How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in Manitoba? Part 1
I hear this question ALL the time. Literally, all the time. And while I can't give you an accurate blanket statement response, I wanted to at least give it a shot and explain some of the behind-the-scenes of wedding flower pricing for you.
This is Part 1 in a 3 Part series on wedding flower budgets. I'll be back soon with more, including tips on how to maximize your floral budget and some common misconceptions about wedding flower pricing. If you have any questions or thoughts about these topics, send me an email to info@stonehouseweddings.com and I'll try my best to address it!
{Updated for 2021}
I hear this question ALL the time. Literally, all the time. And while I can't give you an accurate blanket statement response, I wanted to at least give it a shot and explain some of the behind-the-scenes of wedding flower pricing for you.
This is Part 1 in a 3 Part series on wedding flower budgets. I'll be back soon with more, including tips on how to maximize your floral budget and some common misconceptions about wedding flower pricing. If you have any questions or thoughts about these topics, send me an email to info@stonehouseweddings.com and I'll try my best to address it!
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!).
-Covid Note: There has been a large increase in prices and a large decrease in availability of flowers due to Covid. We’re still waiting for things to settle and shake out, so unfortunately there are a lot of question marks with pricing right now. Expect that for weddings post-covid, you will need to pay more for flowers than in previous years.
So, how much do wedding bouquets cost?
Click the graphic below to find out what makes the difference between a $150 bouquet and a $350 bouquet! This is one of my favourite resources to share with couples for a few reasons - mostly because it's 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, the average cost of the bridal bouquets you'll see in my portfolio range from $250 - $350 each.
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!
Floral designs by Quill + Oak | Photos by Olive Photography
Want some more resources to compare pricing on? See how different floral centrepieces compare on budget here, and get more details on how much a full wedding tablescape will cost with all of those extras added in (candles, table runners, rental pieces, and so on!).
So, let's get down to brass tacks. 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 $6300 + taxes. That being said, you don't have to spend this much money, and costs can very quickly skyrocket past this point as well. For an average size wedding with 3 bridesmaids, 150 guests with centrepieces and some sort of floral focal feature at the ceremony, I'd suggest that you will be spending in the realm of $5000 +, once set up and delivery are added in. If you have a larger guest list or a larger bridal party and want to keep your floral budget below $2500, then consider some alternatives - simpler bridesmaid bouquets, lower cost centrepieces or DIY options for some of the table centrepieces, and so on. And of course, if you want to have really lush and full arrangements and bouquets, then I'll be happy to oblige :) Just be prepared for a higher price point.
Here's what I offer to clients:
-Full Service Floral Design (with a minimum investment budget of $3500)
-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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Elegant Wedding Anniversary Photo Session in Winnipeg
If you've been following along with my work for a while, you might recognize this sweet couple, Tiffany and Quinn. They got married last August in a classic wedding at the Fort Garry Hotel, and it was such an amazing wedding to be a part of. Tiffany has a beautiful vision for things, which makes sense seeing as she's a designer! So when time rolled by and they came to their first anniversary, I definitely wanted to be involved! Even better, Tiffany had come across one of my favourite photographers, Esther Funk, on my Instagram feed and hired her to shoot their anniversary photos. They planned a two-part session, starting with a lifestyle photo session in their beautifully renovated home, and ending with elegant portraits among some of Winnipeg's most beautiful architecture.
All Tiffany needed from me was a bouquet. Not as large as a bridal bouquet, but she did want to retain some similar flowers to what we used in her bridal bouquet. For that nod, I tucked in locally grown delphinium and lisianthus, which we had on her wedding day! The star of the anniversary bouquet was the quicksand roses, and particularly, this ONE AMAZING ROSE. It caught my eye when I was processing the flowers and I kept paying attention to it throughout the week. It opened up like a dream.
I worked in some other pastel tones, all of which were locally grown - sweet pea (my personal fave!), scabiosa, and plenty of that taupe lisianthus, which was totally perfect. The overall palette was such a nice compliment to her elegant, simple dress and the bouquet was also incredibly lightweight, which is always a bonus!
Well, there you have it! I love catching up with my former couples, so if you are in need of some lovely floral touches for your anniversary photos, decor for the holidays or a party, or maybe a replication of your bouquet for an anniversary gift, just shoot me an email! I'll be happy to oblige :)
Lana and Carlos's Naturally Elegant Wedding at Clear Lake
There is something extra special about designing wedding flowers for a couple who shares my anniversary! Although technically, Lana and Carlos got married the day before my anniversary, their wedding was a few hours way (up at Clear Lake) so my husband came with me and we stayed the weekend! We snuck in a mini vacation at Elkhorn Resort and explored the town of Clear Lake a bit (which is ADORABLE).
But back to the wedding! Lana and I did all the planning via email, since they live out of town. She pretty much left it up to me, after selecting the colour palette, vases, and communicating her style to me. I loved the way it turned out! We went with a very naturally elegant feel, using mostly creams with touches of blush tucked in to the bouquets.
Photos: Esther Funk Photography ~ Ceremony Venue: Elkhorn Manor ~ Reception: Danceland ~ Day of Coordination: Alexandra Lillian Events
I just happened to get these perfect cafe latte roses that week as a complete fluke, My wholesaler was testing them out and I knew they'd be perfect. That warm, rose golden tone was just incredible! I tucked them into a combination of standard roses, garden roses, locally grown foxglove, lisianthus, Queen Anne's Lace, delphinium and straw flower.
The ceremony was set on the lawn of a heritage building called Elkhorn Manor. They had built this wood arbor, and we added an asymmetrical eucalyptus garland with white roses. At the end of the aisle, I placed two large hydrangea arrangements - one on top of a wine barrel and the other set on the ground, both flanking custom-made wood signs.
I loved the custom barnwood backdrop the couple made that was set up behind the head table. It spanned the entire width, and brought the perfect rustic, natural feel to Danceland (which is a very cool place!). Lana had this cool idea for me to add eucalyptus garlands to swag along the top of it, along with hanging strands as well. It looked really cool!
The entire interior of Danceland is wood, so it could get pretty dark in there. The choice of light pink linens was a great way to add some femininity to the space. Gold mercury glass votives flanked a low white floral arrangement in a stone urn, and it all came together really nicely!
Celia and Cam's Intimate, Warm Fall Wedding
I LOVE designing for intimate weddings. There's something so very special about being able to really narrow down your guest list to just the people that you love the most and who you love the most. While I couldn't do it, I certainly envy those who can! Celia and Cam are one of those couples, and their intimate, warm fall wedding was a dream.
Wedding Planner: Amanda Douglas Events | Photographer: Sugar + Soul Photography | Ceremony Venue: Leo Mol Sculpture Garden | Reception Venue: The Kitchen Sync | Linens: Dream Day Decor
Celia is just the most adorable. She's this tiny little package of beauty and also happens to have this adorable Australian accent that you cannot get enough of. I only got to meet her in person on the day of her wedding to Cam, so I loved seeing these incredible photos from Mel at Sugar & Soul!
I LOVED CELIA'S FLOWERS. This palette was full of life and was the perfect way to end my busy season. Those delicate peach dahlias finished the bouquet in the very best way. Bridal Bouquet Ingredients: dahlias, mums, scabiosa, garden roses, eryngium, spray roses, blushing bride protea, and several types of eucalyptus.
Leo Mol, part of Assiniboine Park, is one of the most beautiful areas in the city for a wedding ceremony. Given that they were having a fall wedding, though, we had no idea if there were still going to be any leaves on the trees to bring colour. We lucked out with literally the most gorgeous fall day! But, I still wanted to add some colour and romance to the ceremony space so I created this petal altar for them, which was on the platform where they said their vows. It was simple but made a statement.
This was my first time working at Kitchen Sync, which is an incredible space for smaller events. I would LOVE to do a 50 person wedding here once a month :) The stone walls are just gorgeous!
We started off with this gorgeous escort card display. I can't tell you how much I LOVE escort cards - I'm not sure why. I think it has something to do with the luxurious feeling they create! I chose a stone vessel for this greenery arrangement and offset it with more of those gorgeous dahlias. Simple touches of feather eucalyptus lined the table!
Celia and Cam chose to do 2 different centrepiece styles, which was suggested by their wedding planner, Amanda Douglas (I love working with wedding planners!). This worked really well, as they did a combination of round and rectangular tables. On the rectangular tables, I laid out loose greenery, sort of like a viney garland, and tucked in individual blooms and candles. On the round tables, a bronze urn with low floral arrangements featuring decorative artichokes!
And, to finish it all off, the sweets! Since they didn't have a full cake, we didn't need to do much in the way of cake flowers, but I really loved adding the greenery and floral accents to the table and around the base of the cupcake stand.
Jynelle and David's Flower Filled Wedding at Cielo's Garden
Jynelle and David's flower filled wedding at Cielo's Garden this summer was SO much fun and just beautiful. I love love loved putting everything together for them. Jynelle was just such a kind, excited, and happy bride to work with. The couple actually lives out of town, so we did all of the planning via Skype and email. It sounds a little scary to do it that way, but it all worked out really, really well!
Amanda Douglas Events ~ Ariana Tennyson Photography ~ Cielo's Garden ~ Buttercream by Alareen ~ Planned Perfectly
Bridal bouquet ingredients: dahlias, garden roses, standard roses, ranunculus (ie probably the MOST AMAZING ranunculus I had this summer!), locally grown cosmos, zinnias, and scabiosa, privet berries, agonis foliage, and silver dollar eucalyptus.
I love these shots at the Fort Garry Hotel. This is probably one of the most beautiful building entrances in all of Winnipeg, and Ariana did such a wonderful job of allowing the backdrop to create the ambiance. And can we talk about the gorgeous mocha tones of those bridesmaid dresses? I love the palette of neutrals that they chose, because it picked up on the champagne underlay of Jynelle's bridal gown and really allowed the flowers to take centre stage.
OKAY. Let's talk about this ceremony set up. Every year, I make up a wish list of design ideas I would love to work into the following year, and for 2017, one of those things was to create a floral chandelier/halo thing. I still don't really know what to call it! So when I first met with Jynelle and her planner, Amanda Douglas (over Skype, since Jynelle and David are from the East Coast!), I knew that I had to pitch this idea because it was going to look amazing at Cielo's.
I looked forward to making this piece for a full year before their wedding date rolled around. I used a combination of silk flowers (to keep the piece as lightweight as possible), and added in fresh flowers and greenery, with trailing stems of jasmine vine that moved up the hanging chain and added a lot of looseness and freshness to the arrangement. I just loved it all! It was Jynelle's idea to add in the rugs, which the two of them collected and shipped to Winnipeg just for the wedding.
Cute puppy deserves a cute flower collar :)
AND just check out that hanging floral halo again. GAH I loved it!
We did two different table designs, which alternated throughout the clear walled tent. One design was greenery garlands with a few loose florals tucked into it, and the other featured three clusters of stem vases and candle holders, with soft pink, cream and plum floral arrangements. It was very simple, but incredibly pretty and because we did a few clusters of arrangements down the length of each table, it filled the space well!
You wouldn't believe how adorable those bobbleheads were. They cracked me up.
I do always love adding flowers to the cake! Sometimes the baker prefers to add the flowers themselves, and sometimes I add them (after making them food safe, of course). In this case, I got to add them!
