How much should you budget for wedding flowers in 2026?
There is no single useful answer to “how much do wedding flowers cost?” because two weddings with the same number of guests can need completely different amounts of flowers, labour and installation. A hand-tied bridal bouquet and a few table flowers are one thing. A ceremony arch, urns, staircase flowers and a room full of statement arrangements are another.
At Gardenia, we now offer three different routes so couples do not have to force every wedding into the same process.
Our current wedding flower guide prices
For bespoke wedding work, these are useful planning ranges rather than fixed package prices:
- Bridal bouquets: £150-£300+
- Bridesmaid bouquets: £65-£125+
- Buttonholes: £15-£30+
- Table flowers: £65-£350+
- Pedestals and ceremony flowers: £350-£750+
- Arches and larger installations: £2,500-£5,000+
Flower choice, scale, mechanics, delivery, access and installation can all move a design above or below those ranges. They are there to help with budgeting, not to turn bespoke floristry into a fixed menu.
Three ways to order wedding flowers from Gardenia
Pre-designed wedding flowers are the simplest route. You choose from our Gardenia colour palettes and order the individual pieces you need online, without a bespoke consultation or design fee. At the time of writing, buttonholes are £15, jam jars £55, bridesmaid bouquets £65, bridal bouquets £120 and table vases £125. See the current pre-designed wedding flower collection and prices.
Our focused bespoke service is designed for smaller or more pared-back weddings, typically with flower budgets under £1,500. There is a £50 consultation and design fee, and we build the flowers around the pieces that matter most to you.
Our fuller bespoke service is generally the right route where the flower budget is £1,500 or more and venue flowers or installations form a more substantial part of the day. Consultation and design are included.
You can see all three routes together on our wedding flowers page.
Why the price can vary so much
The finished flowers are only one part of the job. Before anything reaches a bouquet or vase, there is design work, ordering, conditioning, preparation and planning. Then there is the floristry itself, packing, transport, venue access and, where needed, installation and collection.
The biggest variables tend to be:
- Scale. A low bowl of flowers and a large ceremony installation may use some of the same varieties, but the quantities, mechanics and labour are completely different.
- Flower choice. Some flowers are naturally more expensive than others, and prices can change through the season. We will usually get a better result by working with a preferred colour palette and style rather than insisting on a long list of exact varieties.
- Season and availability. Flowers are an agricultural product. Weather, crop conditions, freight and demand all affect what is available and at what price.
- The venue. Loading access, stairs, parking, installation windows and the time available before guests arrive can make a significant difference to the team and vehicles needed.
- Mechanics and structure. Large arches, hanging work and statement pieces need secure construction as well as flowers. We use mechanics as responsibly as practical, but wedding work sometimes requires materials that are different from the home-compostable wrapping we use for retail flowers.
Where your money goes
A good wedding flower quote should cover the whole job, not just the wholesale cost of the stems.
Flowers usually begin arriving a few days before the wedding. Every stem needs to be checked, conditioned and managed so it opens at the right time. The arrangements are then made as close to the wedding as possible, packed carefully and transported to the venue. Larger weddings can involve several florists working over multiple days, followed by a timed installation on site.
There is also work you do not see: preparing the design, calculating quantities, placing flower and sundry orders, liaising with venues, planning transport and staffing, and dealing with changes as the wedding gets closer.
How to make a wedding flower budget work harder
The best savings usually come from making good design decisions rather than simply trying to reduce every arrangement.
- Prioritise the places people will actually see. A strong ceremony focal point and well-considered tables often have more impact than spreading the budget too thinly.
- Stay flexible on varieties. Giving us room to choose the best flowers available in your palette usually produces a better result and better value.
- Reuse flowers where it genuinely works. Some ceremony pieces can move to the reception, provided the timing, access and design make that practical.
- Think about the venue early. Existing features, room proportions and table layout can all help us decide where flowers will make the biggest difference.
- Be clear about the budget. An approximate figure is genuinely useful. It lets us suggest a realistic route rather than designing something you never intended to spend on.
What should you tell a florist when asking for a quote?
Your wedding date, venue, approximate flower budget and the pieces you think you need are a very good starting point. A few reference images are helpful too, particularly if they show the overall feeling you like rather than exact flowers you want copied.
From there, we can tell you whether pre-designed flowers, focused bespoke work or a fuller bespoke service makes most sense.
For more detail, see our wedding flower information and guide prices, browse our wedding flower lookbooks, or read about where some of our flowers come from and what I saw in Kenya.
If you are planning a wedding in London or Surrey and would like us to look at your date, venue and budget, send us a wedding enquiry.
