Flower mark up

bel138 · August 2009

So I just got our "proposal" from the florist in the mail. I'm just doing ceremony flowers for me, FI, 3 BM, 5 GM, 5 moms, and 4 dads. Now the overall price isn't ridiculous - $300. But, when I looked at the bouquets, I started to get a little angry.I want a bouquet of alstromeria. You know, those lily looking flowers that are $5 at the grocery store? I just love them for some reason. I asked for a small bunch of those, wrapped in a ribbon. (Which costs $5 spool.) She's charging me over $65. Is that normal? $55 mark up and/or labor? For one bouquet?The girls are getting small gerbera bouquets. Turns out on the order sheet that means 3 gerberas per bouquet. For $35. I'm fairly sure they cost about $1.50 per stem at the grocery store. So, is this typical? I mean, I know the overall cost isn't breaking the bank, but I just think this is ridiculous. I think I'm going to go find Tide's bio to check out DIY tips.

tlv204 · August 2009

Those prices are actually pretty low for bouquets. My bouquet (of nothing but 4 lilies and 4 peonies) was around $150 I think.

RachNRich · August 2009

weddings = [i]huge[/i] mark-ups. but, that doesn't sound like too bad of a price. if it's too much for you to stomach, look into DIYing them like you mentioned.

bel138 · August 2009

If it were something like peonies and lilies, I would be more understanding. But these things are available year round for $5. And I'm in Nowheresville, PA, where the cost of living is very low. DIY it is!

ggmae · August 2009

It's the convenience factor. I'm sure a big chunk of those prices is the labor. But ditto Tlv. Those prices don't seem too bad.

ring_pop · August 2009

Are you getting literally 1 stem or 1 small bunch, or an actual bouquet?Bouquets have more flowers than you might think because the flowers are stripped of all the leaves and packed so tightly together.Just to put things into perspective, I bought my flowers wholesale and spent about $200 CAD for enough flowers for 3 bouquets, 5 bouts and 3 corsages. Nothing really outrageously exotic either.We didn't have to pay for labour as my brother's gf and her friend did it for free, but the two of them spent a good 3-4 hours on it.

sarah0725 · August 2009

This is why I'm glad that FI's aunt is a florist who is doing our flowers for us for the cost of flowers only.

tlv204 · August 2009

Just for the record, the actual flowers for my bouquet only cost about $45. The rest was labor. It was split up on my bill. It does take a lot more flowers and labor than a lot of people realize to make them look nice. The only thing I know for sure about DIYing flowers is to make sure you have a good place to store them!

mrsLesGrossman · August 2009

I have seen classes for flower arrangements on youtube. You might want to check there. I agree with the principal of it and you are being way over charged. Buy the flowers yourself and take care of it.

janasb · August 2009

just like pp said, you are paying for the labor and convenience. Those prices don't seem all that bad to me. I am paying $250 for my bouquet only, and its all roses with a couple pieces of bear grass. Bouquets and corsages are the only thing I am getting from a florist, the rest will be DYI.

juliaw04 · August 2009

The amount of mark-up depends on the type of florist you are using. If you are going to a store front floral shop, the mark up is going to be more than a grocery store florist. I work for a grocery store flower shop so hopefully I can give you a little bit of insight into how we price bouquets. We don't charge any extra for a wedding arrangement than any other type of arrangement. The thing that most people don't realize though is that, especially at a grocery store, the price you see for a bunch of prewrapped flowers is generally MUCH lower than what the flowers cost per stem. For example, we sell alstromeria in bunches of 7 stems for $4.99 when they cost $1.99 per stem sold individually. When we have to cut open a package, to make a bouquet or any type of arrangement for that matter, we can no longer charge the "bulk rate", instead we charge the per stem price so those same 7 stems are now costing $13.93. Depending on the amount or work required, we charge an average of $6-$20 to cover the cost of greenery, filler, ribbon, and labor. Hope this all made sense!

tidetravel · August 2009

I LOVE Alstroemeria. They're my favorite. You are paying more for the florist's time/skill than anything. A similar bridal bouquet with other flowers would be at least $100, so it's not outrageous. If you just want an alstroemeria bouquet, consider DIYing. Seriously. Alstroemeria are VERY hardy flowers - they don't wilt easily, hold their color well, and stay fresh longer than a lot of flowers.

texasfire · June 2013

The quoted prices are quite reasonable. Anytime a florist is used, you have to consider that is a business with overhead. The main cost is not the flowers themselves, but the labor and time designing and if the florist is delivering to the venue. All that is what is in the 25 - 30% mark-up. Not highway robbery at all. If you don't want to pay for the convenience of someone else's time, skill and talent, do it yourself. I promise you will regret that unless you have a friend doing it b/c as the bride, you are going to miss out on much of the fun stuff of being a bride the 2 days before the wedding and be super stressed out on top. Most folks do not really know what goes into designing for weddings or any other event. Once flowers received from wholesaler, they must be processed properly so that they are fully hydrated and you don't have to worry about bent necks, breaking stems, dropping petals, etc. Only after fully hydrated can a florist begin designing the flowers. Depending on size of flower order, processing alone takes anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. Designing bouquets can take anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 6 hours and that is just for bouquets. If altar arrangements or centerpieces are included, that's additional hours of time.

AddieCake · June 2013

@texasfire

Considering this post is FOUR YEARS OLD, I'd say she worked it out by now. Why would you resurrect this?

NYCMercedes · June 2013

Yeah, the flowers have long since died.

Flower mark up

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