How Much Does A Bridal Bouquet Cost?

Some PRicing Transparency for 2025 Weddings

Photos by Kate Elizabeth Photography

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I remember what it was like to be engaged, attempting to plan an budget for a wedding when I had ABSOLUTELY no idea  what anything could cost. I have a specific memory of sitting at my fiance’s (now husband’s) computer and googling “wedding photographer in Winnipeg”, opening up every single website on the first 5 or so pages of Google, and sending a form submission to every single one. Because NONE of them had any pricing information available (and I only heard back from about 5 of them!).

That was a long time ago, and pricing transparency has definitely improved in the Winnipeg market, but I think that now, more than ever, couples are anxiously seeking pricing information. Since covid, costs on a lot of things have increased and not gone down, and now we get the joys of all this tariff business. All that to say, I understand where you’re coming from and I’m here to give you some insight on wedding flower pricing!

I do need to give the caveat, of course, that flower pricing varies widely — what types of flowers you’re interested, what time of year you’re getting married at (stay clear of Mother’s Day if you’re on a tighter budget!), how many guests you have, how full and lush you want everything, and of course, what your personal priorities are.

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I know the internet loves to talk about “the wedding tax,” which is one of the most annoying myths out there. So, let’s talk about bridal bouquets and what they cost.

There are a few things that florists would love for couples to understand:

1) We’re not trying to rip you off.

2) We’re not interested in taking advantage of you.

3) We really do want you to have a beautiful wedding, but we’re not responsible for paying for your wedding for you.

And at the same time:

1) Flowers are a perishable, luxury item that are flown in from around the world. No one NEEDS flowers to get married.

2) The entire supply chain of the floral industry, from seed to stem, is costly. The amount of labour, of supply cost, of resources that go into growing your wedding flowers (whether they’re grown in Manitoba or elsewhere in the world!) is incredible.

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The voices who parrot the “wedding tax” conversation love to say that they could walk into a flower shop and pick up a grab-and-go bouquet and pay $50 for it, or they could order a bridal bouquet and be charged $350 for it. “That’s a rip-off!” they moan. And you could just walk in and buy that $50 bouquet if it’s what you want and what you can afford.

But there’s a very large difference between those two bouquets.

And if you’re coming to me and asking to order a custom bridal bouquet, then naturally I’m assuming that you’re looking for something far more beautiful and detailed than that $50 grab-and-go bouquet. I assume that you’re wanting premium flowers, carefully arranged by a designer with a certain skill level and knowledge base.

That $50 grab-and-go bouquet literally takes 5 minutes to plan and put together. The $350 bridal bouquet is carefully crafted in around 1 hour, not including all the time that I’ve spent mulling over your colour palette and texture preferences to select the perfect ingredients, order them from multiple farms or wholesalers, and conditioning them carefully so they’re at their absolute peak on your wedding day.

There’s nothing wrong with either of these options — they’re just very different, and therefore have a different price tag associated with them.

One last thing before I really get into the pricing: tariffs. To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure how these are going to impact us in Manitoba. During the summer, most of my product is sourced locally, so that’s great and relatively unimpacted. I do know that most of the foliages that we order come from the US, so those are going to have that annoying 25% addition (don’t believe the lie that greenery is cheaper!), and there are certain things that are popular for weddings that literally ONLY come from the US (like smilax, everyone’s favourite vine), which will sadly just end up being way more cost than it’s worth.

What I don’t quite understand yet it is how the shipping of items from other countries is going to be impacted. For example, most roses come from Ecuador, but they typically ship to Miami before heading up here. Does this mean we’re going to see the additional tariff? Or can the shipping routes be changed to accommodate? I feel like all of Canada should be a large enough market to justify changing a shipping route…but I guess we’ll find out. I think we’re going to see a lot of shifting back and forth over the next few months and just hope that it’s easy enough for us all to understand. You should prepare yourselves to either be flexible with your floral selections, or with your budget.

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How much do you think this bridal bouquet costs?

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:

Sweet Pea
Pieris
Brownie Tulips
Muscari
And finished with hand dyed silk velvet ribbon from Stella Wolfe

BRIDAL BOUQUET COST: $385

The ingredient selection in this bouquet is minimal — there are just 4 varieties, and I normally include more than that, but I love the elevated feel that simplicity brings. Each of these ingredients is premium and higher priced, as is the Canadian silk velvet ribbon (hand-dyed here in Winnipeg, actually!).

I typically price my bridal bouquets around $350; I usually only increase the price if the client has very specifically asked for premium product or a very large bouquet. To be honest, most of my client bouquets should likely be charged more for, but I generally just make sure that pricing is made up for throughout the rest of the order and it works out just fine that way.

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Additional Wedding Flower Pricing Posts You May Find Helpful:

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(And to note: Stone House Creative is not really more or less expensive than any other established floral designers who specialize in weddings and use the premium quality product that I do. There are definitely companies who charge too little, but that doesn’t mean that I’m charging too much — there’s a big difference between the price tag associated with a company that undercuts or doesn’t charge industry standard markups and a company like mine that is built on solid business practises and isn’t interested in going into the red to pay for other peoples’ weddings.)

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I hope this is so helpful for you! I know that wedding flower budgeting is incredibly unsexy and also very mysterious. It’s not a world that you’re familiar with, and that’s okay. Generally speaking, online resources are completely useless and out of touch with reality, so that doesn’t help you either. That’s what we’re here for :) 

And many thanks to Kate Elizabeth Photography for these beautiful images from the recent portfolio builder I hosted with Vanessa Renae Photography! Much more to come from this beautiful day!

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Getting married in Winnipeg?
Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to us for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!

Modern Architectural Inspired Wedding at the Leaf

It’s finally time to share SO MUCH DETAIL from this architecturally-inspired editorial I designed at The Leaf!

My vision was something chic, sculptural, and heavily influenced by the use of a single type of flower (in this case, white lilies). The slatted wood wall in the mezzanine area of The Leaf was absolute perfect backdrop for the strong lines I wanted to create.

I’m going to start with a very quick visual overview of the design elements, and then get down into some nitty gritty of the pricing for you!

Photos by Keila Marie Photography

Aren’t these details just perfection! I’m so grateful to all of the wedding professionals who helped me bring this to life. It takes a team, friends!

The tabletop was a labour of love to design. Pretty early on, I decided that I wanted to use Planned Perfectly’s toffee linen and Union Table’s matte black flatware with ribbed glassware, but I hemmed and hawed over the place settings. I’m so glad I chose the speckled plates because they add such fun!

Multiple sculptural floral centrepieces are featured down the table, accented with ribbed olive green candles, black trays with fresh fruit, and chains of hyacinth blooms, which added some really fun, modern whimsy.

How much do you think this bridal bouquet costs?

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:

Freesia
Tweedia
Hellebore
Mini Cymbidium Orchids
Allium
Looped Hyacinth Chains
And finished with hand died silk ribbon from Tono and Co

BRIDAL BOUQUET COST: $435

This bouquet was a bit of a trial for me — because it wasn’t at all what I had planned on. Almost none of the flowers that I ordered for it actually came in! I envisioned a bouquet that was on the smaller side, with a chic, highly textured design, with these hyacinth chains as a major focal point. That’s basically the only element that came together the way I had originally intended.

That being said, sometimes we have to roll with what we can, especially when we’re working with live, perishable product! The lime cymbidium orchids were perfect for tying through that bright chartreuse tone I needed, and while I didn’t plan on using the white freesia, I loved the warm yellow in the centre and the linear stem shape.

Most of my bridal bouquets aren’t this high cost, but the ingredients I used are mostly premium product and that comes with a higher price tag.

I love wandering around the Tropical Biome at the Leaf, but I didn’t want Erika’s portraits to feel too “wedding photos at the Leaf.” Keila took my vision of clean, bright, fine art meets tropical and played up the atmosphere and the way it supported Erika’s modern column gown, rather than going too typical and obvious.

This is the Aesling Sagrada gown. It’s chic, minimal lines paired with the dramatic (detachable!) cape is what drew me to it. It was perfect for this architectural vision!

Get the Look

The arch was my personal focal point; I wanted something strong, something modern, and choosing to focus on just one ingredient type is not at all common, but forcing myself to stick to just one element allowed me to really play up the star shaped flower.

I tucked in a few double lilies for a softer texture here and there, which were absolutely divine.

Add in a set of minimal black chivari chairs, and you’ve got quite a cool ambiance thanks to that slatted wall and lily arch combo! If there’s a piece of architectural interest at your venue, consider how you can play it up.

THIS CAKE. Jenna did an amazing job, as always!! This wafer paper design feels feminine, structural, and really strong all at the same time. I honestly cringe at the thought of how long this must have taken her to make! The vertically applied wafer paper is reminiscent of that slatted wood wall I took so much inspiration from, and I love the way she curved it around the cake, and added some delicate movement to it. Cake perfection.

I remember gasping when I opened up the stationery suite from Rae + Dot. They used a speciality printing technique called blind debossing to add a three-dimensional ribbed texture to the paper, again perfectly hearkening back to the slatted wood wall that I love so much. I had requested a patterned envelope liner, and suggested that an architectural take on a lily bloom would be cool. The line drawing with the warm toffee paper was AMAZING.

Isn’t Erika absolutely gorgeous? She ALWAYS is, by the way. It’s kind of irritating how beautiful she is. Jessica Kmiec went pink and glowy on her, and Bailey pulled her hair back with these striking pearl hair pins. Chic, modern, goddess. Yeah baby.

Erika also helped me set the table and helped me clean up, and I’m so grateful to you 😘

Keila Marie Photography ~ Stone House Creative ~ The Leaf ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Union Table ~ Jenna Rae Cakes ~ Rae and Dot Studio ~ Love note Bride ~ Jessica Kmiec Artistry ~ Bailey VanderVeen

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Hire a Talented Wedding Floral and Event Designer in Winnipeg

Not to toot my own horn (too much), but I happen to be really good at this. I’d be thrilled to design an incredible atmosphere and accompanying florals for your wedding.

Dreamy Pastel Wedding Editorial

I was so happy to be part of this dreamy pastel wedding editorial this past January, with Kayla Lagos Events. Kayla presented a gorgeous vision for a soft, delicate palette, featuring fluttery and whimsical flowers.

It’s always fun to get creative during the off season. I don’t usually have many winter weddings, so it’s a different set of flowers, palettes, and inspiration to work through and I really enjoyed this!

PS You can see more from this bouquet on my Instagram, here!

Photos by Aimee De La Lande Photography

We all love the champagne tower trend, but I have to say that this cake from Sugar & Salt was the highlight for me! The colours of the buttercream flowers were perfect, and it was just really pretty, too.

I also loved the floral confetti on the table. It made a big statement without taking a lot of budget to achieve!

And aren’t Sarah and Scott so cute? They’re a real life couple, getting married this October. I can’t wait for their wedding day!

How much do you think this bridal bouquet costs?

Bridal Bouquet Ingredients:

Garden Spray Roses
Dutch Lisianthus
Clematis
Phalaenopsis Orchids
Delphinium
Allium
Stock
And finished with hand died silk ribbon from Stella Wolfe

BRIDAL BOUQUET COST: $465

Okay, so for those of you who are freaking out about the cost of this bouquet: don’t worry. I am, too 😂 Here’s the thing: this shoot took place in January, when zero locally grown flowers were available and we had to import everything (with garden spray roses from Japan and lisianthus from Holland), AND I just happened to use everything expensive. It’s a tricky habit lol!

But woah baby, was it worth it. Those orchids!! I died. The allium! Gosh darn it. The lisianthus, as expensive as it was 😍 And I think it paired quite perfectly with those delicately ribbed sleeves you can add on to the Lovenote Bride “Marion” gown (designed and made in Canada!!).

This palette! Obviously we shot this in winter so it had that freshness when we were most dying for it, but I think this feminine palette could transfer easily to spring and summer as well!

Lavender, peach, soft blue, soft pink, mauve and springy green

Kayla wanted to play with a few looks, mixing and matching rental options to create do a “one look, two ways” concept.

Look 1: Gold chivari chairs and smoke glass stemware

Look 2: Smoke acrylic chairs and pink glass stemware

One Look, Two Ways

If you’re seating your guests at rectangular banquet tables, make sure you get the width of them. At the Manitoba Club, they use a “king’s table,” which is nice and wide (that’s what you see here). A lot of venues use narrower tables, which simply gives less space to add in decor. You need to be aware of how much space you have to add in flowers, candles, glassware, and so on.

With this table, we had a lot of space to feature 2 fuller centrepieces, with 3 petite modern stem vase style arrangements of pink anthurium. We tucked in taper candles and still had plenty of negative space — which is crucial in a design. A lot of the time I feel that tables are overloaded, but it can be the negative space that sets off design.

Fun little personal fact: this is the last time I’ve straightened my hair! January 26. My hair is wavy but I’ve never known how to deal with it, so I decided that I would just stop straightening it and see what happens. I still have no idea how to deal with it but I’m enjoying letting my hair just do what it does.

Aimee De la Lande ~ Kayla Lagos Events ~ St Charles Country Club ~ Planned Perfectly ~ Beyond The Lounge ~ Sugar & SAlt Bakeshoppe ~ Blake Creative Co ~ Love note Bride ~ The Artist Groupe & Bombshell Beauty ~ ALana Veert Beauty

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LOOKING FOR A WEDDING FLORAL DESIGNER IN WINNIPEG?

Are you as into this colour palette as we are?

Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to Stone House Creative for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding! 

What Do Floral Installations Cost at Weddings?

It’s basically impossible for someone who’s not in the floral industry to have any clue how to budget for or price out a floral installation. Let me help!

Photo: Esther Funk Photography

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I recently had an off-putting encounter with a bride (not one of my clients), who walked into the tent at Pineridge Hollow while Deanna and I were setting up a wedding. 

She was just checking it out as her wedding was upcoming there, and she asked which floral company we were with. When I responded “Stone House Creative,” she kind of muttered “of course” and I politely responded, “was I already booked for your date?” She replied no, and kind of fumbled over the words: “you’re too expensive.” She then proceeded to say that she was willing to splurge because she wanted the ceiling covered in greenery and the tent entrance poles covered with florals and greenery exactly like she had seen me design for another wedding at the same venue last fall. 

So…she thought that I was too expensive, but hadn’t even inquired with me or received a quote from me, all at the same time as wanting TWO very labour-intensive and product-intensive installations. 

I was so confused and a few weeks later, it’s still so unsettling to me. I know that you all don’t know what goes into the costs of floral design and what it is what we do — and you don’t have to know! That’s totally our jobs. 

But there are a few lines that need to be drawn, and that’s this: don’t assume something is too expensive without looking into it, AND if you’re supposedly on a low budget (because I’m too expensive? that’s the inference I assumed from the conversation) then don’t assume that you can afford multiple large installations.  

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(And to note: Stone House Creative is not really more or less expensive than any other established floral designers who specialize in weddings and use the premium quality product that I do. There are definitely companies who charge too little, but that doesn’t mean that I’m charging too much — there’s a big difference between the price tag associated with a company that undercuts or doesn’t charge for rental items, and a company like mine that is built on solid business practises and isn’t interested in going into the red to pay for other peoples’ weddings.)

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This does give me the perfect opportunity to talk to you all about budgeting for installations. When a floral designer or wedding planner uses the word “installation,” we’re referring to those large focal moments that are massively eye-catching and make a huge impact on your wedding design. These are also going to be large budget line items, as they generally require a lot of labour, a lot of product, and a lot more logistical consideration than just designing a centrepiece and popping it onto a table. 

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So, let’s talk about floral and greenery installations, and what they cost. 

First, I have to give the annoying caveat that every installation is going to cost a completely different amount than the next. The very nature of an installation is that it’s 100% customized to the space, the product used, the amount of time and labour it takes to put together, and so on. 

Second, I’ll give the broad-scale notice that nothing large is “cheap.” Ever. Nothing. You can look at a very floral-heavy installation and think “if she makes it out of carnations, it’ll be cheap.” That’s just not true — large, statement making pieces require a TON of product, time, expertise, and labour, and none of that is inexpensive. It’s like if you’re buying a car, and you think “a Mercedes is too expensive for my budget; I’ll get a Corolla instead,” but then you upgrade to literally every single premium option in that Corolla, you’re still going to be spending a lot of money. It’s still not cheap. 

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Planning: Feast & Festivities | Photo: Megan Steen Photography

Greenery on Ceilings

If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest or Instagram looking for wedding inspo, you’ll have seen images of tents or ballrooms with greenery vining across the ceiling. It can be incredibly gorgeous, yes! 

Here’s what you’re not thinking about: the rigging or lighting company needs to first go up on ladders or a lift, and install cables or line for the florist to then go up and attach the greenery to. This takes them a few hours. 

Then the floral designer gets up on the ladder or the lift and attaches the greenery. This takes a few hours, and at least 3 staff. And not everyone is comfortable getting up on a ladder! 

Now, the vining greenery that we often use for this type of work is called smilax. It comes in a large quantity, often in a giant garbage bag crammed into a cardboard box. It does not come in smaller quantities. You can’t just get a small bit of it. It’s also covered in thorns, and twisted up in vines and it’s really time consuming to carefully pull apart to get the right pieces. And quite frequently, by the time it gets to us in Manitoba, it’s partially rotten and so we have to buy more to account for this.

Based on the amount of product that we have to order, the absolute bare minimum that you’ll need to invest in ceiling greenery is $1000, and that’s just the cost of product. That’s not including labour, time, or logistical needs like renting a scissor lift. Depending on how large of a space you’re covering, or how dense you want the coverage, this is most likely not going to be nearly enough. Without knowing anything about your space, I’d suggest budgeting at least $3000 for anything on the ceiling. This could easily go up to over $8000 depending on the size of space you’re working with.

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Planning: Feast & Festivities | Photo: Megan Steen Photography

Tent Entrances or Staircase Installations

I love a good tent entrance moment ✨ Read more here to find out why (and some of my other favourite ways to design a tent wedding!). 

Tent entrances and staircase installations are relatively similar in the way that we have to design. Basically we need to take the amount of space that we’re designing (50 stairs approx 12 inches deep each, or 2 tent poles approx 8 feet high, etc) and then figure out how much product we need per foot, and multiply that by the dimensions we’re working with. We also need to consider how much volume we’re using, if we’re trying to camouflage something like a tent cable, and so on. 

Another important question to ask is, are we using all greeneries/foliages or are we incorporating floral, or is it entirely floral? This is going to affect the final cost, as well as how long it’s going to take, what the mechanics are, what needs a water source, and so on. A tent entrance could likely start around $2500 for a foliage-focused design, while I’d suggest that a full staircase installation like the photos you’re looking at on Pinterest would start more around $10k.

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Planning: Soiree Event Planning | Photo: Brittany Mahood Photography

Hanging Installations

Hanging installations can come in many shapes and sizes. This season alone, we’ve done medium to large pieces hanging over a bar or a head table, to greenery-dense grids hanging over a dance floor, to floral clouds hanging over an aisle. You can see how it’s impossible to give a blanket quote for these types of things. 

7 years ago, when I started doing a lot of hanging ceremony installations at the now closed Cielo’s Garden, I priced them starting at $500. Just as with every other industry in the world, floral costs have increased much since then. 

If you’re wanting a single hanging piece over a head table or a bar, for example, I’d suggest budgeting at least $800 (similar in size to the picture above). This will also vary if you need it completely double sided, or single sided (as in, is the back going up against a wall and no one will notice if there are no florals on the back side?). 

If you’re wanting something more dramatic, like flower clouds down your aisle or a large piece over your dance floor, I’m going to again suggest budgeting a minimum of $3000. If you have a large space (like a 20x20 dance floor, for example), obviously that will take more product to cover. You also don’t need to fully cover it! A few hanging pieces here and there can be absolutely dreamy!

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Photo: Ariana Tennyson Photography

Fireplace Mantles

Fireplace moments are SO delicious to me. We’ve got a few wedding venues in Winnipeg and area that have some glorious fireplaces that I love flowering, including St Charles Country Club, Hawthorn Estates, and Lilystone Gardens. 

One thing that’s great about fireplace installations is that it can be a great place to repurpose a ceremony floral piece! Make sure to measure the fireplace and ensure it’s deep enough (some are mostly decorative and don’t have much space on the mantle). If you have aisle pieces or an arch piece, these might find a good home on the fireplace. 

Floral designs always come together best when they’re designed for one particular spot, so if budget does allow for you to give the mantle it’s own moment, you’ll be the happiest with the final product. Mantles can be done as a lush, full floral and greenery piece, as well as easily done as a collection of candles and mixed stem vases and varied size arrangements. 

The cost is going to depend on the size of the fireplace, but if you’re looking at a large floral piece, I’d start your budgeting around $200/foot of coverage that you want, and if you’re looking to incorporate candles and stem vases, you could probably budget that at $75 - $100/foot of coverage. 

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Planning: Eventzy | Photo: Mandy Wright Photography

Custom Backdrops and Focal Points

Sometimes we’ll get requests for a floral spotlight at a welcome sign, as part of a photo booth backdrop, a cake table, and so on. These prices are also going to range widely, but I think you’d be safe to start your budgeting at $300-$500 for a “smaller” floral piece, and $500+ for a larger moment. 

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I hope this is so helpful for you! I know that wedding flower budgeting is incredibly unsexy and also very mysterious. It’s not a world that you’re familiar with, and that’s okay. Generally speaking, online resources are completely useless and out of touch with reality, so that doesn’t help you either. That’s what we’re here for :) 

Getting married in 2024?
Flowers are the best way to make a statement at your wedding. Whether you already have a specific vision or want me to dream up something custom just for you, reach out to us for stunning bridal bouquets, truly unique ceremony backdrops, and beautiful floral centrepieces to create the perfect ambiance for your wedding!

How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in Manitoba

How much do wedding flowers cost?

If you’re getting married in 2023, you have to be prepared to spend 2023 money.

Izabela Rachwal Photography

Over the years, I’ve written multiple blog posts about wedding flower budgets in Manitoba, how much bouquets actually cost, ideas for maximizing your flower budget, and more. I personally think those posts are extremely helpful…except for the fact that in this post-(ish)Covid world w’ere living in, with inflation and costs being what they are, literally everything has changed.

So, I figured it was time to revisit the topic of what wedding flowers actually cost in Manitoba, and hopefully it’s a good time of year for you as you’re planning your 2023 and 2024 weddings!

The other day, I was talking with a wedding planner friend of mine. I had just received an inquiry that was so unrealistic in her budget expectations that I had to vent about it. Her answer was amazing, and it’s everything that you need to keep in mind:

“If you’re planning a wedding in 2023, you have to be willing to spend 2023 money.”

AKA if you’re planning a 200 person wedding at a high end venue, and your floral requests are “lush and full,” you absolutely cannot expect to spend less than the $2500 budget this particular bride had budgeted. In fact, you can’t expect to spend less than probably $7000.

To be clear, inflation hasn’t risen so much that a $2500 budget from a few years ago is now equivalent to a $7000 budget…it’s definitely risen BUT that $2500 budget wouldn’t have been sufficient for that bride’s floral wish list for at least the last 15 years. Maybe never, I don’t know. I’ve only been doing this for 12 years 😉

So, here we go. What do wedding flowers, in Manitoba, in 2023 and beyond, ACTUALLY COST?

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Figuring out how much to budget for your wedding flowers can be a major challenge — for most newly engaged couples, it's just going to be a major shot in the dark. Most of the online resources available are in American dollars, from very different markets than we are in, and are written by magazine editors — not florists — who haven't bothered to do their research on how much things actually cost, making their supposedly helpful suggestions to be completely unrealistic. Some of the big magazines and wedding planning sites offer "helpful" wedding budget breakdowns, with a suggestion for spending 10-20% of your overall budget on flowers, but there's a big difference between 10 and 20%!

So, before you even try to figure out a preliminary wedding flower budget, start here:

1) Figure out your priorities and what aspects of the flowers you really care about, and what aspects may be less important.
2) Understand that your budget needs to match your wants and needs list. If you don't want to spend a lot of money on flowers (which is perfectly fine! I was a budget bride, too!), you can't expect the world. 

Probably the worst part of my job is finding a way to delicately tell a couple that their wish list is just way too enormous for the amount of money they're comfortable spending. While I adjust some prices on my end, most of what I have to charge is set by the growers and the wholesalers. There are a LOT of hard costs in this industry, which means that as much as we would love to, your floral designers can't just give you everything you want without a price tag attached to them. If you take just one thing away from this entire post, please know this: we aren't trying to rip you off. Believe me, we don't make a lot of money, especially when compared to the intensive work we do. There are simply very definite hard costs in the floral industry, and that just kind of sucks, because it means that we can't necessarily give you as much as we would honestly love to!

There are many things to consider that contribute to the overall amount of money you're spending on wedding flowers, including:
-The flowers themselves (duh).
-The amount of items your florist needs to make (8 bridesmaid bouquets add up really quickly!).
-The time of year (sorry to everyone who wants to get married in February, but all growers increase wholesale flower pricing for the month of Valentine's!).
-What your style is (some design styles require a lot more or less floral than others).
-The supplies required to create a design (you'd be surprised at how much time floral designers spend in Rona!).
-There's also, unfortunately, the border crossing factor. While I love to use locally grown flowers as much as possible, there are many things that just don't grow here in Manitoba. Anytime a flower crosses the border, there are increased expenses. It's a bummer, but a simple reality. What a florist in California might pay $0.50 per stem for, I have to pay $1.50 for.
-You're also paying for the service that you receive and the experience and expertise of the floral designer you've chosen. Perhaps you've chosen to work with someone who's been working with flowers for 15 years. Their experience deserves a higher pay grade. You'd expect to pay an experienced accountant more than a brand new one, wouldn't you? Or maybe you've chosen someone based on their creativity and the unique designs they create. Part of what you're paying for is their brain, which no one else has - being able to access their creativity is a benefit to you! 
-Set up and delivery has a price tag attached to it, too (more on this coming in a future post!).

a few notes on what impacts flower pricing:

Covid:

Covid has affected so many areas of the floral industry. When it first hit, basically every farm worldwide had to lay off staff because they couldn't safely have their employees work, and because there was no demand for flowers. With that, they completely mowed down their crops. Some of these crops are flowers that take multiple years to grow before you can actually cut and produce them. This means we're looking at several years before production returns to full normal. At the same time, Americans decided that everything was "back to normal", causing a huge surge in demand with very limited availbility. Farms are still struggling with financial losses, and prices have increased. And as can expected, covid caused many wrinkles with shipping. Fewer airplanes are in the air, everything associated with crossing the border is more expensive, etc etc. Everything costs more to get here.

Supply and Demand:

Supply and demand, baby. Wedding trends affect pricing. The more people who want the coveted toffee rose, the more expensive they're going to be (and hot dang, they are expensive).

Supply Chain Issues:

Yep, just like the rest of the world, the supply chain is affecting hard goods and supplies in the floral industry. It's definitely getting better, but it's still hard to find the quantity of vases that we want, and the ones we can get are more expensive than they used to be. There are also certain supply products (like floral glue) that are just no longer made.

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So, how much do wedding bouquets cost?

The graphic below has long been one of my favourites, though the pricing is no longer relevant. My wholesale costs have risen, on average, 30% this past year. So, add 30% minimum to each of these bouquets and I guess you’d be closer to accurate pricing; $150 is now $200, $250 is now $325, and $350 is now $455. The graphic is still a great visual comparison. For those of you who like a certain style but aren't so picky about the types of flowers that are used, be sure to take a closer look - this might give you some thoughts on how you can lower your overall budget! 

For reference, my bridal bouquet pricing now starts at $300 each, with some exceptions.

Snippet and Ink

Quill + Oak, a florist friend of mine in Ontario, recently put together this comparison on centrepiece sizing and pricing, and it's also a pretty good estimation on what you could expect to receive in Manitoba!

Bud Vases: $15-$45 each

Small: ~$50 each

Medium: $85+ each

Large Centrepiece: $150+ each

Full Compote: $150+ each

Long and Low: $200+ each

Statement Arrangement: $300+ each

Large Ceremony Urn: $450+ each

Floral designs by Quill + Oak | Photos by Olive Photography

I’d suggest that if you’re looking for a nice, medium sized centrepiece, you start your budget at $100 each. A bud vase trio can be more cost-effective, while a tall arrangement you’ll want to budget minimum $250 each, and keep in mind that that is the bare minimum and not the lush, full arrangement you’re seeing on Pinterest and Instagram.

Candles are always a must-add, in my opinion. Whether you’re looking at taper candles, pillar or floating candles, or simple votives, aim for 3-7 per table depending on the centrepiece design and combine smaller votives with larger/taller candles for a more interesting look. But there’s this misconception that candles are the cheap option…I mean, if you’re doing 1 candle on a table, sure. That’s $10-$15. But that’s not what’s shown in the inspo pic that you’re giving me…you’re probably showing me something with $75 worth of candles and rental, per table. Just keep that in mind.

If you’re looking for an arch of some kind, those price ranges can vary wildly. A floral arch is going to be a minimum of $1500 - $2000, but I’d really suggest planning on $3000+ if you want full coverage, double that if the entire back of the arch needs to be covered (most of the time we have a light green coverage on the back). If you like the idea of a single floral piece added to an arch, plan for at least $500 per piece.

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So, let's get down to IT. How much can you expect to spend on wedding flowers in Manitoba? 

For full service florals (bridal party and family flowers, ceremony decor, reception decor), my clients are spending an average of $7500 + taxes. This might not apply to your specific needs, your guest list, your vision, but I hope that’s helpful as you budget!

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And if you need to reduce your spend, here are my top tips for lowering your wedding flower quote:

-Cut out all boutonnieres and corsages. They’re small details that don’t get much attention and are kind of tacky and outdated, anyways.

-Cut or reduce your bridesmaids’ bouquets. I’ve had quite a few weddings this year opt for single roses just for the girls to have something in their hands walking down the aisle. At this Spanish-inspired wedding, the women carried hand fans and it was so chic!

-Create a couple of large, focal design moments that your guests will interact with, that will set the tone, and simplify the rest. Scaled back candle centrepieces are all you need if you’ve got a killer hanging installation above. Forgo aisle flowers and increase the arch. Eliminate boutonnieres and corsages to add a beautiful floral arrangement at your welcome table.

-Forget about the lie that greenery is cheap. It’s not. Costs on foliage have risen so high that I honestly can’t afford to include much greenery in my floral orders anymore. You get WAY more bang for your buck with colourful floral than you ever will with a couple of stems of greenery.

-Cut out the flowers on your signage. For the last maybe 5 years, everyone has wanted a “floral or greenery touch” on their welcome sign, their seating chart sign, etc etc. Man, this is a waste (in my opinion). Unless you have the budget to really make this special, save the $150 and push it to something that will actually be noticed and make your design more impactful.

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Here's what I offer to clients: 
-Full Service Floral Design (with a minimum investment budget of $5000)
-Event Design (in addition to floral design, and you can find out more about that here!)

I would love to discuss your wedding flower needs. I can help you narrow down your style, determine what are the most important aspects of the flowers to you (and therefore, where you should focus your budget and where you can reduce your spending), and also come up with some great ideas for unique designs that your friends didn't all have at their weddings.

Don't hesitate to reach out by clicking the button below!

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Read More Like This

Misconceptions About Flower Pricing (Copy)

How to Maximize Your Budget (Copy)

What's the Actual Cost of a Bouquet? (Copy)

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