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Writer's pictureHeather Wathen

Wedding Flower Planning Guide

Updated: Jul 1



Hello and Welcome!

I’m thrilled that you are here!

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming Wedding!

This is such a special time in your life and I’m honored that you are considering Velveteen Floral’s as a part of your vendor team.I realize that planning a wedding can be overwhelming for most couples, with the delicate balance of expectations and reality often competing for first place.This guide was created to help clarify industry conceptions for our local market, provide more details on our process, share some starting prices, and provide and idea of what it’s like to work with us. Take a moment to browse through it and get to know our brand.


xo - Heather

 

TOP TIPS how to plan


01 If you haven’t already selected a wedding date or venue, really consider how important specific flowers are to you and plan your wedding around that time of year. If there is a specific flower that’s important to you, ask when it’s available in your region before picking your date.


02 Be flexible when it comes to specific flower varieties. Having a color pallet and overall style in mind is enough to set your florist up for success because they can interpret your color pallet with whatever is best available for your wedding date. Consider there are multiple factors out of our control on any given week, having an open mind to what types of flowers will be in your wedding gives your florist options to be resourceful.


03 Consider your floor plan early on in your wedding planning. The number of tables and the style of tables [round, rectangle, harvest] require different floral needs, and therefore can greatly impact your overall floral budget.


04 When you need to prioritize your flower budget, consider focusing on making a statement in high touch point areas, such as the bridal bouquet, ceremony altar, guest tables, and head table design. Accent areas, such as the welcome table, aisle, boutonnieres, corsages, and signage flowers are secondary and will not make as huge an impact to the overall atmosphere.


05 Research florists you are interested in hiring before booking a consultation with them. Narrow it down to your top two before inquiring. Relationships are also important, so matching with right florist for you should be the priority, not just pricing details.


06 Consider the timeline of the wedding day. Access times to your ceremony and reception spaces(s) for set up and any needed  transfers, directly impact the design possibilities.



 

PRICING guide

This pricing guide serves to give you and overview of the approximate costs for common floral designs. While detailed estimates are structured by category rather than individual items, this page represents an average price for typical items we incorporate in our calculations. The average price mirrors the floral arrangements crafted in our signature style, yet adjustments are always possible. Additionally, administrative fees including delivery, setup, and breakdown are not included in the rates outlined below.

Bridal bouquet $300

Bridesmaid Bouquet $150

Flower Crown $75

Boutonniere $20

Wrist corsage $45

Altar arrangement, extra large $425

Altar arrangement, large $350

Back of isle arrangement $250

Chair/pew marker $50

Arbor flower cage $250

Compote arrangement, Large $225

Compote arrangement, medium $175

Bowl arrangement, small $100

Bowl arrangement, mini $65

Elevated arrangement $375

Hedge arrangement $200

Bud vase arrangement $30

Custom instillation $1,000

[Updated 2024, Subject to change without notice]



 

OUR SERVICES what to expect


01 We are a full service wedding florist, meaning we are involved in knowing all the aspects of your wedding design to determine the best floral design for you, while considering the policies of your venue and day-of logistics. We plan, design, deliver, set up, transfer and ceremony to reception transfers, and breakdown for every wedding.


02 We create a floral design based on what’s most important to your style, budget, color pallet, etc. - and work collaboratively with your other wedding professionals to ensure an efficient set up on the wedding day.


03 We provide access to our thoughtful curated rental collection - vases, candle holders, pedestals, etc. Exclusively available to only our wedding clients and industry friends at a discounted rate.


04 We pick up all of our flower orders directly from local growers or flower market, and order from top quality distributors to ensure we receive the best quality flowers available.


05 Every wedding is prioritized based on succession of wedding date. We always have your best interest in mind and will work to make you feel confident and at ease when working with us. We don’t sugar coat relates and offer candid advice, but we also want you to have the best experience all the way through to post-wedding day! We aim to exceed expectations and strive for excellence.


06 On our estimates, we do not provide itemized pricing or visuals up front. Instead, we provide you with our category pricing for Wedding Party & Family Flowers, Ceremony Flowers, Cocktails & Welcome Flowers, Reception flowers and Administrative fees. The reason we use category pricing is because we buy our flowers in bulk and this format provides us with the freedom to place the best value [and best-looking] flowers where we know we can maximize each design. A complete Wedding Flower Visual Guide is provided at some point after booking services.


07 At the time of booking our services, you are securing your wedding date with a “best idea of” what you’d like to have for your flowers and rentals. You have the flexibility to change any and all details of your design, so long as our minimum booking rate is retained. [$500 + HST, subject to change without notice]


08 We choose to limit the number of weddings we book each season because we want to maximize our attention and care for each one. This is why we operate with a booking minimum.


09 For a Saturday wedding, our flowers will typically start to arrive on Tuesday, with additional orders arriving Wednesday and Thursday. Every flower is processed and conditioned so that it is at its peak beauty for the wedding day itself. We utilize our cooler to keep all flower arrangements at peak freshness as they are designed into vessels.



 



OUR PROPOSAL a stunning visual guide


Each of our couples will receive a customized Wedding Flower Visual Guide following the booking of our services before the final detail’s meeting scheduled prior to the wedding date. Typically, this guide is prepared outside of our peak wedding season, often at the onset of your wedding year. Within this comprehensive visual guide, you will find essential details concerning your wedding and floral arrangements.


  • Details of your wedding day and hired professionals

  • Color palette and the harmonious balance of the selected colors

  • Anticipated flower varieties we plan to incorporate

  • Inspirational visuals showcasing various floral designs we intend to create- Recommended rental visuals for the discussed design

  • Reception floor plan [once provided]

  • Our schedule of events for wedding day deliveries, setup and breakdown.




 

GET TO KNOW THE FLOWER INDUSTRY


COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS


Flowers are market up more because it’s a wedding

The floral industry operates from a standard structure for pricing. Professional florists use a formula as a minimum guide to determine our own pricing. This means that whether the flowers are for retail or for a wedding, the formulas are the same. While you may find pricing differences between florists can vary due to various reasons [operating costs, experience, style, etc.] there is a minimum standard we all work from in order to be profitable [just as any business would]. I always tell our clients that we are not the least expensive option available, but there is value in our experience, quality of service, and peace of mind!


Using local flowers or more greenery will lower costs

Common greenery varieties that couples want for their wedding are eucalyptus, smilax, and Italian cuscus, all of which are premium varieties and therefore, expensive. It adds up quickly when using en masse. Flowers purchased from local growers support those people and their families, so the costs are not typically less expensive because the cosy of living in high and takes a lot of time and resources to grow flowers in any climate.


Florists are able to get any flower, any time of the year

While we definitely want to hear about your likes and wants, it’s better to come to the planning table with an idea of a color pallet versus specific flower requests. Many unique and popular flower varieties, like peonies, are seasonal, so outside of certain month’s of the year, it’s impossible to get. We also need to buy our flowers in bulk. To have a request of one or two stems of any specific flower is not realistic. Most flower bunches come in counts of ten to twenty five stems.



 


Search google about wedding flowers and you are sure to find numerous sources with contradictory explanations or suggestions when it comes to planning your florals.

It’s confusing for the best of us! Don’t worry - I got you!

I’m here to share some truths and debunk myths about our local flower market.


FACTS

Flowers are expensive. Hard stop. They are a luxury, not an essential. Wedding flowers are a deliverable product AND a labor-intensive service. They cost time and money to purchase as well as plan, design, deliver, and clean up.


The flower industry is a global one and as much as we like to select locally grown flowers, we are limited by climate and seasons. This also means that while the weather or circumstances are good here, it may not be elsewhere in the world, [hurricanes, extreme weather, pandemic, etc.], and therefore, it can disrupt the availability or transportation of flowers. Nature always takes the lead when it comes to what happens with flower availability. Supply and demand is second. Politics are third. This is why colorists cannot guarantee specific flowers.


Not every florist operates their business in the same way. Some choose to take on a limited number of weddings each season, some focus on a certain style or retail sales only, and some choose to work with a minimum booking budget. The scope of work, attention to detail, and services offered varies greatly, so determine what’s important to you and find a florist that encompasses it.


When you trust your florist, you provide them with the freedom to be the best version of themselves, creatively and professionally. Appreciate, connection and trust is just as important as pricing and design style.


Most weddings we take on require 100+ hours of labor - meetings, calculating, estimates, arrangement recipe writing, supply ordering, flower ordering, hand picking flowers at the market, designing, delivery and set up, breakdown, and cleaning of all rentals post-wedding.



 

GET IN TOUCH with us


Okay, so you’ve read through all of the information and details. Perhaps you’ve gained some clarity and are ready to move into the nest steps in this process? Perhaps, you’ve realized you don’t need as much as our services provide? Either way, we wish you the best of luck in finding the florist of your dreams!


If we’ve sparked your interest in our services, we would love for you to reach out through our contact form found on our website to check availability and begin our pre-booking process.



In the meantime, follow on Instagram or Facebook, where you’re sure to feel inspired by all the floral and cake designs!



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