Is this a fair price?

Re: Is this a fair price?

• miniac member

  

  February 2015

  Edit: The florist in question charges about 40% on top of the cost of the actual flowers. Is this normal?

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• AuroraRose41 member

  

  February 2015

  I think you might have better luck on a local board specific to Toronto, but $1700/40% sounds extremely high to me. A florist that I plan to use just sent me a quote and only charges $100 for set up and delivery (and I think tear down as well) in Upstate NY. I think the "design fee" is included in the price of the flowers. 

  
  

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• charcoalandblush member

  

  February 2015

  This is obviously very regional, but the delivery charge for our flowers is only $25. The florist won't have to set-up or tear-down, so that's obviously an additional cost. But $1700 seems absurd.

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  February 2015 edited February 2015

  The price of flowers depends on a lot of factors including your location, type of flowers/design, the number of items, amount of travel/set up time for wedding and even time of year.  You also always have to factor in the vendor's reputation.  More reputable vendors tend to charge more because of their name.

  
  

  I live in the NYC area and was quoted anywhere from $1,000-$2,500.    What exactly are you getting for $1,700 dollars?  What types of flowers did you pick?   Instead of asking her to come down on the quoted price, why not ask for some suggestions on how to cut costs.  She may suggested a less expensive flower or design.    

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• Knottie0839442 member

  

  February 2015

  I ran the floral department of a grocery store for a few years, and 35% was standard for grocery store design fees. From my mentors who'd owned their own flower shops, near or around what they charged (some shops may have been a bit more). It's the cost of labor (otherwise you're asking them to work for free, since the markup for flowers is what they'd get selling the flowers without arranging them, and some designs [and some flowers] are very labor-intensive).

  
  

  Beyond that, though, depending on the number of flowers, amount of greenery, type of flowers, and the difficulty of the design, you may be looking at a higher-end boutique. In my area there are only two types of flower shops: grocery stores and extremely high end boutiques. No reasonably priced indie stores. However, if you're in New England or other parts of the country than the South, flower shops tend to do better and you may have decent, more budget-friendly options.

  
  

  Don't discount grocery store florists, either. The ones in our area are staffed by the private shops owners who moved South, the people they've trained, former private florists who left indie shops for various reasons, and award-winning designers from other countries, all of whom chose to have the stability of a full-time salary than try to make it with a privately owned practice. Most who have done wedding design before will have pictures of their previous work. You'll have to arrange transport and cleanup yourself, but it's more cost effective.

  
  

  Also check out your local farmers market, and if any florists show up, ask them if they do private designing. They may only offer seasonal flowers, but if you go seasonal, you might end up saving money. Just ask to see a sample of what they've done before. Experience makes a huge difference.

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