Wedding Floral Pricing Explained – And How to Make the Most of Your Floral Budget

Photography: Kristine Herman | Planning: Harlene Events

Planning a wedding or event in the San Francisco Bay Area means endless possibilities — stunning venues, diverse styles, and an amazing group of talented vendors to bring your vision to life. Flowers in particular are a big part of setting the tone for your day. But REAL floral artistry? It holds a special power – to tell a story of your personal style, to transform your venue space, and to create unforgettable memories for you and your guests that will last a lifetime in your memories and photos.

When it comes to wedding flowers, many couples experience sticker shock or simply don’t realize what goes into the cost. So let’s break down what’s behind the pricing and—most importantly—how to make the most of your floral budget.

What Goes Into the Cost of Wedding Flowers?

1. The Cost of Flowers Themselves

Fresh, premium flowers are a luxury item — and like any luxury, they come with a cost. Here’s why:

• Sourcing: locally grown, sustainable blooms often have higher labor costs, while rare, out-of-season imported flowers come with high shipping fees

• A long journey to wedding day: Flowers pass through many hands before they even reach your florist (growers, wholesalers, shippers, and market distributors)

• Rising costs & tariffs: Global supply chain issues and tariffs on imported flowers continue to drive up pricing

2. Time, Labor & Custom Craftsmanship

Unlike a grocery store bouquet, wedding florals are fully custom and require high-touch artistry. Your floral designer and team aren’t just picking out flowers, they’re:

• Crafting a unique design that aligns with your wedding style, color palette, and venue

• Collaborating with your planner and vendor team to ensure a cohesive look and feel

• Handling planning & logistics (floral recipes, ordering, site visits, mockups, and sourcing)

• Staffing dozens of team members to prep, design, arrange, pack, setup, and breakdown just one single wedding (even more for larger installations)

3. Logistics & Transportation

Getting flowers from point A to point B (in perfect condition) is not as simple as tossing them in the back of a car. Your florist is factoring in:

• Refrigerated vans & trucks to keep flowers fresh

• Careful packaging & transport systems to prevent damage

• Drive time, gas, and mileage

4. Waste & Overages

Florists intentionally buy extra flowers to ensure the best quality and account for natural loss – bruised petals, wilty or broken stems. Nobody wants wilty flowers on their wedding day! 

5. Beyond Just Flowers: The Extras that Make a Difference 

Florists often provide much more than just flowers, like:

• Unique vessels and vases that elevate the vision 

• Candles and candle accessories to complete the tablescape

• Heavy duty rental structures for arches and installations

Photography: Catherine Marie Taylor | Planning: Lorelle Events

How to Make the Most of Your Floral Budget

• Work with a planner: A good planner will help you prioritize your floral budget strategically and work collaboratively with your florist 

• Be flexible: Trust your florist! Flexibility on flower types, colors, and rentals allow them to create something really special while staying within budget.

• Repurpose Arrangements: Ask your florist about repurposing florals from the ceremony to the reception (when done thoughtfully, this is a great cost-saver).

• Focus on impact areas: Instead of spreading your budget too thin, invest in high-impact designs (like the ceremony backdrop or an epic reception installation) where flowers will have the most wow factor.

Photography: Stephanie Lynn | Planning: Olivia Grace Events

Let’s Bring Your Floral Vision to Life!

Wedding flowers aren’t just a line item; they’re a work of art that powerfully sets the tone – transforming your venue and creating lasting impressions for your guests. 

Inquire here to schedule a consultation, and we can start a journey together that will elevate your vision beyond the imaginable.

My Favorite Vases for the Home

CB2

One of the keys to living beautifully is bringing nature inside your home.

I love having vases on-hand for clippings from the yard or whenever I treat myself to blooms at the market.

But I’ve found that a lot of the vases we all wind up collecting over the years from flower deliveries or hostess gifts are stock-type vases that have no sentimental meaning, and honestly aren’t the best shape or fit for most arrangement types.

So here are 8 types of vases to have on-hand in your own home, types of flowers and foliages to use for each, the best places to display them, and my favorite places to source them. I hope you enjoy and find this helpful!

—

1 - THE BUD VASE

First thing’s first! Whenever you find yourself with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers, grab 1-3 of your favorite blooms from the bunch and showcase them in bud vases around the house. Bud vases are ideal for smaller nooks and crannies, as they typically fit anywhere from 1-5 stems and are anywhere from 2-6” in height.

Ingredients: shorter or more delicate blooms, like daffodil, grape hyacinth, sweet pea blooms, or dried flowers

Placement: your bedside table, bathroom vanity, or any little nook or vignette that’s special to you

H&M ($4)

Blomus ($25, Set of 3)

Heath Ceramics ($26)

Sarah Kersten ($28)

Notary Ceramics

2 - THE FROGGER VASE

A shallow ikebana-style vessel with fool-proof designated holes or pins that are perfect for a few select blooms or vines. I love how these let the flowers speak for themselves. 

Ingredients: the really really special stuff -- like a honeysuckle vine or a hellebores clipping

Placement: kitchen counter, bathroom vanity, dresser, or bookshelf

Etsy ($32)

D:Ceramics ($38)

Notary Ceramics ($50)

Floral Society ($106)

CB2

3 - THE STATEMENT VASE

You know those big, bold arrangements you see in interior design mags, hotels, and restaurants? A hefty, tall vase starting at 14” in height is the foundation for those. Make sure the vase you pick is extra heavy, durable, watertight and won’t topple over!

Ingredients: big blooming branches found in your yard like camellia, cherry blossom, or quince, and arrangements with large sweeping movements

Placement: entryway table, kitchen island, or coffee table

CB2 ($60)

Pottery Barn ($79)

CB2 ($100)

4 - THE CLASSIC BOUQUET VASE

The bouquet vase is a one-stop-drop when little arranging is required, and a good ole glass vase is classic for this. Go for a vase that’s around 8-12”h. Bonus points for anything that is sourced vintage or from Grandma’s house, and has character, like etched or ribbed glass. 

Ingredients: an all-sided farmer’s market bouquet or incoming hostess gift

Placement: coffee table, dining room table, or kitchen island

Jamali Garden ($13)

Zara ($50)

Pottery Barn ($99)

Louise Roe ($141)

5 - THE PITCHER VASE

This is the best ‘starter’ vase, as you likely already have a pitcher on-hand in your kitchen! This is the closest thing to a one-size-fits-all in my opinion. You can truly plop anything into a pitcher.

Ingredients: tulips, poppies, daisies, dahlias, ranunculus, the list goes on …

Placement: coffee table, dinner table, or kitchen island

IKEA ($15)

CB2 ($25)

Bloomist ($60)

Farmhouse Pottery ($165)

Studio-McGee

6 - THE URN VASE

Anything that’s fluted in shape with a pedestal foot is a classic. While urns can feel more traditional in style, there are a ton of fun and modern ones on the market these days.

Ingredients: big bouquets of hydrangeas, or arrangements with sweeping movement and drapey or viney elements that dance down toward the foot

Placement: dining room table, fireplace mantle, or kitchen island

Jamali ($8)

Etsy ($28)

Studio McGee ($148)

Pottery Barn

7 - THE EARTHENWARE JUG  

V Studio McGee if that’s your vibe. These are generally heavy and sturdy, stone or ceramic, have a more distressed look, and may come with handles on the sides. Ideally 10-12”+h, but with these it’s more about the width and roundness (10-12”+w).

Ingredients: an oversized bunch of olive, tall berry branches, or tree clippings from the yard -- all of which can last weeks in a vase depending on hardiness

Placement: kitchen island, entry way console table, or coffee table

Pottery Barn ($69)

Etsy ($69)

Lulu and Georgia ($71)

CB2 ($40)

Zara ($69)

Pottery Barn

8 - THE FLOOR VASE

A floor vase is a great way to dress up a corner of a room or add some flare to an unused fireplace. Generally these are at least 24”h. Make sure the vase you pick is extra heavy, durable, watertight and won’t topple over!

Ingredients: larger branches or tall dried grasses like pampas -- both last a long time and can become a semi-permanent decor element

Placement: a corner of a living room or beside a (non-lit) fireplace

Crate and Barrel ($90)

Pottery Barn ($99)

Pottery Barn ($199)

SOME MORE OF MY FAVORITES …

Where and when possible, I always recommend first trying your local ceramicist, flea market (cannot wait to get back to Alameda Flea), antique shops, Etsy, or Facebook marketplace to source locally and sustainably. Some of my favorite ceramic shops are D:Ceramics, Sarah Kersten Studio, and Earthen Shop.

In addition to these, here are a few easy online places to source vessels:

Food52

CB2

Pottery Barn

Jamali

Crate and Barrel

Zara Home

H&M Home

Lulu and georgia

McGee & Co.

Arhaus

How to Plan a Modern Micro Wedding During COVID-19, featured on Martha Stewart Weddings

I’ve watched and worked alongside so many couples who have been forced to rework their wedding plans due to COVID-19, whether that be postponing entirely, downsizing their headcount, or hosting their wedding in a loved one’s backyard. I feel for them and the tough decisions they have to make, especially as they grapple with what elements are most important to them. 

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I’m here to say that regardless of your Plan B or C, you can *still* accomplish a killer sense of style for your reinvented wedding day. One way to look at this scenario is to acknowledge that there’s potential for more opportunity to invest in the small, super intentional details that can make a big impact for you and your guests. 

Scroll on to see some examples of ways to do this, including:

• setting the tone for your design from day one 

• nontraditional floral installations that create experiences for your guests 

• how to warmly welcome (cough, spoil) your VIP guests 

• bold moves when it comes to attire and personal flowers 

• smaller but bolder tablescapes to ensure the most memorable celebration meal 

In collaboration with a phenomenal vendor team, I am so excited to share this inspirational editorial feature with you, recently featured in Martha Stewart Weddings. Read the article How to Plan a Chic, Modern Micro Wedding During COVID-19 here for more design tips and inspiration. 

Thank you to the amazing Sarah Eichstedt Photography for capturing these beautiful images.

SET THE TONE EARLY ON 

I love when couples choose an intentional paper suite because it truly kicks off the overall design vibe for their day while getting guests so excited for what’s to come. This clean, modern, and unfussy paper suite from Bourne Paper Co. truly set the tone for this day. 

CONSIDER PETITE PERSONAL FLOWERS 

For an intentional and cohesive wedding day design, keep your color palette simple. For this petite bridal bouquet, I honed in on the palette and the ingredient mix. The anthuriums were bold, but softly contrasted by grasses and yarrow to give this bride an intentional look. The perfect pairing for her more laid back bridal jumpsuit from Amsale. 

A petite arrangement of caramel phlox, smokebush, and grasses dress up the groom's sleek suit and modern turtleneck.

SKIP TRADITION

There’s no wedding rule that says you *must* stick with traditional florals. With this install, Lea Stafford Events and I wanted to work with unexpected plant materials instead of florals to create a natural feeling for an intimate ceremony. The contrast of the soft grassy elements against the concrete pillars made for an impactful moment for guests and grounded the ceremony.

It was really important for me to create something entirely sustainable and foam-free. This was primarily designed using potted grasses and moss, so the install was able to be repurposed (and re-potted!) afterwards.

PUT IT ALL ON THE TABLE 

A smaller table setting does not mean you need to skimp on style! 

For this table setting, I wanted to lean into the contract of these black modern wishbone chairs from Theoni Collection against the soft linens and candlelight. So I added textured flower arrangements in modern shallow black vessels, paired with simple ikebana and bud vase arrangements. The table was the perfect spot to bring the different style elements of the day together for one cohesive design, and floral pieces of different shapes and sizes ensured every guest had something beautiful to sit down to. 

SPOIL YOUR GUESTS 

Favor boxes like these from Bestowe Gifting make the perfect VIP perk to spoil your guests, and are a great way to showcase your unique personality and style. 

LET THEM EAT THREE CAKES 

If dessert is important to you, this is an area you could invest more in with a smaller guest count. These miniature multi-tier cakes from Revelry Cakes made for quite the dessert experience. Accents of peach sweet peas, mauve lisianthus, and grasses added one last touch of micro detail. 

For more design tips and inspiration, read the full article How to Plan a Chic, Modern Micro Wedding During COVID-19 on Martha Stewart Weddings here.

Featured on Martha Stewart Weddings

Floral Design | Anastasia Andenmatten

Photography | Sarah Eichstedt Photography

Planning + Design | Lea Stafford Events

Invitation Suite | Bourne Paper Co.

Rentals | Theoni Collection

Cake | Revelry Cakes

Bespoke Gifts | Bestowe Gifting

Jewelry | Shop Esqueleto

Bridal Jumpsuit | Amsale

Our Wedding Day

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania | October 19, 2018

This section of my website is reserved for my clients, their days, their flowers. So to be honest, I feel real weird writing about my own wedding here. But now that our one year wedding anniversary has arrived, why the heck not? Here you have it, some snippets from the day Marc and I will never forget.

OUR ENGAGEMENT Back up a minute to Marc’s proposal. First he asked my whole family for their blessing while we were all on a trip to his hometown of Saas-Fee, Switzerland. Dad said okay, but that the real permission lied with my twin sister (ha, true). With all the green lights, Marc planned a visit to his family cabin on Lake Tahoe, our favorite place to get away from the city. On a morning walk on the dock, Marc got down on one knee. As I barely finished saying yes, he said he had one more surprise for me. It turned out he had some of our dearest family and friends (including my sister who flew in from Washington D.C.) waiting on the shore. With that, our relaxing weekend really escalated to non-stop celebrations.

THE LOCATION Once we started planning, we looked at countless (really I’m embarrassed to say how many) venues across SF, wine country, Lake Tahoe, and Philadelphia, where I’m originally from. Knowing we’d be hosting guests from all over, we ultimately landed halfway between California and Switzerland, in Philadelphia. The venue we chose is a drive outside the city and a destination in itself. When it came to choosing a date, Fall on the East Coast can’t be beat.

THE CEREMONY We didn’t anticipate a church wedding at first. But Bryn Athyn Cathedral sits on the same property as Cairnwood Estate, our reception venue, and the Reverend there welcomed us with open arms coaching us through the process. He even ended up joining us at our rehearsal dinner and reception. We strayed from some ceremony traditions. I walked down the aisle to Vance Joy’s ‘Like Gold’. We had all of our guests bless our rings and had our parents join us on the altar for a ‘blessing of the hands.’ We both wrote our own vows and sharing those out loud felt really special to us.

We exited the church to an herb toss, then performed a “baumstamm saegen,” a traditional Swiss-German wedding tradition where the bride and groom saw through a log representing their first obstacle to overcome as newlyweds. From there, the brass section of our band led us all on a second line to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ as we walked from the church to the estate.

THE RECEPTION Marc and I have grown to love hosting family and friends over meals, so when planning our day we wanted it to feel like an intimate dinner party — this time just really fancy-pants. Do-able when your venue is reminiscent of a French chateau. Our cocktail hour featured an extra large cheese display topped with mini Swiss flags, aperol spritzes, and hot toddies (a last-minute decision when temps dropped into the 50s). We danced our first dance to Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ performed live by our band.

WHAT WE WORE I wore a backless crepe dress with a bateau neckline, short sleeves, and buttons down the length of an extra long train. I wanted something timeless and comfortable, and this fit the bill. I added a cathedral length veil lined with lace for the ceremony, then slipped into a much more dancing-friendly spaghetti strap beaded dress later that night. Marc wore a custom blue suit by Tailor’s Keep in San Francisco and looked realll handsome.

THE FLOWERS Lauren of Belovely was a dream to work with. With my background, and planning from afar, I decided to give her some direction but then fully trust her with the end result. I wanted to incorporate a natural and organic California aesthetic, so she brought in lots of lush greenery and dried grasses. The main hall featured an asymmetrical floral installation above the fireplace and greenery ran down the length of the staircase. Dinner tables were lined with toffee tapered candles and flower arrangements in a palette of neutrals and terra cotta.

THE SETTING Our reception dinner was held al-fresco on the estate’s back terrace, but last-minute we brought in a clear-top tent with heaters for warmth. The evening spanned across the estate’s different rooms, so fireplaces full of candles, sheepskin throws, long farm tables, and market lights made it feel nice and cozy. Clean, modern table numbers sat in wood blocks handcrafted by Marc’s talented woodworking mom.

OTHER STUFF WE APPRECIATED Our wedding party was ‘non-traditional’ — i.e. we didn’t have one, but asked our closest friends to join us throughout the special moments without any added pressure. We all stayed together at Lokal Hotel in Old City, which made it easy to keep the celebrations going the entire weekend. We wanted out of town guests to feel at home, so we hosted a rehearsal dinner over a family-style meal, and a day-after party at Morgan’s Pier where we all enjoyed the fall weather, football, and games. Instead of favors, we opted for welcome bags with Swiss- and Philadelphia-themed treats. Throughout the weekend, it was important to us both that we bake a few quiet moments just us into our timeline — these moments helped to slow everything down and will always be among my favorite.

Ceremony: Bryn Athyn Cathedral | Reception: Cairnwood Estate | Photographer: Justin Muir | Videographer: Asya Photography | Floral Design: Belovely | Planning: Seeds of Celebration | HMUA: Diana DuHaime — ONLO | Band: City Rhythm | Gown: Pronovias Atelier | Reception Dress: Elliatt | Shoes: Alexandre Birman | Suit: Tailor’s Keep | Jewelry: Alx & Co. | Catering: Sage Catering | Dessert: Weckerly’s Ice Cream | Rentals: Maggpie Vintage | Invitations: Artifact Uprising