have higher standards for a bridal bouquet or other wedding designs than an everyday arrangement; it’s typical to order in extras in order to hand-select the best blooms, and to spend extra time designing to ensure that it’s perfect.

  • Labour: In addition to the highest-quality flowers, your florist and their team put hundreds of hours of labour into each wedding order. The amount of care and precision needed to execute wedding flowers that meet our standard far exceeds an everyday flower order.

    • Months before the wedding
      Consultations, creating proposals and recipes, ordering and communicating with wholesalers and growers, sourcing containers, ribbons and other hard goods,

    • The week of the wedding
      Receiving and processing the flowers, preparing containers, designing, packaging, delivery, setup, and teardown. 

Like any other business, a florist has to account for staff wages, packaging, transportation, studio rent, utilities, insurance, and other overhead costs. You’re never just paying for the flowers! 

what will your budget actually get you?

You’ve likely got a rough idea of how much you want to spend, but what will that budget actually get you? I’ve put together some general outlines of my most commonly requested items. Of course, this is just to give you an idea - the type of flowers, size, and style of the designs play a big part of the actual total, but I hope it’s helpful for you in your wedding planning journey!

$2,000 - 3,000: the essentials

This budget is perfect for intimate weddings or if flowers are not a priority for your wedding decor. A potential order could look like:

  • Personal Flowers: Bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages or other wearable flowers for you and your wedding party.

  • Ceremony Pieces: A stunning focal point for your ceremony. Think a pair of statement arrangements for either side of the altar, or floral accents for your arch.

$3,000 - $5,000: a floral touch

A great choice if you want to add florals throughout your ceremony and reception for a beautiful and cohesive look. This budget range could include:

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Pieces

  • Reception Flowers: Petite centrepieces to elevate your tables, or a few lush, impactful arrangements for more intimate weddings.

$5,000 - $8,000: flower forward

If you envision florals as a key part of your wedding decor, you’re in the right place! This budget range could include stunning, custom florals throughout your day, or a showstopping, focal installation piece with essential 

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: A stunning and impactful focal point for your ceremony. Flowers for an arch, statement arrangements, or even a custom installation. This could include florals to line the aisle or mark the entrance to the ceremony space.

  • Reception Flowers: Full and lush centrepieces, or an abundance of petite arrangements for your tables and anywhere else you may need.

This is our client’s average investment.

$8,000 - $15,000+: floral abundance

Let’s go all out and immerse your wedding in flowers! This could include florals for all aspects of your wedding, and large-scale, abundant designs like floral installations and lush table florals. The possibilities are endless:

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: Abundant and impactful florals for the ceremony backdrop and aisles.

  • Reception Flowers: Lush table centrepieces, floral table meadows or other flower-forward tablescape designs.

  • Floral Installations: Hanging installation, floral pillars, or other custom, large-scale pieces to add extra wow factor.

  • Anything else you’ve been dreaming about!

budgeting tips

  • Prioritize: Consider what’s the most important piece of your floral budget. Maybe a large floral installation is your dream and table centrepieces aren’t as important to you. 

  • Consider Impact: It might seem counter intuitive to choose a few large arrangements or statement pieces over many small arrangements, but the larger pieces can be more impactful and memorable for your guests, helping to maximize your budget.

  • Repurpose: Your ceremony designs can often be repurposed for your reception in different ways. Ask your florist about this during your consultation, as it will require extra planning and designing on their part, and they can advise you on what’s possible.

A good florist will be transparent and honest with you about what is possible, and can help guide you towards florals that compliment both your vision and your budget.

Curious about what we can create together? Let’s chat! More information about our weddings, including our inquiry form, can be found here if you’re ready to get started.

About HQS FLORAL

Photo by Evangeline Belzile

Hey! I’m Hannah, owner, lead designer, and the hqs in HQS FLORAL. I’ve been working in the floral industry since 2013, mainly in retail flower shops before starting my own business in 2021. My focus is on creating artfully arranged florals for weddings and special events in Edmonton, Alberta and beyond, specializing in elevated colour palettes and texture-forward details, always with sustainability in mind. I also love sharing my skills and the joy of floral design through workshops! Read more about me here <3

Just a little disclaimer that I don’t use generative AI on my website, socials, or blog. So please disregard any typos :-)

Hannah Quimper-Swiderski
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How to prepare for a wedding flower consultation