I love to educate people, both about the behind the scenes parts of the business as well as the hands-on how to. Understanding what makes flowers cost what they do can be so helpful when trying to process your event floral totals or even when you go to a local flower shop to purchase a dozen roses.
One of the biggest reasons florists find customers to be surprised about the price of flowers for an event is because we are all so used to the flower pricing we see at our local grocery stores and assume pricing is the same across the board.
Unfortunately, that is untrue. Large chain stores can easily meet the minimum order amount straight from growers(or possibly even own the flower farm) and so they are able to cut a lot of costs that smaller businesses must pay to get access to the same flowers.
Aside from the cost accumulated to get your product to our studio(cost plus shipping and taxes), much time is spent preparing your product to ensure it is at its best for your day. Each stem needs to be individually handled, some leaves and petals removed, and stems cut at an angle so they can be hydrated properly. They are then placed in water that is mixed with special food for flowers and placed in a cooler so they can be at their peak for you. This all requires time, effort and additional cost.
Aside from the product itself, wedding and event florals take a lot of time just planning and working out all the details. I would guess that from the moment Petals and Stems is contacted, to the time the flower order is placed(not including the time it takes to unpack, prep and design the product) 4+ hours are easily invested into the process. This includes a free sit down consultation at some point in the process which gives us both the chance to know we are a great match and collaborate all our ideas.
I will also quickly add that Florists are indeed artists. You pay for their expertise, experience knowledge and skill they have acquired over time.
I hope this helped enlighten you a bit regarding the why behind the cost of your event flowers.
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