How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost?

Whether you’re opting for a minimalistic ceremony and reception or you’re going all out with a bright, bold color palette, your wedding flowers have the power to be one of the most beautiful, impactful parts of the day. A wedding ceremony will traditionally incorporate the bridal bouquet, bouquets for the bridesmaids, corsages, boutonnières, and altar flowers; the reception is often decked out with centerpieces, garlands, and even on the cake. The possibilities are endless!

Before you determine any floral plans, be sure to create your overall wedding budget—and determine what percentage of it will go towards flowers—early on. This will give you a better idea of your must-haves, wants, and pieces of traditional floral design elements that you may want to skip.

How much do wedding flowers really cost, and where’s a couple to begin in building the budget for this aspect of their big day? Read on for a few tips and tricks from floral and wedding planning experts to help better understand the average cost of wedding flowers, how to save on this important detail, and a few sample budgets to get you started. 

The Average Cost of Wedding Flowers

According to Los Angeles-based wedding planner Tessa Lyn Brand of Tessa Lyn Events, the average couple spends about seven percent of their total budget on wedding flowers, which, in her market, means a final cost of upwards of $10,000 on blooms alone. "Our Los Angeles-based clients usually spend between $12,000 and $20,000 on florals, but [we] have done $50,000 to $80,000 a handful of times," reveals Brand.

With that being said, the average cost of wedding flowers can vary widely, and some factors that impact your final total include how many floral arrangements you need, the types of flowers you choose, the size of your arrangements and personal flowers, and whether or not the blooms you've selected are in season and/or local. Though no wedding flower costs are set in stone and do vary tremendously from location to location, Brand provided a range couples can expect certain floral items to cost.

• Bridal bouquet: $250
• Bridesmaid bouquet: $80
• Boutonniere: $20
• Pin-on corsage: $25
• Wrist corsage: $30
• Reception centerpieces: $120-$600
• Flower girl petals: $25
• Ceremony structures: $1,500-$4,000
• Arrangements next to place cards and guest book: $200
• Head table florals: $1,500 
• Sweetheart table décor: $500
• Cake flowers: $150
• Flower crown: $100

It's also important to remember that the cost of labor, delivery (including fuel surcharges), and external factors (like poor weather impacting the growing season of your preferred blooms) all impact the price of your wedding flowers. As a good rule of thumb, communicate your budget and preferences to your florist early on, then ask for their suggestions to get the most bang for your buck.

Tips for Saving Money on Wedding Flowers

Though wedding flowers can be expensive, there are ways you can keep your floral costs (relatively) low and maximize your overall budget. Here are 10 expert-approved ways to save on wedding floral costs that don't require you to sacrifice on style.

1. Mix Expensive Flowers With Inexpensive Flowers

Get the look for less by following everyone's favorite fashion rule: Mix high with low! "One of the best ideas I have ever seen was the bride who had white roses and bushels of baby's breath," says Ani Keshishian, creative director of Anoush Banquet Halls & Catering and L.A. Banquets. "She alternated between roses on one table and baby's breath on another and you couldn't tell the difference in her photos. It was very elegant and did wonders for the feel of the wedding." If you're not a fan of alternating, try choosing a lot of filler like stock and greenery and adding in pops of the expensive and coveted flowers, such as David Austin roses or peonies, suggests Jennifer Arreguin Jacobson and Natasha Burton, cofounders of Swoon California in Santa Barbara, California.

2. Use Lighting and Other Décor Alongside Floral Arrangements

Votives and candlelight are just as romantic as flowers, and they can help keep you within budget. "You can also mix in personal items for the table displays like pictures, keepsakes, or lanterns instead of concentrating solely on blooms," Arreguin and Burton advise. Another bright idea if you don't have a big flower budget? Concentrate on finding unique vessels that may take fewer flowers. Choose items that, when combined with other design objects such as the above-mentioned candles in multiples, will create a stunning centerpiece, recommends celebrity event planner Michael Cerbelli, CEO and president of Cerbelli Creative.

3. Reuse Your Ceremony Flowers at the Reception

Sometimes you just have to go big or go home, right? If large, over-the-top arrangements are what you want, get them, but try to give them multiple uses. "These arrangements can be placed on staggered columns to create a gorgeous backdrop for the ceremony," advises wedding planner Scoobie West of Scoobie & Company. "During cocktail hour, they can be easily transported to the reception space." Brand adds, "If you are lining your aisle with floral boxes, those can easily be moved in front of your band stage. Your guests will be at cocktail hour and will have no idea!"

4. Choose Wedding Flowers That Are in Season and Locally Grown

Don't choose flowers that are completely out of season; while the price per stem for big-ticket flowers, like peonies, won't necessarily go down, the costs associated with transporting them absolutely will. Plus, you're likely going to get more pristine looking flowers. Options that are grown locally will usually be more affordable and fresher than specialty varieties that need to be shipped from far away.

5. Opt for Volume

Spend most of your budget on bigger, more impactful flowers, then have your florist use those smaller, pricier blooms as accents. "Full-petal flowers will go much further in terms of space than smaller blooms," says wedding planner Francesca DiSalvo-Follmer, owner of Pure Luxe Bride. Erica Taylor Haskins, co-founder of Tinsel Experiential Design, loves using towering flowering branches like cherry blossom and forsythia as a way to get a colorful, voluminous look.

6. Stick to a Few Types of Flowers

The more variety, the more the cost. Instead of overwhelming your floral arrangements with a multitude of different flowers, keep it simple and stick to a few varieties, keeping costs down and preventing your florist from ordering in bulk. The good news? Single-variety floral arrangements are very much so on-trend.

7. Consider Using Plants

Consider using potted plants or herbs for your centerpieces, suggests wedding planner Jyl Deering of Deering Events, so guests (or you) can take them home to replant. Palms and hearty desert cacti are also a great way to make a statement without having to go overboard on flowers. Succulents and terrariums are other great choices.

8. Be Open-Minded and Ask Your Florist for Advice

When in doubt, ask your florist for some insight. According to event planner Kristine Cholakian Cooke, owner of Simply Charming Socials, your florist should be able to give you some great alternatives that meet your expectations visually and are also more accessible for your date. "We always find that brides who are more open-minded going into initial floral meetings can truly learn about flowers and options they didn't know existed," says Cooke. "In the end, the results can be beautiful and unexpected."

9. Select a Venue That's Naturally Beautiful

Book a venue that's naturally beautiful and the flowers become somewhat less important. Sure, you'll still want your choice of blooms, but you're only accenting the beauty of what's around you now, not covering it up. Choose a windswept beach, a gorgeous garden, or a wooded grove as your wedding backdrop, then enhance your surroundings with simple floral accents.

10. Choose One or Two "Wow" Moments

You don't have to cover every surface at your reception with flowers. Instead, set a few statement centerpieces in key areas and use more minimal arrangements on tables. Some examples of ways to create "wow" moments include hanging gardens, flower walls, and grand centerpieces.