cost of bouquets?

[janinegirly]

got the invoice from the florist--still can''t believe how expensive flowers are!

$300 for bridal bouquet (white roses/ a few calla lilies)

$200 for each centerpiece (high ones since we have a large room, but small wedding)

Are these prices standard? I know I''m in an expensive area, but shouldn''t flowers cost the same wherever? I''m told roses/lilies are seasonal flowers..

 

[robbie3982]

I think my bridal bouquet is only cost about $150 for about 3 dozen hand tied red roses. I'm in Pittsburgh.

ETA: we're not doing floral center pieces, but my bouquet price includes a free toss bouquet.

 

[neatfreak]

Hmmm...I don''t know where you are, and it greatly depends on the amount of work involved with what you are asking for, but that seems really expensive to me! Roses and Calla lilies are somewhat seasonal, i.e., they are cheaper when available locally, but I think that they are two of the few flowers that ARE available consistently year round. I have 4 pricelists from my mother''s wholesaler (for 4 seasons) and they are on every one and not a huge price difference.

At least that is what the wholesaler was telling me the last time I went to the flower market with my mother. They''re in MA BTW if that helps anything.

 

[E B]

My bouquet is going to be ~$50. But I''m paying for the flowers only. I got a deal from an up-and-coming floral designer who''s building her portfolio.

 

[janinegirly]

that''s what i was afraid of. I''m marrying in NJ. I purposely chose seasonal flowers, and kept my bouquet simple (no fillers, nothing but the flowers. I like the classic look, but also thought it''d keep prices reasonable.
same for bridesmaids except flowers are in burnt orange.
now she''s telling me it''s $300 for my bouquet and $110 for bm''s? I hate getting ripped off, but wanted to check in here first to see if I''m off base.

anyone else have price of bouquet w/similiar flowers?

 

[basil]

My florist quoted me $185 for seasonal blooms and berries, not otherwise specified. I wouldn''t think that roses and callas would be that expensive!

We''re trying to stick with a small-ish floral budget cause I splurged too much on other things, and I''m still trying to work out a centerpiece in the $50 range...it''s tough!

 

[sumbride]

It''s mostly where you are...

I''m getting married in East Texas. My bouquet is hand-tied in-season flowers... hydrangeas, roses, dahlias and stock... price $97. If I tried to get that in DC, it would be at least double. It''s only a very small portion of my flower budget though, so he may have cut me a deal on it... not sure. It did stick out in my mind as being really cheap. My BM bouquets are about $35 a piece.

 

[FireGoddess]

My friends did my centerpieces but I remember my bouquet quotes ranging from $150 to $300.

 

[San Diego Bride]

i got married in san diego.

my bouquet was $135 for all calla lillies. here is a picture of my bouquet. we used it for the centerpiece on our sweetheart table during the reception.

 

[San Diego Bride]

our centerpieces were $36 each. they consisted of 3 vases (rented) of varying heights with glass pebbles and submerged flowers in each. the flowers varied per tables... gerbera daisies, mokara orchids, tulips, dahlias and cymbidium orchids. the vases were arranged on a round mirror and surrounded with votives. there were also rose petals sprinkled on the tables.

 

[surfgirl]

The price of your bouquet depends on what type of flowers are in it. You mention they are in season but what are they? Because, for example, even when peonies are in season, they''re still very expensive.

 

[janinegirly]

i mentioned that they are roses and calla lilies. mostly roses.

same for bm bouquets...

no fillers, no berries, just cut flowers tied together.

 

[Class n Sass]

I''m in NYC and my bouquet is going to be $175. I also have roses and calla lillies in mine. My table centerpices are $125 each and are going to be high because of the size of the room.

 

[janinegirly]

hi class! may i ask who your florist is? do you know if they''re reducing # of flowers in order to give you such great prices?

i think my florists'' prices are ridiculous! thanks so much for the feedback!

 

[Fancy605]

I don''t think you are getting ripped off at $300 for a bridal bouquet. It does sound a little steep, but I would imagine it is due to the fact that you live in a pricey area.

You say you are having a simple bouquet with no filler. That will drive up the cost because using filler means you need fewer flowers to make the bouquet look nice.

It seems to me roses are a mid priced flower. They seem to average around $3 a head (There are of course some vendors who charge considerably less if you can find them).

Calla Lillies on the other hand are expensive. They seem to average at $7/head. Mini callas aren''t that much cheaper. They tend to be around $5/head.

I am actually using roses, mini calla lillies, stephanotis, and lisianthus in my bouquet, and it will be about $150 or so (lisianthus isn''t very expensive, I''m having very few calla lillies, and the area I am in isn''t too expensive). My BM bouquets are the same thing, and they will be $45 or 50.

$200 for each centerpiece sounds expensive, but it is probably because of the flowers you are using. What will they be like?

 

[labbielove]

I am in Western NY state,
and my bouquet is 24 black magic roses $125

so to me your bouquet sounds a bit pricey, although not sure how much callas add to the cost.

we''re not having centerpieces so can''t say on that,

but i definitely believe you get what you pay for (from a good florist) so it really does depend on the market in your area

 

[cara]

The bulk of the cost of flowers is not the wholesale cost of the flowers - its the labor for arrangement, the transportation and storage facilities, and setting them up under a fairly strict timetable. All of those costs are going to reflect your local living costs and not the wholesale cost of flowers.

So yes, those prices sound high, but not "ripped off" high, depending on how many flowers are in each bouquet/centerpiece and how much labor is involved in your "high" centerpieces.

Ask your florist how many blooms she is using, and if she has any suggestions to bring the price down. And, unless you are already signed on, get another quote from another florist if only for bargaining power.

 

[sparkel]

Hi,

I actually work at a flower shop and to be honest although the markup on wedding flowers appears very high, most shops do not usually turn a large profit on weddings. There is a lot of ''spoilage'' that happens as a reputable shop will only use ideal flowers for wedding work and discards anything that does not meet their standards.

In addition the time that the florist has to spend with you to create your wedding concept also factors into the price, they need to find a way to help cover the cost (often many hours of conversation by the time everything is set) of their time that they have spent with you.

If you would like some price comparisons anything that you see bouquet wise in a Martha Stewart wedding maganize is generally $200-$400 Canadian. If you are concerned with the price talk to your florist and let them know that you find that price a little high. They can suggest things that will help lower the price while keeping the look that you want. What they have quoted you may be for a massive bouquet and you could maybe have something a little smaller. In addition the centerpieces that you have described are likely resonable if they are massive, huge arrangments are challenging to make and require a ton of flowers.

I think though that you need to make sure that if you go with a ''cheaper'' florist make sure that they can still deliver something that you will be happy with and that their skills are up to par. Often times the price that you are quoted is reflective of the skill of the florist.

HTH
Rebecca

 

[Class n Sass]

Hi Janinegirly,

I''m using Flowers by Bernard...718-987-3635.....I have to say she does beautiful work and I have received many recommendations. I met one woman who said her daughter''s arrangements were still beautiful even once she returned from her honeymoon...That was impressive!

 

[wolftress]

I ordered my bouquets from a family friend, so the prices she quoted me are as close as possible to cost price.

Bridal bouquet - $100 for a posy of classic red roses
Bridesmaids bouquets - $75 for red mini-gerberas
Flowergirl bouquet - $10 for miniature bridesmaid''s bouquet
Throwing bouquet - free
Flowers for the cake - $50 for red roses
Groom''s buttonhole - $10 red rose
Groomsmen''s buttonholes - $10 each for mini red gerberas
Mum''s and Dad''s buttonholes - all free

Altogether it cost around $350.

Hope this helps!