Budgeting for Wedding Flowers: 8 tips to help you plan and stay within your budget
Flowers play a crucial role in setting the tone for your wedding, adding elegance and romance or bringing to life your summer festival style day. However, floral arrangements can quickly become one of the most expensive aspects of wedding décor and it’s all too easy to get carried away. Having said this, most of us need to balance our floral dreams with a realistic budget. Here are some tips to help you achieve stunning wedding florals without starting married life with some awkward credit card debt.
1. Set a Realistic Budget
Do yourself a favour. Decide how much you’re willing to spend on flowers BEFORE you start browsing Pinterest and setting your heart on 15ft archways. On average, couples allocate 8-10% of their total wedding budget to florals. We don’t really believe in rules like these but it can be a helpful starting point. We always ask our couples for their budget as it helps us to make suggestions as to how to make small adjustments to your proposal without breaking the bank.
2. Prioritise Your Personal Floral Must-Haves / Simplify Your Selections
Sometimes, less is more. Not every aspect of your wedding needs extravagant floral arrangements (yep-we said it). Identify key areas where flowers will have the most impact or hold the most significance for you. For some people, their bouquet is by far the most emotionally significant of the florals, for others, it’ll be a statement installation for immediate wow-factor on entering the reception venue or a glorious backdrop for spectacular photographs. You may have been blown away by the 10m wide mega chandelier hung within the vaulted ceilings of a 16th century barn at your distant cousins wedding. I’m sure it was epic, but, if you’re getting married on a dutch barge complete with low-ceilings and intimate atmosphere then an over-sized chandelier might not be the right thing. AND THATS OK because oh-what-fun we could have designing installations that are designed just for you, bespoke to your wedding and your venue. The best flowers to have are the ones that suit you and your venue perfectly, not the ones you spotted in a magazine feature.
3. Choose Seasonal and Local Blooms
Ok, we would say that since seasonal and local flowers are kind of our raison d’être but, what ever florists you choose, insisting on sweet peas in December or peonies in October is always going to increase your costs, not to mention your carbon footprint as unseasonal flowers will need to be shipped in from the opposite side of the globe or grown in heated greenhouses.
4. Consider Alternative Floral Arrangements
Trees - We absolutely love using trees to really bring the outside world in and to fill large cavernous spaces.
Potted plants – herbs, succulents, or potted flowers double as décor and guest favours.
5. Repurpose Flowers –
Move ceremony flowers to the reception to get the most out of your arrangements. There may be circumstances where re purposing flowers isn’t suitable and when installations have to be moved it often means compromising on the design (in order to prioritise manoeuvrability rather than aesthetic) as well as a rushed job when the flowers need to be re-arranged on the day within limited time parameters. However, certain items really lend themselves to being repurposed. Just ask your florist about what’s practical and feasible to repurpose. It’s a great way to make key pieces really work for you on the day and it’s kind on the environment as well as your budget.
6. Work with a Florist Who Understands Your Budget.
If you feel as though your florist is constantly trying to up-sell, be clear about your budget. If they persist, switch to a florist who understands that everyone has a budget whether thats 1K or 20K. Spending more than you can afford to will only lead to a more stressful wedding preparation period. Some florists have specific experience with different sectors of the market.
7. Consider the a la Carte or DIY Options.
If you're looking to manage costs while still enjoying beautiful florals, explore services like our a la carte or DIY options. The a la carte service allows you to select specific arrangements from our floral menu, tailored to your desired vibe and colour palette. For the creative hands-on couple, our DIY buckets provide preconditioned flowers and greenery, ready for you to craft your own arrangements
8. Embrace a Cohesive Color Palette
Working within a specific colour palette rather than fixating on particular flower types offers flexibility and cost savings. This strategy allows your florist to choose from a variety of blooms that not only fit your theme and are more budget-friendly but it also allows them to chose the varieties that happen to be looking their absolute best the week you get married. If you’re absolutely adamant about having Coco-loco roses and Coco-loco only, then your florist will probably factor in larger margins into their estimate in case Coco-loco roses just happen to have had a bad season and are extortionate and difficult to get hold of.
Final Thoughts
A stunning wedding doesn’t require an extravagant floral budget—just smart planning and creative choices. Whether you dream of a flower-filled fairytale or a chic, minimalist look Kemlo & Kemlo are here to bring your vision to life.
