A Labor of Love: Why Floral Proposals Deserve Our Respect

A wedding planner’s heartfelt perspective on the artistry, effort, and emotional labor florists pour into their work.

As a wedding planner, one of the greatest privileges of my job is standing alongside incredibly talented creatives who bring a couple’s wedding day to life—photographers, caterers, musicians, and especially florists. Florists don’t just show up with blooms—they dream, plan, source, and create living works of art under intense timelines, perishable conditions, and tight budgets.

One of the most misunderstood parts of their work is the floral proposal process. Before a single flower is ordered, many florists spend 10, 15, even 20 hours gathering inspiration, sourcing materials, calculating labor, and presenting a vision that is fully customized to each client—all before receiving a single dollar.

As planners, part of our job is to compare pricing, vet vendors, and help clients make informed choices. But I’ll be honest: price shopping florists is different. Because their service isn’t a fixed product—it’s custom design. A true florist doesn’t plug numbers into a template. They sit with your story. They dream with you. They build something from scratch. That deserves our respect.

If you trust your planner, trust them to connect you with a florist who matches your style, your vision, and your budget. And if you’re a couple navigating this for the first time, I hope this post helps you understand why florists are so much more than "just flowers."

To bring their voices to life, I asked incredible florists from around the globe to share what goes into crafting a proposal and what they wish couples knew. Their insight is honest, eye-opening, and deeply moving.

Q: When a couple inquires about wedding flowers, what kind of information do you need before you can even begin creating a proposal?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "Date, venue, what look inspires them, ballpark budget."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "I want to know what flowers they love, the style and the vibe of their day. Then we get into the details like guest count and numbers in their bridal party."

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "Color palette, vision of the big day, venue, date, the experience they want to feel, and budget."

Q: What variables have the biggest impact on the cost of wedding florals?

Anne (California – 8 years): "Guest count and expectations vs. reality (lol)."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "The number of designs to be created and the time constraints... Florals can only be designed and processed exactly on the day of, or very close to, the wedding."

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "In season vs out of season is really a myth... Weather has a huge impact on florals as at times a drought might happen or a hurricane will hit a farm making it hard to buy specific florals."

Q: Can you walk us through what goes into building a custom floral proposal—from initial inquiry to the finished document?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "I take this information and search photos that I think will inform a look that will please the bride... Then source flowers, calculate the cost for varieties, determine staff needs and their cost, and finalize quantities and vessels. It’s detailed and specific to each bride."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "Our customised, unique floral proposal includes a summary of the overall vision and moodboard... Each element such as bouquets, installations and table designs also includes images, suggested colour palettes and floral elements as well as the impact the design will bring."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "We use Details Floral Software to turn stems and floral recipes into stunning digital proposals."

Q: On average, how much time does it take to create a full proposal, and why is that time investment necessary?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "It’s not unusual for me to have 10 to 15 hours (or more) in a proposal before I even get to a contract... I prefer to design specifically for each individual bride."

Anne (California – 8 years): "For floral budgets between $10k–75k, I’ve spent upwards of 2 days clocking in 8-hour days on just one."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "It usually takes four to six hours to align our couple’s vision to the seasonal availability of the florals into designs that can be perfectly created for their venue and budget."

Q: How can couples come to the floral consultation better prepared?

Anne (California – 8 years): "Have your planner, venue, and catering booked and date secured before inquiring. If we don’t know how many tables you have or what shape they are, we can’t really give you anything but a positive attitude and 'come back when you know more.'"

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "I understand that the cost of florals is surprising to most couples, but a little research ahead of the consultation might help ease their expectations."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "I would recommend that they have consulted with a good planner. When a couple has support with creating a plan for their day, the floral becomes the 'cherry on top.'"

Q: What would you like potential clients to understand about your process and value before they even inquire?

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "We are not a cookie-cutter design house, we customize each design with our heart and soul."

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "I put a piece of myself into every wedding I do. I’m not just a worker bee. It is extremely important to me that I understand what they want and deliver the fairytale they’ve always dreamed of."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "The consultation process and Proposal helps us see if our visions align early on. We have recently changed our pricing guide so that our couples are aware of the budget needed for the type of flowers we use and the designs we create."

Q: Have you ever spent hours on a proposal and then been ghosted? How did that impact you?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "OMG! It happens too often and it’s hurtful. It’s tempting to pull back and not give as much effort in the consultation. But, I’m just not built that way."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "Unfortunately ghosting is a thing. It impacts my business not just from the time I give which has value, but because I can't help but take it a little personally."

Anne (California – 8 years): "It doesn’t impact my business when I’m ghosted or rejected on a proposal, but it has affected my self-esteem for a bit, which makes me rethink our process and what I’m giving up before getting paid."

Q: What would change for you—emotionally and professionally—if clients understood the true effort that goes into a proposal?

Anne (California – 8 years): "If a client knew I was spending 8-20 hours on one proposal, I think they’d be shocked... Good designs take time."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "We enjoy this process of continual improvement and are grateful to every couple we’ve met along the journey."

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "Although, when we are working with a new planner it seems like we are the only ones requesting a retainer prior to sending a scope of work/floral proposal."

Q: How do factors like guest count or multiple spaces impact pricing?

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "The biggest impact is usually the execution—having enough transportation for all the floral and staffing to make it happen. This is on top of the floral cost."

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "All florals come in bundles. For example, we can purchase wholesale 25 stems of garden roses that come in a pack and distribute them to the bouquets, centerpieces, etc."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "One of our weddings was across three days at different venues. Each day had a different vibe and the floral story helped create that atmosphere."

Q: What are you doing behind the scenes before a deposit is made?

Anne (California – 8 years): "Research research research. The proposal process can take forever just researching gas prices and sourcing a local refrigeration truck!"

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "I do lots of research for inspiration, sourcing materials, emails, calls, building recipes, estimating labor, building the proposal... all before the contract is signed."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "We like our wording to also be personal and reflect our couple’s love story and vision for their wedding. It is important to us that our Proposal is beautiful, inspiring and accurate, so it does take many hours."

Q: Why is it difficult to give a one-size-fits-all price upfront?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "I don’t just throw out round numbers or have predetermined packages as I prefer to design specifically for each individual bride."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "Too many variables. Everything is custom. Flower prices are market value and change."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "A customised Proposal for a bespoke floral story is the only way we can fairly offer our services and ensure we meet our clients expectations."

Q: How do you handle Pinterest dreams that don’t match the budget?

Amanda Jewel (Montana – 15 years): "Just have a real conversation. Suggest flowers that are at a lower cost or reduce the size. A lot of times we can make a standard rose look like a garden rose which helps costs significantly."

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "Concentrate your budget on one area. This has the most impact and will create the amazing, scented, gorgeous experience our couples want."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "I always try to explain why something is at a premium cost and provide alternatives that are similar in their budget."

Q: What advice do you have for couples wanting to make the most of their floral budget?

Angela Morris (Mississippi – 35+ years): "I narrow down her wants, wishes and must haves... and design for maximum impact within her budget."

Anne (California – 8 years): "Focus on one or two areas of interest versus trying to slap floral on every table."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "I really try to focus on a few statement pieces that make an impression rather than lots of smaller pieces that don't have the same effect."

Q: Anything else you wish couples knew?

Diane (Cheshire, UK – 2 years): "The fleeting beauty of flowers is what makes them so wonderfully unique. There will never again be a floral design the same."

Kindryn (Idaho – 20 years): "Floral design is an art. Our medium of choice is not paint but the flowers and organic materials we create with."

To the florists—thank you. Your work is layered with intention, beauty, and soul. You carry the weight of someone’s once-in-a-lifetime moment in your hands, and you do it with care, precision, and heart. The artistry you bring to a wedding day is profound, and I hope this post reminds you that your efforts do not go unnoticed.

To the couples—if you’ve made it this far, thank you for listening. Behind every proposal is a designer who has poured in time, energy, and imagination long before the first bloom is ordered. My hope is that this deeper understanding will not only guide your expectations, but grow your appreciation for the hands that make your celebration come alive. And if you’ve entrusted a planner with your vision, trust them, too, to connect you with the florist whose work will bring it to life—faithfully, beautifully, and uniquely for you.

Xoxo,

Latham

** A huge thank you to all the florists who participated:

Angela Morris- Angela’s Flowers Gift and Events- Mississippi

Amanda Lankford- Amanda Jewel Floral Design- Montana, Georgia, Arizona, Wyoming

Diane Barker- Butterfly Road Floral Design- Cheshire, UK

Kindryn Leiter- Bouquet La Vie- Idaho

Anne Latham- Threes Words Floral Co- SoCal