Post # 1
Member
3885 posts
Honey bee
I’ve seen a few posts lately where the floral budgets are making my head spin. $2500. $3500. $6000. And more… for flowers!
Our wedding budget is relatively generous and is coming from our own pockets. We’re very fortunate that we can spend this kind of money on what equates to a big giant party. But the floral budget has been a source of pain since the start.
Personally I don’t like the idea of spending any money on something that will look nice for a few hours then end up in the trash can, let alone $1500 or more. My fiance, like many men, couldn’t care less one way or the other about flowers and is leaving the decision up to me. We’re going to have a family friend DIY them for us, and only bridal party flowers, no centerpeices (we’re doing something non-floral for that). And I feel fine with the decision– it’s what works best for us.
But I’m curious about why others choose to invest so much in flowers, mainly because I don’t see them adding a value equal to their cost. I’m wondering if I’m missing something– perhaps something that will reveal itself unpleasantly on our wedding day?
I’m not trying to start a snarkfest here; I’m genuinely curious. To you, what are the flowers adding to your day that make them worth the expense?
Post # 3
Member
3580 posts
Sugar bee
My budget is about $300 (I should probably nix it altogether since we were forced to buy a new computer yesterday, damnit) and I will probably go a over with 5 BMs. I loooooove flowers in my normal life, regularly do arrangements for work and home and feel its one of my gifts that I can enjoy at the wedding, hence the steep discount for buying bulk flowers. 😉 I think the same can be said about food though, right? The food actually lasts for a lot less time but the bride usually wants the best possibe meal for her buck to set an impression and not distract from the event. In fact the flowers can go home as gifts. Now that I think about it, why do we spend money on anything for the wedding since it’s just a day?
edit – I realize I am not your target audience for the post – and your title makes me bust out in backstreet boys.
Post # 4
Member
1736 posts
Bumble bee
I will be honest – I am not paying for my wedding (my parents are). I’ve picked up a few things on my own (dress, invitations, favors) but my parents have insisted on paying the bulk of it. We were quoted at about $4500 for our flowers and really I had little to do with it. Don’t get me wrong, I love what we ended up going with, but I let my Mom drive that process (both her and my father are avid gardeners and I think the flowers are special to them). If we were paying for this ourselves, we’d still spend a fair amount on flowers, but I would probably buy them wholesale and do the bouquets and centerpieces myself!
Post # 5
Member
1064 posts
Bumble bee
What do you consider big? I know some bees spent much more than I. But I did it because I wanted to. It was my wedding and it was important to me. I don’t need much more reason than that. I know the flowers were going to die.. but having fake ones just couldn’t cut it for me.
Post # 6
Member
1144 posts
Bumble bee
My budget, including bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, etc is around $3,500 (or so). Why you ask? Honestly, because the flowers I want tend to be one the more expensive side, I love flowers and floral arrangements and mainly because it’s a tentative estimation so hopefully I’ll be able to come in under that amount! lol
Mind you I don’t consider my floral budget big, so I guess it depends on who you talk to.
Post # 7
Member
212 posts
Helper bee
My floral budget is around 9-10k. I know that is alot of money but I really love flowers. I have fresh flowers and planted flowers all over my house, in my yard etc. I think flowers really add a lot to decor. If guests want to take them home at the end of the night they can do that! I should also mention that I don’t drink and am not too much of a foodie like my fiance is. We are spending a lot on food and drinks and I think that is what makes him excited about the wedding, whereas flowers are what gets me really excited. I can see how some would think this is wasteful but we can afford it and are not going into debt to get married. Maybe I will regret it but ultimately I doubt I will because I just love flowers that much and feel that they provide a great “wow” factor.
Post # 8
Member
481 posts
Helper bee
@fishbone: I have a larger floral budget – my rationale is 2-fold I guess. First, I just love flowers. I always have floral arrangements around my house, every week I buy new flowers to have in my house (plus I spend a lot of time gardening so that I have pretty flowers outside too!). So, it is important to me to have pretty flowers at my wedding. I agree with a PP that flowers really add a “wow” factor. Second, I really don’t think that flowers are any more wasteful than anything else at a wedding (other than a videographer or photographer, whose work lasts beyond the wedding day). Food will be eaten and then will be gone, drinks will be drank and then be gone, rentals will go back to the supplier after the event, etc. So, although flowers die, they are a piece of making your wedding day the way you invisioned it, just like anything else – nothing lasts other than your photos/video. And memories (of which I will definitely remember my flowers 🙂
Post # 9
Member
184 posts
Blushing bee
You think that’s bad?
My brother works for a landscaping/floral company, and he told me that they just had to fill an order for $16,000 worth of roses for a wedding.
Needless to say, there are now about a dozen 18-20-year-old boys at his job that now have a new-found desire to NEVER get married.
Post # 10
Member
5669 posts
Bee Keeper
It all depends on where you live too. I wouldn’t have even been able to buy the flowers to make my own arrangement for $1,500. I got quotes from multiple florists and worked with the one we chose on picking flowers that were in season and much less expensive. However to get a bouquet for myself, BM’s, flower girls, moms, and the decorate 20 tables, it was just more expensive and I didn’t have much control. So all the flowers for the bridal party, minimal flowers for the church, and centerpieces it came to around 4k.
Post # 11
Member
2104 posts
Buzzing bee
I am with you, OP. I scoured the DC metro area to find a florist willing to work for peanuts. We’re paying $790-820 (depending on RSVPs and how many centerpieces we need) for 8-10 tables, 1 bridal bouquet, 2 bm bouquet, 1 toss, 1 groom bout, 3 gm bouts, 2 father bouts, 2 mom corsages, and loose petals for the aisle and cake table. The flowers are primarily blue orchids (with hydrangeas, rose buds, and delphinium). We saved a ton because our centerpieces are water-submerged orchids, so only 6 stems are needed per table. Also, we get to keep the vases they’re housed in, so woo 20-30 vases for our new home!
Post # 12
Member
5976 posts
Bee Keeper
I didn’t plan on having a large floral budget, but it had to be that way b/c of the number of guests we invited to the reception. We had over 30 tables to put a centerpiece on. Each centerpiece was $75, so 30 x $75 was $2,250 alone just for the centerpieces! That didn’t count the 7 bridesmaid bouquets or 7 bouts we needed for bridesmaids and groomsmen. 2 father bouts, 2 mom bouquets, my own bouquet…2 pieces for the church and bows for the pews. We were up to about $4,000 at the end of everything. But the majority of the cost was the centerpieces alone!
Oh and I wanted roses and hydrangeas which aren’t cheap either…so that’s what the cost of those particular flowers were.
Post # 13
Member
2334 posts
Buzzing bee
Because I love flowers. They are beautiful for the sake of beauty- they don’t need to be beautiful to survive, their beauty doesn’t help them live longer, and bees don’t judge their beauty when deciding who to pollinate. Flowers are pretty just because. For this reason, I think flowers are a sign of a special occasion and help beautify a space by just being there.
I know you didn’t mean to be snarky, but I don’t understand the “its just 1 day” or “it’ll only be enjoyed for a few hours” kind of logic. If you follow that reasoning, why not just wear your normal clothes instead of a wedding dress? Why spend $$ on food, when its only enjoyed for a few minutes and will ultimately end up in people’s digestive tract (and beyond…).
My wedding will be a celebration of family and I want to have flowers around me as part of that celebration.
Post # 14
Member
3885 posts
Honey bee
So I guess it really comes to a matter of personal perspective, priorities and values, which is fine by me— different strokes for different folks.
As a comparison, we’re spending a heavy chunk of our budget on catering and open bar. A few reasons behind this— while I understand that food, like flowers, is basically gone after the wedding, I find a high value in the experience of eating. The textures, flavors and other sensory aspects of eating are very important to myself, my fiance and most of our guests. Some of us are “foodies” (a term which I kind of dislike) and some are not, but food is always a focal point of our gatherings. I don’t feel that flowers are the same level of sensory experience; sure everyone can see them and many folks will be close enough to smell them, but I guess in my social circle that just doesn’t have the “wow” factor that a really good steak would have.
Also I was raised with an emphasis on being a good hostess. My mother was not trying to force me into a stereotypical female gender role but rather raising me to be a well-rounded person (and raised my brothers the same way). If you invite someone to your house, you are expected to feed them with the best of whatever you can afford. Anytime someone comes to visit, no matter how briefly, is a special occasion. That’s just carried over into my everyday life and it makes sense that it’s carried into my wedding planning style.
Anyway like I said, different strokes for different folks. I’m just glad I wasn’t missing something really big like “people get offended if there aren’t flowers” or something. I can totally understand the aspect of personal choice: you plan your wedding the way you want it to be, and I’ll plan mine, and we’ll stop looking at other people’s ideas because it just makes us second-guess ourselves!
Post # 15
Member
363 posts
Helper bee
I think it just depends on what you value. You could argue the same thing about food (why not just warm up a bunch of banquet frozen dinners?), about the venue (any space large enough for the number of people will do), or about the music. Personally, I love flowers and to me they will be something I remember. We all have different priorities, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The food will be eaten and forgotten, the music will be played and forgotten, the flowers will be arranged and they will die, etc. Nothing is permanent but the marriage and the memories (and perhaps the photos).
Post # 16
Member
135 posts
Blushing bee
I consider my floral budget to be small. I’m a musician so the most important thing to me about the wedding was music. I spent $200 on a brooch bouquet from Etsy for myself. Then I went to a florist and spent about $600 for 4 Bridesmaid or Best Man bouquets, 1 toss bouquet, 7 corsages, 11 bouts, and 5 centerpieces (the other 10 tables will have something non-floral). Plus I specifically chose a venue that wouldn’t need a lot of extra decoration because I just didn’t want to deal with it!