Paging through books, magazines or browsing the web are great ways to get ideas for wedding flowers. In pictures you see the best of the best. The biggest, the fanciest, and usually, the most expensive. But what should you really expect when pricing wedding flowers? This is the question I am asked the most, "How much does it cost?" and it is a valid question. Weddings come with budgets, and if you don't buy flowers all the time, the cost can surprise you. There is nothing I hate more than disappointing a bride when she realizes her dream flowers will cost way more than her budget will allow.

A few weeks back I wrote about why flowers cost what they do(read more here). Today I am writing about what you should expect for the average costs when pricing wedding flowers. The prices featured are based on an overall industry standard. Please, please, please remember these prices are only a guideline, each wedding and florist will be different.

Bridal Bouquet $150-300, Hand-tied bouquets are less expensive than cascade simply because of the amount of flowers needed to create. Likewise if you use roses, carnations and mums you will save tremendously over garden roses, orchids, calla lilies and peonies.

Throw Bouquet - $25-50, sometimes the florist will include the throw bouquet as a promotional item.

Bridesmaid Bouquet $75-150 each, again the more expensive the flowers, the more costly the design. Some ways to save money here, reconsider the number of people standing up(less people=less flowers) or have the bridesmaids carry a single flower bloom instead of a bouquet.
 
Flower Girl Flowers- $45-200, At the lower end you have a simple basket with petals or a small bouquet, pomanders are super cute but average about $95 and then you need to consider if you want flowers for her hair. Add it all up and now you know why they call her the flower girl.

Corsages - $15-30 each, Generally pin-on corsages are less expensive than wrist corsages. Although the don't have many flowers they are labor intensive.

Boutonnieres - $10-20 each, Like the corsages you are paying more for labor than flowers.

Alter Flowers - $150 and up, depending on the scale of the design. The really big designs are usually closer to $300-400. These are great arrangement to re-purpose. It may cost extra, but consider having them moved to the reception. 

Aisle Flowers - $10-15 each for the basic bow with a few blooms, a small hanging arrangement $35-50 each, a hanging pomander $95-125 each. To save money here some couples choose only to decorate the pews reserved for immediate family, some decorate every other pew. Again, if your a bit creative you can re-purpose these too. 
    Petals for the aisle can run $45 - $500 depending if you just want a small basket full for the flower girl or if you want one of those intricate designs laid out as part of the decor. It goes with out saying, the longer the aisle the more petals needed.

Showy Entrance Pieces - If you want to WOW your guests as they arrive or have a showy piece next to the seating card table figure about $300 and up.

Centerpieces - The low full designs, vary from $ 75-300 each. If you choose the right flowers and use more fillers you can keep it on the lower end but it you want the garden roses and orchids like shown in the magazine photo shoots, you will have to open your purse a bit wider.
    As for the tall, elevated designs, they can take hundreds of flowers to create. Sometimes they even need to be assembled on site and require extra labor to be completed in time, for these, expect to pay $200-500 each.
    Simple bud vases or smaller vase arrangements run $20-75 each and may be all you need, especially if you are decorating a long rectangle table.

Cake Flowers - $75-200 Depends on how many tiers the cake is, the coverage of flowers, and if you need a floral topper.

Delivery/set-up/breakdown - Expect to pay up to 25% of the subtotal for these additional services. Make sure you ask your florist about these charges so you are not caught off guard.


The best advise I can give you is to sit down with your florist and discuss your options. Be upfront about your budget and please, now I am asking as your florist, make sure your budget is reasonable.  More often than not, your florist will be able to create the look you are after with flowers you can afford. 

If you wedding is in Wisconsin, Blooming Envy would love to hear from you. Contact us today to schedule a meeting.

Can winter get any longer? If your house is anything like mine, you can tell Old Man Winter has over stayed his welcome. People are getting crabbier, you never see the sun and you can't leave the house without wearing half of your wardrobe. If the weatherman says that S* word again, I think I am going to scream.

Even though we are stuck with winter a bit longer we can still dream about the warmth and sunshine of spring. Check out this inspiration board of a spring wedding guaranteed to get rid of those winter blues, at least for a little while.

What do you think of when you see an Iris? Irises always take me back to my childhood. There were seas of yellow that seemed to go on forever, all the way around the house. The best part was that mom always let me cut some to bring inside.

Did you know that Iris takes its name from the Greek word for rainbow, referring to the wide variety of colors found among the many species. Irises can be found in blue, purple, white, yellow, pink, orange, brown, red and even black. There are some 300 species in the genus Iris.

Common Name: Iris
Botanical Name: Iridaceae

Irises are perennial plants. They have long, erect flowering stems which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The distinctive flowers have three large outer petals called "falls" and three inner upright petals called "standards." The falls may have beards or crests. Bearded iris are so-called because they have soft hairs along the center of the falls. In crested iris, the hairs form a comb or ridge.

Most irises flower in early summer but most florist can have them imported year round. They are hardy, reliable, and easy to grow. Irises also attract butterflies and hummingbirds and make lovely cut flowers. What a great source on interest in a design.

Interesting Facts:

• Iris leaves or leaf-sap were used as a dye, to give the blue color to tattoos. 
• The iris is the French royal standard Fleur-de-lis and also the symbol of Florence, Italy.
• Oral root, taken from the dried roots of Iris 'Florentia', was considered a cure for blood and lung diseases, and teething babies were encouraged to gnaw on a "finger" of dried root for its natural fluoride.

So if you are one of the lucky one's who was given flowers by your Valentine, you are probably wishing they would last forever. Unfortunately they don't and chances are right about now you are contemplating throwing them away. Well, if you are anything like me you will wait for the very last sign of life to leave before taking them out to the compost bin.

On average, cut flowers should last about 4-7 days in your home. With the proper care(see tips here) you can extend the life of your cut flowers. If your arrangement happens to have more than one type of flower you may notice that some last longer than others. Although there is no guarantee just how long a flower will last, below is a list of some of the more popular flowers and their average life span.

        Flower                                                Vase Life in Days
    Alstromeria (Peruvian Lily)                                     6-14
    Baby's Breath (Gypsophillia)                                    5-10+
    Calla Lily                                                               4-8
    Carnation /Mini Carnation                                       6-14+
    Chrysanthemum                                                    7-14+
    Cymbidium (Orchid)                                               7-28
    Daffodil                                                                 4-6
    Dahlia                                                                   4-10
    Delphinium                                                            4-12
    Dendrobium                                                          10-16+
    Freesia                                                                 4-12
    Gardenia                                                               1-3
    Gerbera                                                                4-14
    Gladiolus                                                               6-10
    Hyacinth                                                                3-7
    Hydrangea                                                             5-10
    Hypericum                                                             10-21
    Iris                                                                        2-6
    Larkspur                                                                4-12
    Lily                                                                        4-11  
    Lisianthus                                                               6-10
    Peony                                                                     5-10
    Phalaenopsis (Orchid)                                              20-30
    Queen Anne's Lace                                                  3-5
    Ranunculus                                                             3-7
    Rose                                                                      4-12
    Snapdragon                                                            5-8
    Statice                                                                    4-8+
    Stock                                                                      5-8
    Sunflower                                                               5-12+
    Sweet Pea                                                               3-7
    Tulip                                                                       3-7
    Waxflower                                                               5-9


A few other things that will affect the vase life of your flowers are: growing conditions, the amount of time the flower spent in transit, and post harvest care received in the distribution chain. One other note, arrangements made in floral foam generally do not last as long as flowers in a vase of water. The best advise I have for your flowers, sit back and enjoy them! Then will not last forever!

The appearance of the groundhog this past weekend has left me with hope that the long days of winter will soon be a memory. But since we still have a few weeks to go, all one can do is make the best of what Wisconsin winter will bring. As for me, I am growing use to the long hours of darkness. In fact I took inspiration from a recent starry night for this board. Lose yourself in the feeling of magic and closeness that only night can offer. Imagine yourself taking pictures with a full moon in the background or the soft glow of candles at your receptions. Regardless of the season, you are always guaranteed the wonder of nightfall and a show of evening lights. Whether they are from Mother Nature or mankind, both can offer unique beauty. If you need more ideas or help creating your own starry night to remember contact us.

An old time favorite is making a come back, Babies Breath. Yes, this may just be your grandmother's favorite filler but before you judge and jump to conclusions, take a moment and consider all the truly wonderful possibility babies breath has to offer. Not only is it affordable and easy to find, it is also available all year round. Babies breath is also versatile, it works well with country, romantic and even vintage theme arrangements. Or to give it a modern feel use it in mass on its own and make it the star of the show.

Common Name: Babies Breath
Botanical Name: Gypsophila

Gypsophila is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. Its botanical name means "lover of chalk", which is accurate in describing the type of soil in which this plant grows. It also means festivity, innocence, pure of heart, and happyness. With its teeny tiny blooms, it can look really elegant…and very, very pretty. As a fresh flowers it comes in white, sometimes with hints of pink, but babies breaths is also available dried in a variety of dyed colors.

The best part, because Babies Breath is so easy to work with it's great for the DIY'er.  Want some super cute ideas check out my Pintrest board, Babies Breath.


Interesting Fact: The root of the Gypsophila repens is used to make the whipped-cream topping of the Turkish dessert kerebic. Boiling the root over a period of hours produces white bubbles which are collected, mixed with sugar, and mixed until it thickens to a cream.

Flowers are one of those items that most people buy from time to time. Most often it is a small bunch from the grocery store or an arrangement from the florist for a birthday or anniversary gift. And more often than not when we buy these flowers we do it without giving the cost too much thought.

That is not the case when you are planning a wedding. Weddings have budgets and part of the that budget is flowers. Flowers for a wedding can be expensive just because of the sheer volume of flowers needed. Not only does the bride and groom need flowers, so does the wedding party, the family, the church, the hall, the cake, the flower girl and so on.

Have you ever stopped to consider what actually goes into the cost of the flowers that you buy? Somebody, somewhere(think globally), has to grow that flower. That involves supplies like soil, fertilizer, and seeds. You also need equipment, like watering features, tractors and greenhouses. There are also workers needed to plant, care for and harvest the flowers. Once the flowers are harvested, then they must be transported on trucks and planes to the wholesalers for distribution to florists.

So, lets think about that. A flower cut in Holland, that is ready for sale, is shipped to the United States, distributed to a wholesaler, who then sells to the florists who provides the consumer with their final products. Without even realizing it, you may have a flower on your table or in your bouquet that had to travel across an ocean to get to you. All in record time. This provides you, the consumer, with fresh, long lasting flowers.

Besides the cost of the flowers, you also have the florist costs to factor in. This includes the floral designers time, knowledge, skills and equipment used to make the arrangements. They don't work for free, I know I don't, and I am sure you don't either. As a designer I have spent many hours learning, practicing, and fine tuning my expertise. Yes, I love designing beautiful arrangements, that's why I do what I do, but please don't undervalue the effort that is needed to make such beauty. We are also the one's responsible for adding the special touches that make the flowers unique. Along with the actual designing there are many hours spent planning and preparing for each event.

Before you go and find yourself in sticker shock over your wedding flowers, do some research, have a reasonable budget and find a florist who can work with you and provide you with options that fulfill your dreams and satisfy your needs. If your event is in Wisconsin, be sure to contact Blooming Envy, we would love to help.