“How much do wedding flowers cost?”
It sounds like a straightforward question.
It isn't.
Two weddings with the same guest count can have completely different floral budgets depending on the venue, flower choices, table count, ceremony design and installation requirements.
But if you're planning a wedding in Toronto, there are some useful ways to understand where the money actually goes.
Wedding flowers are not priced by guest count alone
Guest count matters because it usually affects the number of tables.
But floral pricing is much more closely connected to the number and scale of floral pieces.
A wedding for 150 guests with simple bud vases could require significantly less floral work than a 75-person wedding with a full ceremony installation, hanging flowers and elaborate tablescapes.
When we create a floral proposal, we look at the entire design and create a custom flower recipe through our flower calculator. In other cases, brides prefer we take the lead role in custom creating based on their ideal look, or even easier, we use our signature centerpieces which are typically ~$200 CAD
The main areas of a wedding floral budget
Most wedding flower proposals include some combination of:
Bridal bouquet ~$200-400 CAD
Wedding-party flowers: up to you, can range from $90 CAD a bouquet, to something more elaborate
Ceremony flowers: depending on installations, usually, plinths with flowers cost around the ~$300/each mark and up
Cocktail-hour flowers
Centrepieces: typically ~$200 for a full centerpiece, but can range lower or higher. Consider for lower end; ikebana, bud vases, small clouds
Head-table or sweetheart-table flowers
Bar flowers
Welcome-table flowers
Cake flowers
Statement installations
Delivery
Installation
Room flip
Strike and cleanup: usually a set 20-30% labour fee applies for most florists.
The last few are important.
Flowers do not magically arrive arranged on tables.
A team may need to load a vehicle, transport everything safely, unload, install the ceremony, return during cocktail hour to move flowers, and come back after midnight to remove everything.
That labour is part of floral design.
Why some flowers cost dramatically more
Flowers are agricultural products.
Their pricing changes based on variety, season, availability, stem length, quality and where they were grown.
There can be a huge difference between the price of one rose and another rose.
The same is true for orchids, peonies, ranunculus, hydrangea and specialty flowers.
That is why we often design around an overall colour palette and feeling rather than promising that every single flower variety will appear.
It allows us to make smart substitutions without compromising the design.
Large installations change the budget quickly
Ceremony arches, suspended flowers, floral meadows and large installations require more than flowers.
They may also require:
structures
mechanics
foam alternatives
water sources
fabrication
rigging
ladders
additional labour
delivery vehicles
extended installation time
A large installation might contain hundreds or thousands of stems.
It also may take several designers hours to build.
This is why a Pinterest image that looks “simple” can sometimes be one of the most expensive floral elements in the wedding.
Where should you spend?
We usually recommend spending where guests will actually experience the flowers.
That may mean prioritizing:
the ceremony backdrop
the room entrance
the head table
a large central installation
the bar
the tables guests sit at for several hours
You do not necessarily need flowers on every available surface.
One strong floral moment can create more impact than ten small arrangements scattered around a room.
Repurposing flowers can help - sometimes
Yes, ceremony flowers can often be moved.
But not every arrangement should be designed around being repurposed.
A floral piece built specifically for an arch may look awkward sitting on the floor beside a head table.
Repurposing works best when it is considered during the design stage.
We often design ceremony pieces that can later become:
head-table flowers
bar arrangements
entrance flowers
dance-floor flowers
That way the flowers feel intentional in both locations.
So what should your floral budget be?
Instead of choosing an arbitrary number, start with your priorities.
Ask yourself:
Are flowers one of the main visual elements of the wedding?
Do you want a large ceremony installation?
Are your tables floral-heavy or candle-heavy?
Is the venue already visually interesting?
Are there areas we can intentionally leave simple?
Once those decisions are clear, a realistic floral budget becomes much easier to build.
Take a look at case studies in our wedding portfolio here:
If you’d like to build your own, download our flower calculator here:
Wedding flowers in Toronto
Dereves designs wedding flowers and full event concepts throughout Toronto and the GTA.
Our floral proposals are built around the venue, architecture, guest experience and overall design — not simply a checklist of arrangements.
Because the goal is not to put flowers everywhere.
It is to put them where they matter.