The Wedding & Event Process
Wedding & Event Flowers ARE Expensive!
What most people think of when they think of Wedding or Event flowers is the finished product. The Gorgeous Bouquet, or Stunning Arch and Floral Pathway. What is not often thought of are the endless hours of work and planning that go into making all of that happen.
The Process
There is a process to Designing what you see and it starts with:
The Floral Consultation- This is a meeting with the Floral Designer to discuss what is needed or wanted for your Event. The better prepared for this step you are the easier it is for everyone involved. These can range in length from 1 hour to 3 hours on average. We need to transfer and translate the vision or picture in your mind into detailed information that we can use to make that vision a reality. This requires a lot of detailed information relating to Colors, Shapes, Patterns, Quantities, Dimensions & Measurements, etc...Depending on the client's need it may also involve in depth conversations regarding Cultural or Religious/Spiritual needs or specifics. All of these are important when designing for the end effect of an Event. Sometimes we have shared knowledge and experiences and sometimes we do not so we must rely on communication and detailed or probing questions to learn what is desired. This can cover a lot of area; from Flower Types, Dress Patterns, Linen Patterns, China Types, etc. The clearer your vision and your ability to communicate it the easier this step is.
The Design - This is where we take the information that we have gathered and use it to Design all of the items needed for your event. This includes but is not limited to: Sourcing Materials Needed, Flowers, Greens, Ribbon, Material, Hardware, etc. and determining the Quantity and Structure of everything along with contingency planning for Weather, Transportation, Labor, Logistics, etc. *No actual designs or plans are released to the client until our services have been secured with a signed contract & deposit. These are our property.
The Quote - All of the previously mentioned items need to be costed out and priced to determine a cost for the client. This involves reaching out to our farms and purveyors to determine pricing. Then it is conveyed to the client for approval and contracts and approval signed and deposits collected. This must be properly calculated so that we ensure profitability for our business and that all of the clients needs are met. There has been no end product generated yet and there are already hours invested and expenses generated.
The Hidden Costs - All of this is only possible due to having obtained and maintained: Licenses, Insurances, Equipment, Software, Electric, Coolers, Maintenance, Vehicles, Bank Fees, Processing Fees, Legal Fees, Sales Taxes, Usage Taxes, etc... There are MANY more that aren't even listed.
The Labor - Events use a LOT of labor. This is to a great degree controlled by the Venue and the design. The more complex the design and the shorter the amount of time we have to make things happen the greater the number of people are required to make it happen. They must all be paid for their time. This includes travel time to and from a Venue location. The farther away from the studio the venue is the greater the transportation cost. Also, If your event is calculated to need 4 hours for 2 people to set-up and your Venue only allows us a 2 hour set-up time then the labor cost is at least doubled. Because we require double the number of people to make the set-up happen within the allowed time window. This same amount of labor is often applied to the back side of the event as well. What goes up...Must come down. Often, due to the constraints of the Venue items must come down even quicker than they went up to allow the next event to be set-up. Then items need to be torn down, cleaned, inventoried, etc... It all takes labor and time. The Construction of all of the items needed must also, generally, be completed in a very tight time window. Flowers are living things and must have certain conditions met to look their best. This also means that they are perishable, and are most often needed when they are at their peak. This requires a lot of hands to prepare them quickly and store them properly ensuring their use for the event.
The Timeline
Flowers for most events are ordered or harvested to be delivered the week of your event. For Example: For a Saturday Wedding most flowers and greens are ordered to start being delivered to us on Tuesday or Wednesday. Botanicals come in raw (as they were when they were harvested) and need to be immediately processed. This involves cleaning or removing of foliage and undesirable blooms and petals and conditioning or feeding and rehydrating. Every flower type is different and has different needs and requirements. This is also the time period where blooms are allowed or forced to open so that they display their peak beauty for your event. This can require up to several days of water changes or different treatments to allow them to tolerate the conditions they will be used for in your event. Some flowers are sensitive to different atmospheric gasses (Ethylene) or positioning ( Some bend against gravity so must be maintained completely upright, some bend towards light so must either be positioned correctly or kept in the dark). They must also be stored within a certain temperature range (this varies by flower type) and then allowed to slowly adjust to the day temperature and humidity levels the day of your event. Then, generally within 12 hours of your event day all of the items for your event are assembled. They are then loaded for transport and installation.
Why Are Wedding & Event Flowers So Expensive?
