How much do wedding flowers cost?

guide to wedding floralsFAQ
Written By Hannah Quimper-Swiderski

Buckle up, we’re talking wedding flower budgets! How much do wedding flowers cost in Alberta? Why do they cost so much? What will my budget get me? All excellent questions! The cost of wedding flowers mainly comes down to quality, experience and time. A more experienced florist that works with the highest quality florals may come at a higher cost, but is a surefire way to avoid disappointment on your wedding day. Read on for a little behind-the-scenes of wedding flower pricing and breakdowns of what you can expect for your budget.

EDIT February 2026: I’ve added some additional pricing breakdowns and even more details to this post! Hope this helps!

why do wedding flowers cost so much?

  • Quality: A professional florist will bring in high quality, florist grade flowers. Think long, sturdy stems, and large, full blooms. I also take into account the ethics and sustainability of the farms that grow the flowers, which typically comes at a higher cost. For more information about where I get my flowers, you can check out this blog post.
    A florist will also have higher standards for a bridal bouquet or other wedding designs than an everyday arrangement; it’s typical to order in extras in order to hand-select the best blooms, and to spend extra time designing to ensure that it’s perfect.

  • Labour: In addition to the highest-quality flowers, your florist and their team put hundreds of hours of labour into each wedding order. The amount of care and precision needed to execute wedding flowers that meet our standard far exceeds an everyday flower order.

    • Months before the wedding
      Consultations, creating proposals and recipes, ordering and communicating with wholesalers and growers, sourcing containers, ribbons and other hard goods,

    • The week of the wedding
      Receiving and processing the flowers, preparing containers, designing, packaging, delivery, setup, and teardown. 

Like any other business, a florist has to account for staff wages, packaging, transportation, studio rent, utilities, insurance, and other overhead costs. You’re never just paying for the flowers! 

what will your budget actually get you?

You might have a rough idea of how much you want to spend, but what will that budget actually get you? I’ve put together some general outlines of my most commonly requested items. Of course, this is just to give you an idea — the type of flowers, size, and style of the designs, and of course the size of your wedding party and guest list play a big part of the actual total, but I hope it’s helpful for you in your wedding planning journey!

$1,500 - 2,500: the micro wedding

If you’re just wanting flowers for your wedding party, or are planning an elopement with an intimate dinner reception, this is what you can expect:

  • Personal Flowers: Bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages or other wearable flowers for you and your wedding party. The biggest impact on the total cost here is the size of your bridal party.

  • Reception Flowers: If you have a small or no bridal party, consider a handful of beautiful, lush table centrepieces to enhance your venues decor and elevate the space beyond a simple dinner.

$2,500 - 3,000: the essentials

This budget is perfect for intimate weddings or if flowers are not a priority for your wedding decor. A potential order could look like:

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: A stunning focal point for your ceremony. Think a pair of statement arrangements for either side of the altar, or floral accents for a wooden arch.

$3,000 - $5,000: a floral touch

A great choice if you want to add a pop of beautiful florals throughout your ceremony and reception for a cohesive look, maybe prioritizing a few key places like ceremony florals and the head table. This budget range could include:

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Pieces

  • Reception Flowers: Petite centrepieces to elevate your tables, or a few lush, impactful arrangements for more intimate weddings. Centrepieces can add up quickly if you’re hosting a larger wedding, so you could consider scaling back the guest tables and make the head table a focal point with a few strategically-placed larger arrangements.

$5,000 - $8,000: flower forward

If you envision florals as a key part of your wedding decor, this is a great starting point! This budget range can include stunning, custom florals for all parts of your day, and is our client’s average investment.

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: Abundant flowers for an arch, a collection of statement arrangements, or a custom installation like an airy floral meadow backdrop or pillars. Minimal florals to line the aisle or larger pieces to mark the aisle entrance could also be incorporated.

  • Reception Flowers: Lush table centrepieces, or an abundance of petite arrangements, or a combination of the two, depending on the guest count.

$8,000 - $10,000: floral abundance

If flowers are the heart and soul of your wedding day, you’re in the right place (and we should talk). This could include florals for all aspects of your wedding, maybe even large-scale, abundant designs like a floral installation and lush table florals.

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: High-impact florals for the ceremony, including a lush backdrop design or custom installation, and aisle florals.

  • Reception Flowers: Flower-forward table centrepieces like lush garden-style compote designs, statement arrangements on stands, and/or an abundance of petite arrangements.

  • Floral Installations: A custom, large-scale piece to add extra wow factor.

$10,000 - $15,000+: floral magic

Let’s go all out and immerse your wedding in flowers! Think lush and abundant florals for all aspects of your wedding, especially large-scale, venue-transforming designs like floral installations and luxurious table centrepieces for larger weddings. The possibilities are endless:

  • Personal Flowers

  • Ceremony Flowers: Abundant backdrop and aisle florals to transform and elevate your ceremony space.

  • Reception Flowers: Lush, flower-forward designs including tablescapes and a multitude of arrangement options.

  • Floral Installations: Hanging installations, floral pillars, or other custom, large-scale pieces to add extra wow factor.

  • Anything else you’ve been dreaming about!

budgeting tips

  • Prioritize: Consider what’s the most important piece of your floral budget. Maybe a large floral installation is your dream and table centrepieces aren’t as important to you. 

  • Consider Impact: It might seem counter intuitive to choose a few large arrangements or statement pieces over many small arrangements, but the larger pieces can be more impactful and memorable for your guests, helping to maximize your budget. Think about creating focal points around spaces that get the most attention, like the ceremony backdrop and head table.

  • Repurpose: Your ceremony designs can often be repurposed for your reception in different ways. Ask your florist about this during your consultation, and they can advise you on what’s possible. This does require extra planning, time, and labour for your florist and their team, but it can be so worth it! Expect an additional fee depending on the scope of the repurpose — some pieces may need to be re-worked slightly to fit the new placement, or need a larger team to move.

A good florist will be transparent and honest with you about what is possible, and can help guide you towards florals that compliment both your vision and your budget.

Curious about what we can create together? Let’s chat! More information about our weddings, including our inquiry form, can be found here if you’re ready to get started.

About HQS FLORAL

Photo by Evangeline Belzile

Hey! I’m Hannah, owner, lead designer, and the hqs in HQS FLORAL. I’ve been working in the floral industry since 2013, mainly in retail flower shops before starting my own business in 2021. My focus is on creating artfully arranged florals for weddings and special events in Edmonton, Alberta and beyond, specializing in elevated colour palettes and texture-forward details, always with sustainability in mind. I also love sharing my skills and the joy of floral design through workshops! Read more about me here <3

Just a little disclaimer that I don’t use generative AI on my website, socials, or blog. So please disregard any typos :-)

Hannah Quimper-Swiderski
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