Wedding Florist Pricing Secrets: How to Charge $5K+ Per Event

Why Your Wedding Pricing Is Probably Wrong

If you are a retail florist who has started doing weddings and your average order is under $3,000, you are almost certainly underpricing. The problem is not that brides will not pay more. The problem is that you are using retail math for a completely different type of work.

At CHIC Flowers, we have refined our pricing model over years of serving the San Diego and Southern California wedding market. Here are the pricing secrets that transformed our business, and that we now teach in our Chic Academy course.

The Retail Pricing Trap

In your flower shop, pricing is straightforward: cost of goods times a markup factor. A $10 bunch of roses becomes a $30 arrangement. Simple.

Wedding pricing does not work this way because weddings involve massive amounts of work that have nothing to do with the flowers themselves:

• Consultation time: The average wedding consultation takes 60 to 90 minutes, and most florists do two or three before booking.


• Design and proposal time: Creating a custom proposal with mood boards, item descriptions, and pricing takes three to five hours.


• Preparation day: Processing, conditioning, and arranging flowers for a wedding takes your team an entire day.


• Event day labor: Setup, installation, adjustments, and breakdown can take six to twelve hours.


• Vehicle and logistics: Loading, driving, unloading, and returning adds hours and vehicle costs.

If you only charge for flowers, you are giving away all of this labor for free.

How to Build a $5K+ Proposal

Here is the framework we use and teach:

1. Start with the big-ticket items

| Item | Typical Range |
|------|--------------|
| Bridal bouquet | $250 – $450 |
| Bridesmaids bouquets (4-6) | $600 – $1,200 |
| Ceremony arch or installation | $800 – $2,500 |
| Centerpieces (10-15 tables) | $1,500 – $4,500 |
| Personal flowers (boutonnieres, corsages) | $200 – $500 |

That alone puts you at $3,350 to $9,150 before adding cocktail hour, sweetheart table, cake flowers, or any specialty items.

2. Add a design fee

Charge a flat design fee of $250 to $500 that covers your consultation, proposal development, and design revision time. This is separate from flower costs.

3. Add delivery, setup, and breakdown

Charge a service fee that covers your team's time on event day. This is typically $300 to $800 depending on venue distance, complexity, and team size needed.

4. Do not discount

Discounting signals that your original price was inflated. If a client's budget is lower than your proposal, offer to adjust the scope, not the price per item. Remove items rather than reducing quality.

The Psychology of Wedding Pricing

Brides and grooms expect to pay more for wedding flowers than they would for a birthday arrangement. The key is presenting your pricing with confidence and context:

• Show the value: Walk clients through what their investment covers, not just flowers but design expertise, premium sourcing, professional installation, and day-of coordination.


• Use inclusive language: Say "your floral investment" instead of "the cost." Say "we design" instead of "we make."


• Present options: Offer two to three package tiers so clients can choose their level of investment rather than negotiating a single price.

What Most Florists Forget to Charge For

• Rental items (vessels, arches, columns)


• Flower preservation coordination


• Late-night or early-morning delivery surcharges


• Venue site visits during the planning process


• Rush or holiday weekend premiums


• Repurposing labor (moving ceremony flowers to reception)

The $5K Minimum Sweet Spot

We recommend retail florists entering the wedding market set a $5,000 minimum. Here is why:

• Below $5,000, the labor-to-revenue ratio often makes weddings less profitable than a busy retail day.


• $5,000 filters out budget shoppers who will be difficult clients regardless of price.


• $5,000 positions you as a professional wedding florist, not a flower shop doing weddings on the side.

Want the complete pricing system with templates? Enroll in Chic Academy for the full framework, including proposal templates, pricing calculators, and real examples.