Revealed: wedding business survey results
As every florist but few clients realise, simply asking the cost of wedding flowers is like asking the length of a piece of string.
There's very little data for the florist industry which means it's hard to assess the state of the sector or predict what's to come, and it can leave customers in the dark in terms of knowing what to expect and how to order - particularly for large-scale, one-off buys like a wedding commission. We aim to be a florist's first port of call when it comes to wedding work, offering bridal accessories and décor necessities big or small, from hair pieces to ribbon, plinths to pins and everything in-between. Which is why we wanted to assess the state of the wedding flower sector and help our customers at the same time.
We published this anonymous survey and 200 florists responded. It was kindly shared by The Florist magazine and the British Florist Association so we hope it is industry representative.
Every florist is different and depending on location, overheads, experience, skills and style, naturally different businesses will charge different prices. Our survey simply hopes to shed some light on key insights.
Here, we’re sharing the results.
Who do these results represent?
The majority of survey respondents are florists with shop premises offering all kinds of floristry (53%). Those remaining were a mixture of florists who work from a studio or home providing various floristry services, and about 29% of them offer weddings, events and pre-bookings only.
They’re based all over the UK and Ireland with slightly larger numbers in Scotland and the south east of England. About half of them are situated in a town (49%), followed by a rural area (35%), with city-dwellers least represented (13%).
Just under a third of them do flowers for 10 to 20 weddings per year (30%). The next largest portion book more – doing 20 to 30 per year (18%) – and this is followed by those who do 6 to 10 per year (15%).
Q: What type of business do you run?
Q: Is your business based in a city, town or rural area?
Q: On average, how many weddings do you do the flowers for per year?
Planning ahead: a year in advance The largest chunk of florists said clients make first contact and have consultations about eight months to one year prior to the wedding date (33%). This is only slightly more common than time-savvy couples who start planning further ahead at one to one and half years before the wedding (24%). Florists also said booking dates are “very varied, but usually quite far in advance” (22%). Q: How far in advance of the wedding do your clients first contact you and/ or consultations take place?
Average total wedding value: very varied, centred around £500 As the most common choice, over a third of florists said the average total value of a wedding booking from their business is £500 to £800 (31%), this is closely followed by bookings of just £200 to £500 (28%). Reassuringly, a greater number of florists usually book weddings for more than £800 (36%) but within that group the average total amount ranges widely from £1,000 up to £3,000. Q: What is the average total value of a wedding booking from your business?
Most popular items: to be expected plus scatter vases and gift bouquets Below, we've listed every suggested wedding item in order of how popular they are according to the florists who took part. Interestingly, gift bouquets for the wedding party ranked more popular than table arrangements, and it seems that scatter vases are chosen more often than table centrepiece arrangements. Additional items mentioned by florists were loose flowers for DIY, candles, unity arrangements, bay tree hire, selfie frames, wrist sprays and arm designs. One respondent added: “There are more and more venue styling companies decorating the reception venues - no one wants venue decorations and table centrepieces anymore. More than ever before I am doing bouquets and buttonholes only.”
- Bridal bouquet
- Buttonholes
- Bridesmaids bouquet
- Corsages
- Gift bouquets for wedding party
- Long and low table arrangement
- Jam jars/ small scatter vases
- Cake decoration
- Low/ small table centrepieces for guest seating
- Wand, pomander, small basket of petals for flower girl/ children
- Flower crowns/ floral hair accessories
- Tall table centrepieces for guest seating
- Aisle ends
- Pedestal arrangement (e.g. for church ceremony)
- Garlands
- Floral archway (e.g. over church doorway)
- Wedding hoop designs
- Hanging designs/ installations
- Large scale work e.g. flower wall, moongate, chuppah
- Chair backs
- Plant decorations
Price of a bridal bouquet: £75 - £100 The majority of florists said that the most common price bracket for a bridal bouquet is £75 to £100 (56%), followed by the slightly higher cost of £100 to £150 (24%). For a budget-friendly option, the biggest chunk (41%) said they would charge between £50 and £75 for a smaller design with seasonal or lower value flowers. Many would also charge £30 to £50 for a similar budget bouquet (27%), closely followed by those who would charge £75 to £100 (26%). Q: What is the most common price bracket for a bridal bouquet from your business?
Q: How much would you charge for an average hand-tied bridal bouquet similar to that pictured below (including high-value flowers such as roses or peonies)?
Bridal bouquet pictured:
Q: How much would you charge for a budget bridal bouquet (e.g. smaller, with lower value/ seasonal flowers)
Price of a table arrangement: around £50 The biggest portion said that the most common price bracket for a table arrangement is £30 to £50 (42%), followed by a slightly higher value of £50 to £75 (27%). More than a third (35%) also said they would charge between £50 and £75 for the tall, spherical table arrangement pictured below. Q: What is the most common price bracket for a table arrangement from your business?
Q: How much would you charge for a table arrangement similar to that pictured below?
Table arrangement pictured:
Price of an archway: very varied Florists gave a wide range of different valuations for a floral archway over a church doorway, likely due to unspecified flower varieties. The largest chunk – a quarter of florists (25%) – valued it at £200 to £250. Grouping choices together, the majority (65%) would charge between £150 and £300 for it. Q: How much would you charge for a floral archway similar to that pictured here?
Archway pictured:
Package orders: uncommon, unless florist’s choice A huge majority (90%) of florists said they do not offer packages for wedding bookings. One comment explained, “All my brides are very different, so packages would not be something I would move to.” Among the 10% who said yes, some explained what their packages and special offers include. “We offer packages for florist choice orders in the clients’ chosen colour scheme, with a variance of items. No changes can be made, i.e. no removing items or switching out for other items. However, items can be added at full value.” “We offer a 10% discount if booking more than three elements of venue décor.” “We offer packages named Gold, Silver, Bronze and Luxury.” “We offer five packages from basic at £350 up to £1000.” “Generally, we do a rounded down discount for multiple items.” “Our artificial package is £650, this includes a flower wall, seating plan, rose trees and table runner.” “We offer a rose and gyp package for £199. It includes 1 bridal bouquet, 2 bridesmaids’ bouquets in all gyp, a small posy, 1 groom’s rose buttonhole, 2 groomsmen’s buttonholes in all gyp, and 2 mum’s corsages - for collection only.” Q: Do you offer packages?
How to lock-in clients: set fees, percentage deposits and contracts The majority of florists said they secure the big day by taking a set fee deposit (56%), and around a third do it by taking a percentage deposit (33%). Rather than taking any payment at the time of booking, just under a quarter of florists secure clients by simply asking them to sign a contract or booking form. 12% of florists don’t use any formal agreement at all - relying on in-store, email or telephone confirmation instead. Of those who take a set fee, £100 and £50 were the most popular amounts charged. Some also said £75 and £25, and a handful of florists charge up to £150 and £250 when taking the booking. Of those who take a percentage deposit, a popular choice is around 20% of the total order value. This is followed by 10% and 30%. A few florists take half, and for many it varies depending on the order value. What’s in a name? Some florists specify that they’re just taking a “holding deposit” and explain that the final bill will be the balance minus that amount, whereas others call it a “booking fee” and don’t remove it from their invoice total. One florist names it a “hold the day fee” and another calls it a “save the date deposit”. Of course, it’s non-refundable for most.
Here, a few florists explain exactly what goes into their deposits and booking fees.
“£100 is taken at time of booking, then the balance is due two weeks before wedding date.”
“No deposit is taken until three weeks before the wedding.”
“Set fee is £75 non-refundable, or 10% of the booking estimate - whichever is higher.”
“We take £50 for bookings under £500, take £100 for bookings at £500 to £1000, and take £150 for bookings of £1000 plus.”
“£25 is taken at booking to cover administrative and consultation costs if they cancel.”
“25% is taken if booking is made over six months before delivery, it’s 50% if made within six months.”
Price hikes at peaks: yes, but explain it If the wedding date falls over busy periods such as Mother’s Day and Valentine’s, a large majority of florists said they increase prices (68%), explaining that it simply has to be done since wholesale flower prices increase. However, some florists have cemented their decision with set percentage hikes for peaks, upping prices by 12% to 20%. Several florists said they increase the overall cost by a third, while one respondent doubles it. The key dates known to cause price increases are Mother’s Day, Valentine’s, Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s. It’s also good to be aware of important flower-buying days around the world, such as Mother’s Day in other countries. International Women’s Day is particularly popular in Russia, and this high demand can lead to grower price increases in Europe, too. Explaining these details to your brides and grooms should build trust and understanding for long-term custom. Always check every date before making a booking, in case there’s a seasonal demand increase somewhere in the world. Here, florists explain their rationale. “We only increase if the wholesale price of their chosen flower goes up, e.g. red roses at Valentine’s.” “There are delivery implications over peak periods too, so we try to encourage wedding clients to collect rather than deliver.” “We price every wedding individually depending on the date and flower type which might cause higher costs too, for instance when a variety like a peony is at the start or end of its season.” “Over Christmas and New Year, I only take bookings for large weddings, i.e. a minimum of £800.” “We speak to wholesalers before the wedding date and get a fixed price, and then charge accordingly.” “Bank holidays are also subject to an extra charge.” “I invoice afterwards so it will only increase depending on if the flower cost has gone up – I always quote items with a range of “from XX to XX” price, to allow for this.” “Extra florist hours are also at a premium rate over these dates.” “Christmas is more expensive due to working when most businesses are closed.” “I can make loads more standard peak period bouquets in the time it takes to make one wedding bouquet.” “We try not to book at peak times at all, but add a definite price increase when we do.” “I explain why it increases, and I don’t take package bookings for these dates.” Q: Do you increase priced depending on the wedding date? E.g. if it coincides with Valentine's or Mother's Day (or please explain others)
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