When it comes to wedding expenses, sometimes it’s hard to understand just why a particular element costs what it does, or why there’s such a range in rates. Something as seemingly simple as cake can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $12.00 a slice! Well today we thought we’d take a look at bridal bouquets to see if we could better understand some of the factors that might result in a certain price tag…

1. The Flowers

Let’s start with the most obvious thing: the flowers themselves. For all flowers, there is the cost of labor and resources required to grow and transport them, which can fluctuate based on things like weather and the cost of gas. And of course some flowers are easier to grow and/or transport (in-season sunflowers, for example), while others are more difficult and delicate (say, cattleya orchids).

Just like with fruits and vegetables, seasonality affects both the quality and cost of flowers. If you want peonies at the tail end of the season, they won’t be as full or lush as their peak-season counterparts, so you’ll need more stems to get the same effect. You might even be able to get peonies in November, but they have to be shipped from around the world, meaning you pay extra transportation cost.

2. The Florist

Sometimes called a floral designer, the florist you hire will play a role in what you pay for a bouquet. The more experienced, skilled, and in-demand the florist, the more they can charge for their work.

In addition to their time and talent, and the retail mark-up on materials, florists have overhead expenses you might not expect, and that gets factored into what they charge: rent and utilities (retail space or work space), transportation costs (to and from market, to and from venue), and supplies (tape, foam, tools, buckets), to name a few. And as with everything else, their costs depend on location (overhead will be higher in San Francisco than in Milwaukee), which results in a higher or lower mark-up on their product.

Florists may also have to purchase more flowers than they’ll actually end up using in your bouquet. Even if a bouquet will only include 6 tulips, the florist might need to buy twice that many to guarantee they open the right amount at the right time, and that they aren’t damaged or bruised.

3. The Bouquet

And then there’s the bouquet itself. A large bouquet of tulips will obviously cost more than a smaller bouquet of tulips. If your bouquet includes more delicate flowers that require refrigeration, you may end up paying more. And what about the size of each flower? Garden roses and lily-of-the-valley might each cost $10 a stem, but you’ll need far fewer garden roses to make an impact.

Something we see a lot in wedding magazines and blogs is bouquets tied with beautiful ribbon – not something that immediately comes to mind as an expense! Though some brides prefer a simple ribbon wrap, a more elaborate ribbon embellishment will cost more – and that cost goes up depending on the quality of the ribbon, which can run anywhere from $4 to $20 a yard.

If you’re thinking about your own wedding bouquet, and wondering how all these things might factor into what you carry down the aisle, here are three similarly-styled bouquets, each from the same Los Angeles-based florist, with three different price tags…

$150 Bouquet

Some of the reasons this might be a $150 bouquet: medium size, use of a few expensive garden roses, use of less expensive sweet peas and crab apple to fill things out, simple color scheme and design.

$250 Bouquet

Why this bouquet might cost $250: slightly larger size, uses more large flowers than the previous bouquet (such as peonies, lilac, and ranunculus), uses fewer “filler” flowers like sweet pea and crab apple, accented with four unique ribbons.

$350 Bouquet

Now for a major splurge! Reasons this bouquet might run you $350: quite a large bouquet, almost no “filler” flowers except to add some texture, uses more of the expensive flowers (such as lilac, peonies, garden roses) with the addition of even more expensive clematis, tied with antique French velvet ribbon, more elaborate overall design and color scheme.

While it’s good to have a sense of what’s available for your budget, a smaller budget doesn’t have to mean low expectations; it just means being more flexible. A good florist should be able to listen to your ideas and then work within your budget to create something that you’ll love – even if it’s not an exact replica of what you originally had in mind. Who knows – you might just find that a bouquet starring ranunculus can be just as beautiful as a handful of peonies!

Thanks to Twig & Twine, Adelphi Productions, and Christina McNeill for sharing these inspiring bouquets with us! You can see more photos of these bouquets in the gallery.