Wedding flowers average $2,800 (The Knot), full-service florists run $5,100-$7,600 (Zola), and most couples budget $2,500-$8,000. The math underneath is simple: per-piece prices times your counts — bridal bouquet $150-$350, bridesmaid bouquets $50-$200, centerpieces $75-$300 a table, arch installs $800-$3,000+, plus delivery and setup. A 12-table wedding with the venue's own altar decor lands at $2,861, right on the national average.
| Piece | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridal bouquet | $150 | $225 | $350 (luxury to $1,000) |
| Bridesmaid bouquet (each) | $50 | $100 | $175 |
| Boutonniere (each) | $10 | $18 | $30 |
| Corsage (each) | $20 | $32 | $50 |
| Centerpiece (per table) | $75 | $150 | $300 (lush to $650) |
| Small altar/arch arrangement | $200 | $400 | $800 |
| Full floral arch install | $800 | $1,500 | $3,000 |
| Aisle petals | $50 | $125 | $300 |
| Delivery + setup | $100 | $250 | $500 |
The anchors: The Knot's ~$2,800 average; Zola's $5,100-$7,600 full-service band; Poppy's $3,500 average across 7,500+ real weddings; published piece ranges with bridal bouquets $150-$300, bridesmaid bouquets at half to two-thirds of bridal, and centerpieces at a $100-$200 planning benchmark. Flowers and rental decor share The Knot's ~9% category — the fixtures half (uplighting, draping, linens) is priced in the decor and lighting calculator.
Not the bouquet. Run the standard order — 12 guest tables, 4 bridesmaids, 5 boutonnieres, 3 corsages — and the centerpieces alone run $1,800, about 63% of the $2,861 total. The bouquet everyone talks about is $225 of it. That mismatch is the single most useful thing to know before a florist consultation: the pieces the photographer shoots (bouquet, arch, head table) and the pieces filling the room (guest-table centerpieces) are different budget decisions.
Labor is the other half of the story. A florist's invoice is typically 60-70% design time, conditioning stems, delivery, installation, and the after-party strike — the flowers themselves are the minority of what you pay. Perishable product carries a waste factor, and a Saturday wedding compresses a week of work into one morning delivery window. That's why the delivery-and-setup line ($100-$500) exists even on small orders, and why two venues (ceremony here, reception there) push it to the top of the band or double it.
Table count, party size, arch tier, petals, delivery — the whole flower line with a range around it.
Open the Wedding Florist Cost Calculator →The average order ($2,861): 12 tables of $150 centerpieces ($1,800), the bridal bouquet ($225), 4 bridesmaid bouquets ($400), 5 boutonnieres ($90), 3 corsages ($96), delivery and setup ($250), the venue's own altar decor. Range: $1,460-$5,450. On the Knot's national average almost to the dollar.
The full production ($6,036): 20 tables ($3,000), 6 bridesmaids ($600), 8 boutonnieres ($144), 6 corsages ($192), a full floral arch ($1,500), aisle petals ($125), delivery ($250). Range: $3,100-$11,740. The arch and eight extra lush tables added $3,175 — and the total lands inside Zola's $5,100-$7,600 full-service band, which is exactly where florists say it should.
Reprioritize, don't shrink. Move money from guest-table centerpieces to the arch and bouquet: one statement installation photographs as more luxurious than fifteen medium arrangements at the same price, and candles-plus-greenery fill tables at $10-$60 each.
Ride the seasons. In-season domestic flowers cost a fraction of imports — peonies in June are reasonable and impossible in December. Ask the florist what's peak that month and design around it; a good one answers instantly.
Watch the replication. Every bridesmaid bouquet, boutonniere, and corsage is a real line ($10-$175 each). Halving the corsage list (mothers and grandmothers only) or letting attendants carry single stems saves hundreds on big parties.
For the rest of the budget, the wedding budget calculator sizes all 12 categories (florals and decor carry ~9%), and the cost per guest calculator shows how a big reception makes the centerpiece line the fastest-growing flower expense you have.
About $2,800 per The Knot; Zola puts full-service florists at $5,100-$7,600, and Poppy's dataset of 7,500+ real weddings averages $3,500 with most couples budgeting $2,500-$8,000. As a budget share, flowers and decor together run about 9% of the average $34,200 wedding, or roughly $3,100 including rental decor.
$150-$350 is the standard range ($225 typical), with luxury designs reaching $1,000. Bridesmaid bouquets run $50-$200 each, roughly half to two-thirds of the bridal price. Despite being the most-photographed piece, the bouquet is a small share of the total — centerpieces and ceremony installations are where flower budgets actually go.
The standard benchmark is $100-$200 per guest table. Simple greenery-and-candle designs run about $125-$130, mid-size mixed arrangements $150-$300, and lush full designs $300-$650, with $50 the DIY floor. Twelve tables at $150 each is $1,800 — typically the single largest flower line and about two-thirds of an average order.
A small altar or arch arrangement runs $200-$800; a full installation covering the structure in flowers runs $800-$3,000+, with the grandest installs inside Zola's $5,100-$7,600 full-service band. Halo and asymmetrical designs — a floral semicircle or off-center cascade behind the couple — are the popular mid-option at roughly $400-$1,200.
Eight to twelve months out for peak season (May-October), when the best florists book up; six months can work off-peak. Bring your guest count, table count, venue photos, and inspiration images to the consultation — florists quote from piece lists, so the more concrete the counts, the tighter the quote.
Usually, yes. Greenery-heavy designs typically cost less than equivalent bloom-heavy ones, which is why the $125 greenery-and-candle centerpiece undercuts the $150-$300 mixed arrangement. Eucalyptus, ruscus, and ferns cost a fraction of roses per stem and cover more table. The exceptions are in-season local blooms in peak months — garden roses in June can beat imported greenery garlands.