How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in Canada?
Alison McGill from The Kit approached me to share my thoughts on the flower costs for weddings in Canada. There are a lot of sites that provide information on wedding budgets for the US, but nothing specific to Canada and even less information on how Canadian weddings are impacted by the pandemic. You can read my excerpt along with other wedding professionals on thekit.ca: Wait, A Wedding Costs How Much?
I didn’t realize how much I had to share about the topic until I got started. Below are some questions Alison McGill asked on the topic of wedding flower budgets.
what percentage of a wedding budget should be allocated to flowers?
It's first important to decide, what's a priority for your wedding day? You may want minimal floral elements or you may want a wedding filled with floral installations, those require very different budgets. For example, let’s base our percentages on a $80K wedding budget. For couples looking for just the basics; small wedding party, guest count less than 150 and no installations, a comfortable floral budget should be between 5-10% (4K-8K). For the couples looking for that Instagram worthy wedding, where a hanging installation or a lush floral arch is a priority, a good budget would land between 15%-20% (12K-16K). This may look higher than what most popular blogs are suggesting, but the reality is, after this pandemic the costs of flowers are increasing.
What factors influence the cost of flowers?
There are many factors that contribute to pricing of flowers. One of the main influences are the pricing of the flowers themselves! The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the flower supply, there is high demand and low supply which is inflating the costs of flowers.
One cost that many don't anticipate in their floral and décor budget is the set up and teardown fee. Floral design is much more than placing flower centerpieces on a table, it's labour intensive. First, renting a van and meticulously packing it so that it doesn't break those delicate stems, takes time. The expertise and skills it takes to make sure that the hanging installation or floral arch doesn't fall during your wedding cannot be overlooked, so hiring and fairly compensating that experienced team of floral professionals is paramount. Does your venue have stairs? You want 50+ floating candles that are required to be filled with water on site? Is your wedding 2 hours away? Also, let’s not forget the teardown, coming to your event at 1am to collect and clean all the rentals has to be compensated for. Those are just a few factors that could influence the cost of your wedding flowers. Designers will have their own process of charging, some will charge a percentage, a flat fee or an itemized list. Either way, for a full service wedding, know that you're paying for your flowers AND to have them delivered, set up and collected.
What are the basic florals pieces we’d recommend for a wedding?
The bare minimum that we’d suggest for a couple is to at least have their personal flowers and focus on the reception. Your wedding photos will consist mostly of personal flowers, so make sure to invest there. Your guests will be spending most of their time at the reception, so I always recommend investing on the second portion of the day. So that would mean centerpieces and some sort of floral feature for the head table.
Why are floral installations expensive?
One floral feature that most couples are looking for is that floral arch or hanging install but they are priced high because of the labour and expertise it takes to create them. A hanging installation for example, requires a lot of flowers and material to create a substantial piece. When you’re hanging an installation off a really high ceiling, a tall ladder just won’t do, at times a scissor lift has to be brought on site and only a trained and licensed professional can operate it. Depending on how elaborate an installation is, it could require a full day thus requiring us to be onsite the day before your wedding. I will say installations are beautiful and a favourite of mine, it gives floral designers the opportunity to really showcase their skills and art. But it’s important for couples to know, you’re not just paying for the flowers but also the materials, equipment and the time required for the install, all these things affect the final pricing.
what are smart ways to have a floral filled wedding on a limited budget?
Again, focus on what is most important to you. If the couple's budget can accommodate it, I like to include a floral arch, it can be repurposed in so many ways. It can be reused behind a head table, a photo op for guests or a beautiful way to decorate the entrance to a tent. For indoor ceremonies, I would recommend using your guest centerpieces as aisle markers. But I will add this disclaimer, I wouldn't recommend it for summer outdoor ceremonies because the heat from the sun can damage the flowers, by the time the reception starts, the centerpieces will start to look beat up from the sun damage earlier in the day.
There’s this myth that garlands are cheap alternatives but it’s just not true, that eucalyptus garland we see on Pinterest can be just as expensive as a flower centerpiece. So, when a floral budget is tight, I always suggest using bud vases as centerpieces and adding in candles. Finally, I always suggest using seasonal and local flowers, those are the best options for affordable flowers.
Have prices for floral designers been impacted by COVID?
Yes, as I mentioned earlier, COVID has had a real impact on floral prices. With the pandemic, more people are staying home and are wanting to send flowers to each other or themselves to connect. This has caused a higher demand on the flower supply than ever before.
Earlier in the year, many growers in South America were experiencing very poor weather for growing flowers. Also, in North America, there has not been enough sunlight for local growers to keep up with demand. Bad weather conditions means low supply of flowers.
Lack of freight options are another aspect, because people are travelling less, there has been a lack of air transportation for floral wholesalers. It's been increasingly difficult to get flowers, and the cost of shipping has increased 2-3 times in the last year.
With things slowing opening up and wedding and events starting to happening, the demand of flowers has increasing even more! This has resulted in a higher price of flowers and difficulty getting the flowers we actually need. I know designers are doing the best they can under circumstances and are asking for some compassion and flexibility during this difficult time. My advice to couples is to fall in love with the style or mood you’re trying to create for your wedding, and don’t set your heart on one particular flower and you’ll be amazed at what your designer will do for you, you’ll avoid disappointment and totally be blown away!
Image Credit: Darby Mitchell Photography, Kayla Yestal, Ashley Bosnick, Brandon Scott Photography