How Much Do Wedding Flowers Cost in New Zealand?
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
One of the hardest parts of planning a wedding can be knowing how much to budget for flowers. Most couples have a rough idea of what a photographer, venue or meal might cost because those prices are generally set by a package or priced per person.
Wedding flower pricing works a little differently.
Flowers are priced per stem, and the price of each stem can vary considerably. Different flower varieties are available in different seasons, some cost much more than others, and the number of stems needed depends on the size and style of what we're creating.
Your wedding party, guest numbers, venue, travel and the amount of setup required also affect the final cost.
As a Bay of Plenty wedding florist, these are the sorts of wedding flower budgets I regularly work with and what they can realistically achieve.
What do wedding flowers cost in New Zealand?
There isn't one set price for wedding flowers because every wedding requires a different amount of flowers and work.
But if you're trying to work out your wedding budget, these ranges will give you a realistic starting point.
Up to $1,500 — Elopements or personal flowers
This is generally suited to an elopement, a small wedding or couples who mainly want flowers for their wedding party.
This could include:
A bridal bouquet
Bridesmaid bouquets
Buttonholes
A few smaller personal flowers, such as a flower girl posy or flowers for family members
If you're wanting flowers for your ceremony and reception as well as your wedding party, your overall wedding flower budget will generally move into the next price range.
$1,500–$3,000 — Small weddings or Studio Collection
This gives you room for personal flowers along with some ceremony or reception flowers.
For example, you might have:
Bridal and bridesmaid bouquets
Buttonholes
Two arrangements on plinths for your ceremony
Some simple reception flowers
This range can work well if you're happy to collect your wedding flowers from my Edgecumbe studio and take care of some of the setup yourself.
For weddings requiring full delivery and setup, my full-service wedding flowers begin from $3,000.
$3,000–$5,000 — Most full-service weddings
This is where many of the full-service weddings I work on sit.
Your wedding flowers might include your bridal party flowers, ceremony flowers, reception table flowers and a feature arrangement for somewhere such as the bar, entrance or bridal table, along with delivery and setup.
Exactly what is included will depend on the size of your wedding and where you'd most like to use your flowers.
$5,000–$7,500 — Larger full-service weddings
This gives you room for more flowers, larger arrangements or more areas of your wedding venue to be decorated.
You might have larger ceremony flowers, aisle flowers, fuller reception tables, bar flowers, entrance flowers or other statement pieces throughout the venue.
$7,500+ — Flowers are a major part of the wedding
If flowers are one of the main things you're drawn to when you picture your wedding, your investment may sit here.
This could include large ceremony flowers, flowers throughout the reception, fuller table arrangements and larger floral pieces that need to be built at the venue.
There isn't really an upper limit to wedding flowers. The final cost comes down to the size of your wedding, the flowers being used and the scale of what we're creating.
Why can two weddings have completely different flower costs?
Here's how quickly things can change.
One bridesmaid means one bridesmaid bouquet. Four bridesmaids means four.
A wedding with 50 guests might have six tables to flower, while a wedding with 120 guests might have 15.
Two simple arrangements on plinths require a very different amount of flowers and time from a full floral arch.
Then there's the choice of flowers themselves. Wedding flowers are bought by the stem, and some varieties cost considerably more than others. Season and availability can also affect what flowers cost.
This is why two weddings that look similar at first can have very different flower costs — and why wedding flowers are generally priced for each individual wedding.
What are you actually paying for?
There's quite a lot that happens before you see your wedding flowers.
Your florist needs to work out what flowers are required, calculate quantities and order everything from growers and suppliers.
When the flowers arrive, they need to be unpacked, trimmed, put into fresh water and given time to drink before they can be used.
Then everything needs to be made. Depending on the size of the wedding, bouquets, buttonholes, ceremony arrangements and reception flowers can take hours or even days to prepare.
Everything then needs to be carefully packed and transported to your wedding venue.
For larger weddings, the van may be packed with flowers, buckets, plinths, vases, tools and everything needed to finish the setup at the venue.
Some large floral arrangements can't be transported fully made and need to be built or finished on site.
Your florist may also need to return later or the following day to take installations down and collect hired items.
So your wedding flower price isn't simply the cost of the stems you see on the day. It also covers the planning, preparation, making, travel and setup required to bring everything together.
Do I need wedding flowers everywhere?
No.
Think about which parts of your wedding you're most drawn to.
Maybe you've always wanted a beautiful bridal bouquet.
Maybe you keep saving images of big ceremony flowers.
Or perhaps the reception is what you're most excited about and you want the tables to look amazing when everyone walks in.
Putting more flowers into a few important areas can often make a bigger impact than trying to spread a smaller amount everywhere.
Some ceremony arrangements can also be moved and used again at the reception. This depends on their size, how they're made and the layout of your venue, but it's something your florist can help you work through.
How do I work out what wedding flowers I want?
Start with what you're naturally drawn to.
It could be bright colours, soft pastels, white and green, darker colours, big statement flowers, a simple modern look or loose garden-style flowers.
Look at the weddings you've saved too.
Are you always drawn to big ceremony arrangements? Do you love full reception tables? Or are you mainly noticing the bouquets?
Save the images you keep coming back to on Pinterest or Instagram.
A group of inspiration images gives your florist a really good idea of the colours, amount of flowers and overall look you're wanting to create.
What if I don't know what my inspiration will cost?
Send it through.
Inspiration images give me a starting point for understanding what you're wanting to create.
I can look at the scale of the arrangements, flowers being used, your wedding party, guest numbers and venue and give you a realistic idea of what it would cost to create a similar look.
If the estimate is different from what you expected, you then have real information to work with before making any decisions.
How far ahead should I book a Bay of Plenty wedding florist?
If flowers are an important part of your wedding, it's worth finding your florist early.
You don't need to have every detail decided before you book.
Your colours might change, your bridesmaid dresses might not have been chosen and you don't need to know exactly which flower varieties you'd like.
Initially, it's about finding a wedding florist whose work you're drawn to, checking they're available for your date and understanding the likely investment.
The finer details can be worked through closer to your wedding.
Would you like an estimate for your wedding vision?
I offer free wedding flower estimates based on your inspiration images.
Simply show me the colours, flowers and overall look you're drawn to, along with your inspiration images and a few details about what you envision for your day.
Through my wedding enquiry form, you can send through your wedding date, venue, approximate guest numbers and wedding party details.
From there, I can give you a realistic idea of what it would cost to create that look for your wedding.
Sweet Stems creates wedding flowers throughout Whakatāne, Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty. Full-service Sweet Stems weddings requiring delivery and setup begin from $3,000. Many full-service weddings sit between $3,000 and $5,000, with larger or more flower-focused weddings sitting at $5,000–$7,500 and above.
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