How Much Does a Florist Cost for a Wedding?
23rd Dec 2025
Aside from the bride and groom, the most important element of any wedding is having top-tier floral arrangements. But how much does an average wedding florist cost? More than outfits, garlands, or in-laws, flowers set the mood and theme of the event. But with that high importance often comes high expenses.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the price quotes you see online or the extravagant arrangements plastered all over social media. But have no fear! Follow the advice in this guide, and you’ll have all the information you need to confidently plan a wedding that fits comfortably within any budget.
Find Out What You Need
Once you get into the thick of planning, it can be difficult to stay focused on what floral pieces are necessary. For example, you might see a deal on boutonnieres that you find tempting for the groomsmen, even though you and your partner never planned to have any in the first place. On the other hand, the quote for your dream wedding arch might make you sweat. Whether the prices you see are higher or lower than you expect, it is crucial to decide what you want going into the process so that you won’t get distracted and end up with a floral plan you don’t like.
While working on your plan, try to start simple. Pay attention when going to other people’s weddings and take note of what you like or would change. Also consider assembling a Pinterest board that presents an idea for the mood you want to shoot for.
Once you know the themes and colors you want, it’s time to get specific. Make a list of every arrangement you can’t do without. This will most likely include the bouquets, but there may be some unexpected essentials. Perhaps attaching runners to the ends of seating rows is a crucial step for creating your dream look. As long as you can honestly say an idea will meaningfully add to the aesthetic you desire, then no idea is too ridiculous to write down.
In case you’re having a hard time thinking of possible arrangement ideas, here’s a few of the most common found at weddings:
Once you know what’s essential, do your best to estimate how many of each arrangement you’ll need. This is easiest to do if you already have a venue and know the size of the bridal party. By the end of this process, you will ideally have an orderly list of the most important arrangements and how many of each arrangement you will need.
Working With a Florist
If you put in enough planning work in the previous step, a good florist will make the rest of the process easy.
To start, simply book a consultation and provide your list of desired arrangements along with any reference photos you’ve collected. This will provide the florist with enough information to put together some mock-ups of the arrangements and give you an estimate of the cost.
After that, it will mostly be up to you how involved you would like to be. As long as you feel confident that your florist understands what you’re looking for, you can simply start planning other parts of the wedding. But if you want to keep tweaking the plans for the arrangements, or even come up with entirely new designs, you’re certainly free to do so.
Creating Your Budget
The average cost of wedding flowers in the Pittsburgh area is between $3,500 and $5,000. This price can obviously go much lower and almost infinitely higher. The average price will also change in different regions and during different seasons.
If you already have a specific amount you’re set on spending, let your florist know the number right at the start. From there they can do their best to put together a floral plan that’s as close to your list of desired arrangements as possible while also staying within your budget.
But maybe you don’t have a hard and fast budget. In this case, it can help to get an estimate from your florist that has itemized prices. This way, if you decide you don’t want to spend as much as originally planned, you can easily see which items will get you to a lower cost faster. Having itemized expenses will also help you scale up. For example, if you decide later in the planning process that you want to add two extra tables to the reception area, an itemized list can tell you exactly how much more you’ll pay to get two extra table arrangements.
Conclusion
Of all the important factors that surround plans for wedding flowers, the most important thing is transparency. First, be transparent with yourself about what specific arrangements and colors are most important to you and which ones you could live without. Also, be as clear as possible with your florist about what you want and what your budget is. A budget should never be a cause for embarrassment. Rather, having financial limitations will help your florist focus more on nailing the essentials without including a lot of unnecessary fluff in your arrangements.
Finally, if you are planning a wedding in or around Pittsburgh, Gidas Flowers is here to help you design a stunning experience that stays within your budget. Contact us today to request a custom floral quote and start planning wedding arrangements you’ll love.