How to create wedding party bouquets with profitability in mind.
As floral designers, our first and most important job is to make our clients happy.
We are service providers. The joy our clients feel on their wedding day is of paramount importance to us. This is why we often base our designs off the ideas and inspiration images shared by clients. Pinterest offers up an unlimited array of options. Clients create an inspiration board based solely on fantasy. Then, it’s our responsibility to take their floral dreams and turn them into reality. Oh, and did I mention, it’s also our responsibility to create the proposal and designs with profitability in mind.
Honestly, it’s no easy task.
There are budgets to consider. The likes and dislikes of the clients, their families, and their wedding planner should be factored in too. We must balance all of this and create a proposal filled with designs that delight everyone involved.
Bouquets are a focal point of the floral design for most weddings.
They are in all the wedding party photos and along with the dresses can set the tone for the feel of the entire event. There is a lot to consider when designing bouquets for your wedding clients. That being said, it’s also important not to lose focus on the financial aspect of your job.
Keeping profitability in mind is most likely something you don’t currently do.
Creating recipes during the proposal creation process can help to ensure that you create bouquets with profitability in mind. How is this possible? Rather than guesstimating prices for your designs you can quickly price them out as you build your proposals and invoices.
Most bouquets for wedding party members have between 12 and 24 blooms. This is the sweet spot for beautiful and profitable bouquet designs.
The most profitable and beautiful designs should start with intentional ingredient selection. When you design a bouquet in your mind, what elements come to you? For me, it’s usually the focal blooms. These are often the same as the bridal bouquet to create a cohesive look for the wedding. However, there are lots of looks that complement the bridal bouquet using other elements too! My example here is a white and green bridal bouquet that I featured last week and some beautiful all-greenery bouquets alongside it.
I’ve included the recipe for these gorgeous bouquets for you to add to your collection.
Profitability in mind with bouquet design florist
So, where do you begin? Let’s start with the color palette and texture.
When you start to envision your client’s wedding style and the bride’s bouquet, you can then determine if a smaller version of that bouquet or a different look would be best for the wedding party. In my design experience, I’ve created mono-floral designs, where each wedding party member carried a bouquet of all one flower. The bridal bouquet was a combination of all the flowers represented by each party member. The textures and variety were quite beautiful. I’ve also created bouquets that introduce some of the color of the reception flowers while the bridal bouquet was designed in all white. Share your ideas and suggestions with your clients and let them choose what speaks to them.
Check out my bouquet design guidelines in last week’s post because they apply to bridal and wedding party bouquets equally.
Next, start to think about ingredients with profitability in mind.
When you create your formal proposal it’s important to take the time to create a recipe. Then use it to calculate your product costs, labor costs, and your markup. These numbers are what will help you to charge the right price for your designs. Custom creations require time and effort. So, taking the time to do the flower math is essential to the success of your business.
profitability in mind for foral designers
Finally, don’t shy away from the most important part of bring profitable. Do the flower math!
Once you’ve calculated your retail prices and have a clear understanding of what the designs will cost, share them with your client. You are the expert and it’s important that you convey your value to your clients. Share your knowledge with them about what makes a beautiful bouquet and how they can set the tone for the entire wedding. If they are a good fit, they will see the value in your labor, time, and effort.
When the wedding day arrives, you’ll be prepared to create beautiful bouquets for your clients and you’ll have confidence knowing you are making money doing something you love!
If you aren’t confident in your pricing yet, don’t worry. I’m building a flower recipe and ordering platform called EveryStem. It’s going to have all the tools you’ll need to calculate your prices quickly and accurately. If you’d like more information about becoming an EveryStem member click here and join my email list. Or you can follow me on Instagram for updates!
Until next time,
LuAnn
