Melbourne Florists Reveal: How Much Wedding Flowers REALLY Cost
March 26, 2024
Melbourne Florists Reveal: How Much Wedding Flowers REALLY Cost
“How much should I budget for wedding flowers?” It’s the question on every engaged duo’s lips. So whether you’re freshly engaged in Melbourne or are planning a wedding in Victoria, you’re curious about the prices for wedding flowers Melbourne florists charge. Good news, lovers. We went straight to the source for the 411!
Your venture into the garden of Google is a fruitful one. Because, guessing how much you should spend on your Melbourne wedding’s florals alone is one thing. It’s another to get the real-world numbers.
Come wander down the garden path of wedding flower costs specific to Melbourne weddings.
Melbourne Florists Weigh in on Wedding Flower Budgets
No matter if you’re looking for bright, bold wedding flowers or a dreamy, muted, delicate vibe. Even creating an air of magical enchantment or including trending arrangements. The cost of wedding flowers in Melbourne varies, with options to suit every style and budget.
We spoke with a range of Melbourne florists who generously shared their up-to-date insights into flower budgets and prices. We’re so thrilled these blooming beauties plucked these figures out for us so openly.
All in the name of helping you uncover how much you should budget for your wedding flowers! Et voila – the cost of wedding flowers in Melbourne revealed.
Elle Glossop | Love Alfalfa
Average Melbourne wedding bouquet cost: $160-$350
Average Melbourne wedding flower costs: $3-$4k+
Style: “Big, bougie and bright! Our goal is to create fun, memorable floral designs that your guests will be chatting about all night.”
Perfect for lovebirds who: “Are looking for a modern, colourful edge outside the traditional wedding vibe box!”
Top floral hack: “We are total flower nerds who believe in the magic of repurposing to get the most out of your wedding florals!
“Start with a grand ceremony setup, then we can transform this into epic bar statement pieces. We also supply complimentary vases to pop your wedding bouquets into after the ceremony. These can then be placed around the venue to add an extra touch of magic!”
Common wedding flower mistakes to avoid: “While it may seem appealing to DIY your wedding flowers, my suggestion is to leave it to the experts and relish in making memories with your loved ones days before the wedding, instead of being immersed in green waste with dirty hands!”
Petals of wisdom: “If you’re puzzled about the real price of top-notch wedding blooms in Melbourne, it’s good to visit a few reputable florists to gather a better idea of the correct pricing of quality flowers.
“Remember, it’s not just about flowers, you’re investing in a whole flower-filled extravaganza! Think creativity, decades of know-how, behind-the-scenes admin like mood boards and crack-of-dawn flower hunts from nearby growers… setting up and even heading back at midnight on the eve of the event to bump it all out.”
Angie & Rhiannon | FLOWERjar
Average Melbourne wedding bouquet cost: $385
Average Melbourne wedding flower costs: $2-8k
Style: “We love layered, luxe and textured styles the best (with lots of colour if we can!).”
Perfect for lovebirds who: “Have a brief dreamed up! With our 20+ years of experience each, we are super flexible.”
Top floral hack: “We know the ins and outs of products, the logistics from most venues and locations in Melbourne and the timing required for flowers to be perfectly opened, created and placed. Hire the pros!
“Our knowledge also allows us to suggest sneaky repurposing of arrangements that can be achieved without sacrificing quality. No one wants droopy ceremony blooms on their bridal table!”
Common mistakes to avoid: “Trying to spread your budget across too many areas instead of just focusing on key impact arrangements.”
Petals of wisdom: “Melbourne wedding flowers’ prices are so varied with styles and quantities. Logistics and locations can affect this too! For a rough idea of what you get for your money, bridal party florals – like the bride, two bridesmaids, four buttonholes and a simple inner city ceremony – might be $2-3k. Add gorgeous mid-side table florals and that’ll be around $4-6k. For the whole lot and some more, you’re looking at $8k.”
You might also like: Cityscape or Countryside: choosing your perfect Melbourne wedding venue.
Kim McClelland | Dear Henri
Average Melbourne wedding bouquet cost: Varies
Melbourne wedding flower costs: $5-$20k
Style: “Modern romantic, abundant and colourful.”
Perfect for lovebirds who: “Place great value on quality of product, transparent communication and a smooth creative process.”
Top floral hack: “Repurposing the ceremony flowers at the reception is one of my fave approaches in giving my clients more value for their investment.”
Common mistakes: “Not comprehending that the best flowers are seasonal. Spring signals an abundance of blossom and flowering bulbs, while mid-summer/early autumn it’s garden roses, dahlias and cosmos!”
“Lock in a florist who understands how to work with the seasons to bring your vision to life.”
Petals of wisdom: “Florals for intimate wedding celebrations will be in the $5-7k range. While larger, more complex events can sit around the $15-20k mark. Wedding bouquets do vary a lot depending on the floral varieties used. A petite single variety bouquet of delphiniums will be priced differently than a statement bouquet featuring phalaenopsis orchids, for example.”
Corrie MacGregor | Morrie & Maisie
Average bridal bouquet cost: $290-$350
Melbourne wedding flower costs: 10-30% of your budget
Style: “Elegantly wild, including movement and space so the flowers can really shine.”
Perfect for lovebirds who: “Are happy to place their trust in me and hand over creative control. Lately, I’ve loved working with couples who want to do things a little differently or add some quirk.”
Top floral hack: “Table flowers make great wedding favours or gifts. Especially if you include a pretty vase. You rarely need signing table flowers, as laying your bridal bouquet down can be all you need to pretty that tiny table up.”
Common mistakes: “This is a weird one, but making their own arbours! Lots of couples are super creative and admirably want to make their own ceremony arbour. But my advice is to hire a strong, sturdy, tried and tested one from an established event hire company.
“I’ve experienced several homemade arbours that just aren’t strong enough. They kept tipping over or completely changed shape once the weight of the flower arrangements were attached to them. It was stressful for me, and the couples didn’t get exactly what they envisaged.
“Plus, it’s hard to comprehend how big an arbour actually needs to be relative to people and the ceremony space, so sometimes the proportion of homemade arbours look a bit off. I’ve also learnt that even some of the metal frame arbours from Amazon and online retailers are very flimsy.
“So, while my high level advice is to not scrimp on your arbour, secretly my preferred advice would be to move away from traditional arbours entirely and let your florist talk you into a beautiful modern ground setting full of lush flowers and foliage that surrounds you and looks like it just grew there… I call it a ceremony-scape and they’re my new favourite thing.”
Petals of wisdom: “Ultimately, you’re paying for the experience, skill and style of your florist. There’s a lot of variability when it comes to wedding flower prices in Melbourne. But the rough working guide is to allow 10-15% of your wedding budget for flowers, though if they’re really important to you, stretch that towards 25-30%.
“Most florists have a minimum spend – mine’s currently $5k – and feature installations will always cost the most. Sometimes thousands. If you value flowers, and the impact they have on your day and memories, then it’s always worth it.”
Cathy | Twig & Hynes
Average Melbourne wedding bouquet cost: $250-$300
Melbourne wedding flower costs: $5-10k+ or 20% of the budget
Style: “Romantic and raw, whimsical and wild, individual and intriguing.”
Perfect for lovebirds who: “Crave carefully selected seasonal florals to create something truly magical. With over 15 years’ experience, I find beauty in the misunderstood to create an organic and natural style. I am full-service and a fully qualified floral designer.”
Top floral hack: “Always have a back-up plan for your florals. For example, if the ceremony is outside in the middle of summer, there is a strong possibility the florals may not hold up until the reception. If you’re thinking about reusing ceremony florals at the reception, consider the elements.”
Common mistakes: “Choosing a florist based on best quoted price, rather than choosing the best suited florist in style and personality.”
Petals of wisdom: “We’re seeing a lot more fun colour combinations and calendar installations. This can elevate any floral design and create a beautiful, ambient atmosphere for indoor weddings. Sculptural tablescapes and ceremony designs that include colour groupings are popular at the moment too.
“I don’t have a minimum spend, so if a couple’s budget is on the lower end of the scale, I’m happy to help achieve a look that suits. Bouquet prices really depend on its size and what flowers are in it. Ultimately, it’s important to decide what type of wedding style you want and what’s realistic for you as a couple.”
Kate | Sir Botanical
While Kate isn’t based in Melbourne, she recently shared her insights into wedding flower costs on our podcast, Cut the Cake.
Here are some highlights from the episode The Wonderful World and Cost Truths of Wedding Florals: A conversation with Sir Botanical.
What’s the average amount couples are spending on wedding flowers?
“Everyone has a different budget, but for us, $7-10k for maybe 100 guests. For a beautiful ceremony, a bridal table, and reception styling.
“For a smaller venue, sometimes it could be $3-4k. All of which we are stoked to do and happy to be a part of. No one’s judging you for your floral budget.”
What goes into a quote for wedding flowers?
“The week of your wedding – say, if you’re getting married on a Saturday.
“On the Wednesday before, one of us is driving our van to markets to pick up your order.
“About which we’ve had back and forth conversations with wholesalers to make sure your order is coming in, and you’re getting what you want. Then there’s the time to collect, which can take a few hours, to make sure everything is of good quality. Then we bring it back to your wedding.
“Every stem is touched. Every leaf is pulled off a stem. Buckets are filled up. Bad petals are pulled off. So this alone can take 8 or 9 hours.”
“Come Thursday, we’re letting them sit in the fridge, we’re emailing other vendors to make sure everything’s in order. We’re contacting you.
“On Friday, we’re making. We make the bridal bouquet to keep in the fridge. We make all bridesmaids bouquets, buttonholes, any oasis or vase arrangements. It’s another 9 or 10 hour day, usually.
“On the Saturday, we’re driving to drop off bouquets, then we’re setting up at the venue which is usually another full day, with a couple of extra girls helping us that day as well.”
Why do wedding bouquets cost more than a bouquet you buy from the shop?
“I think it’s a valid question. If I was making a regular bouquet, I’d pick out things that I liked and things that are seasonal, wrap it up, and I’m done.
“With a bridal bouquet, I’m meeting with the couple. There are emails back and forth. There are flowers and colours to consider. Also, it takes about 2 hours to make a bridal bouquet… it’s a big part of the day!
“And in the lead-up, we’re forming and maintaining good relationships with wholesalers and farmers and growers.”
Tips to cut costs on your Melbourne wedding flowers
“Think about where you’re most excited for. The ceremony styling? The bridal table? The reception entrance?
“I always suggest spending money where it makes an impact –like the ceremony – then delete other items. Then you can use candles if you don’t have the budget to spread to all areas.”
“I would love it if more people got married in winter in Melbourne. Winter flowers, like tulips, are stunning. Plus, heat and wind are a flower’s worst enemy!”
Ready to make your entire wedding budget a breeze?
From ‘I love you’, to ‘I do’. It’s my job to make sure that planning, styling and coordinating your wedding doesn’t feel like a full-time job.
Together we’ll unlock what really matters to you, we’ll allocate your budget accordingly and I’ll even deliver a curated list of vendors suited to your vision (we can uncover that too!).
Check out my wedding planning, styling and coordinating packages or reach out to bring your dream wedding to life!
