Price – Passion – Experience

I think these are the main three things that set floral designers apart from one another.  So I’m putting together a little miniseries about addressing these different ideas and how you should choose your wedding florist… or at least some things to consider during the decision making process.

And since it’s probably the most frequently asked of all the questions, I’m going to start with the subject of price and build from there.  But that doesn’t mean that you can skip the rest of the series thinking you know it all because there’s valuable information ahead!

I was asked the other day how my prices compare to those of a typical flower shop when it comes to floral designs.  I think this is an interesting question and actually one that I ponder quite often.  Pricing is a tricky subject and I don’t like to talk money in general.  I just like to create, put together something magical for you and see a smiling face at the end of my day.  I don’t want to have to worry about pesky dollar signs.

But the reality of it is, we all seek to find that balance – the price that is fair and affordable for our brides to pay while still making it worthwhile for me to do the work and deliver amazing product.

I have never worked in a “typical” flower shop.  I have been taught about pricing from several different sources and use what is considered standard flower markup in this industry.  I have seen floral quotes from other florists and there are places where I think I would have projected a higher cost and other areas where my prices might be a touch lower.  However, all I saw was a quote, not the actual delivered product so it’s really hard to compare apples to oranges (or visions of sugar plums dancing in my head).

Think about it in terms of food, a subject that many of us are very familiar with.  If I’m craving a shrimp dinner, I have several options.  I can head to Long John Silver’s or another similar fast food restaurant.  I’ll get a basket full of battered and fried shrimp, some fries and possibly even a drink for around $5.  Or I can go to a fine dining seafood restaurant.  I could pay upwards of $30+ for half the amount of shrimp.  Why am I willing to spend more about the fine dining restaurant?  How do you compare the two?  Shrimp is shrimp, right?

Flowers are flowers, right?  Why can I purchase a ½ dozen roses from Aldi for $4 while if I head to a flower shop it’s going to cost more around $20 for that same arrangement?

The long of the short is, there are standards price markups in every industry.  I think it’s fairly safe to assume that the quality of shrimp of being served at the high end restaurant is going to be better than that served at a quick service restaurant, it’s not always about quantity but also quality.  Therefore we’re willing to pay more because there’s a higher trust factor, the food might be more naturally sourced and prepared with higher quality ingredients. One meal might be served in a paper wrapper and another on bone china.  But they’re both restaurants and serve food to fill your bellies.

I am a floral designer and so is the girl working at the flower shop next door.  But I can’t say where her flowers are coming from – are they local, sustainable, etc.  Our markup might be comparable but what is the starting price?  And how does that affect the overall arrangement?

Then let’s think about the little “extras”.  As a potential bride, you were given a floral quote with all your needs for the day – the bouquet, corsages and centerpieces just to name a few.  But what you might not have asked is how large each bouquet will be.  Will it be the pieces be composed of many fillers?  What kind of containers will the centerpieces be placed in and how big will they be?  My bouquets are usually adored with at least 3 long streaming ribbons – long flowy ribbons are right on trend and I love them.  Is this important to you?  Are silky ribbons this style included within this other quote or is that extra?  I love this Snippet & Ink article which shows even more detail about this and how to compare apples to oranges, because let’s face it, not all flowers are the same.

Don’t be afraid to pick out specific arrangements from a designer’s portfolio and ask about the price.  This will give you an idea of what they might have quoted you and how it compares.  You don’t want any surprises (unless they’re good ones!) on your wedding day!

Next week, we’ll chat about passion!

Background image beautifully captured by Hetler Photography.