Wondering how much wedding flowers cost and how much you should be budgeting? Well, help is on hand as UK wedding florists give us their expert knowledge on floral expenditure and what to consider when buying your flowers.

Your Wedding Flower Budget

Natural floristry hugely impacts the atmosphere, style and look of your wedding day, which is why it should feature right at the top of your planning checklist, so lets delve into the world of flower buying for your UK wedding…

The average Spend on Wedding Flowers

To give you all the knowledge and insight you need we spoke to 3 professional florists regarding their the average cost of wedding flowers in the UK and their thoughts on spending your budget;

More than 80% of our work is weddings and the average spend is around £3,500. However, all our wedding pieces are priced individually and we do some gorgeous, intimate weddings costing a few hundred pounds to very grand and lavish events, where the spend can go into tens of thousands of pounds.

A typical wedding will include several bouquets – the all-important bridal bouquet and usually three or more bridesmaids. The more delicate pieces will generally include buttonholes, corsages of some kind (either lapel or increasingly wrist corsages) and hair flowers.

The main focus is usually the table flowers – generally we find our couples opt for a mixture of tall, dramatic displays and lower arrangements, which are usually given some height with silver or crystal stands.”- James at Tudor Rose.

“Weddings take on so many forms these days that the cost of wedding flowers can vary widely. An average spend for us is between £2.5 and £4.5k. Although saying that we also create flowers for many smaller intimate weddings and currently ‘micro’ and elopements, typically spending £300-£500. One size doesn’t fit all, we don’t have a price list as we quote for each wedding individually, every wedding is as unique as the couple getting married, nothing is too big or too small.

For our average spend, couples can expect to have; Bridal party flowers plus ceremony and reception flowers which we very often repurpose and use for both.”- Elaine of Pesh Flowers

“When it comes to flowers at a modern wedding, it really is the case of anything goes, and that extends to budget; you can spend as much or as little as you like on flowers depending on your taste and how far the pennies stretch. An average spend for a wedding would be around £2000, which would include ceremony flowers, bridal party flowers such as bouquets and buttonholes, and table centre designs.

It could also include additional details such as blooms to decorate a cake or ad hoc decor, such as mantlepiece or bar designs. As a florist, I don’t have a minimum spend for couples as I believe everyone should have access to beautiful wedding flowers; I always suggest reusing designs from the ceremony for the reception where possible to get double the value.” – Rhiannon Downton of Willow and Wisps Botanical Design

So, as 3 professionals have explained for a typical wedding flower package you can expect to be paying anywhere from £2,000 up to £4,500 whilst keeping in mind that florists can and will cater for more intimate weddings accordingly and bespoke packages can be arranged upon your requests and requirements.

What can couples expect to pay for a flower arch?

“A floral arch is still very much in demand as they create a dramatic statement for your wedding, and look great in photographs. They take on many forms and we are finding that natural ‘as if growing’ designs which are more open structured, asymmetric or ‘broken’ arches are most popular. Obviously the flower choices and size of the display plays a part on the costings for an arch but would expect to be paying anything from £700-£2000 for an arch.” – Elaine of Pesh Flowers

“Arches don’t have to cost the earth – sure, you can spend £1,000 on a statement design, but you can also spend just a couple of hundred on part-arches, such as a-symmetric designs or just the brow, and can lower costs by creating something utilising foraged foliage and minimising the flowers.” – Rhiannon Downton of Willow and Wisps Botanical Design

“Our flower arches currently start at £800. This is for a half arch, constructed on a foam garland attached to the church or pergola etc. Free-standing arches, which we have to use when there isn’t effective anchorage to tie the garland to, are a beautiful alternative which can give a far fuller and more dramatic feel.

And, of course, they can be used anywhere (as long as it’s not too windy!). They have a wonderful effect in gardens as well as inside venues. These start at around £1,500 and the cost does depend on the size (we currently have three different size freestanding arches).” – James at Tudor Rose.

We certainly feel wedding arches are worth the investment, creating a focal point during your wedding ceremony is vital and your wedding photography will be simply gorgeous. Depending on the design you choose the arch could be incorporated into the rest of your wedding celebrations, floral arches do look incredible poised behind the top table during your wedding breakfast.

What Factors can affect the Cost of Wedding Flowers?

“There are many factors that affect flower costs, including the time of year, in spring and summer there are more varieties available and so costs can be more reasonable. But autumnal and winter weddings are all the more beautiful for all the foliage’s grasses and berries that can be used.

New Brexit imports will mean that flowers entering the country will have duty added and so the stem price will increase. And the dreaded COVID has meant that less crops have been planted due to reduced demand and therefore the individual stem prices are more than they were in previous months. – Elaine of Pesh Flowers

“The time of year is a massive factor in the cost of wedding flowers; whilst you may think it romantic to get married on Valentine’s Day, this is a sure-fire way to jack up the cost. Additionally, if flowers are being sourced from Holland, festivals and bank holidays there can have a knock-on effect on the UK market.

The amount of work involved is also something to consider; a wired shower bouquet is far more time consuming than a hand-tied bouquet. To keep costs down, and to cut down my carbon footprint, I use UK growers for some of my cut flower supply.” – Rhiannon Downton of Willow and Wisps Botanical Design

“Seasonal flowers on the whole tend to be better value for money. If a couple isn’t too worried about the type of flowers used, they just like our work, we would often suggest working to a colour theme and style rather than focusing on specific flower types. This gives us the freedom to buy what’s best on the day – as well as being sensible from a budget point of view this approach often lends itself to the best floral results. For example, a peony out of season can often be rather a disappointing bloom – not to mention expensive!” – James at Tudor Rose.

Last words of advice…

Don’t rush your decisions and leave plenty of time, finding florists at the beginning of your wedding planning journey is key, be open and honest about what you really want to achieve but trust their expertise in bringing your visions to reality. If possible avoid booking your wedding date during particular holidays and opt for seasonal blooms to ensure your budget stretches further.

There’s lots of clever ways to use your floristry throughout the day whether you use your bridesmaid bouquets as table decor or re-position your ceremony arch, all of which professional florists can give you their full insight into once you’ve chosen your wedding venue.

If you need some more words of wisdom regarding your wedding floristry, you’ll love our Guide To Choosing Your Wedding Flowers.

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