weddingPay a florist for the bouquet and the ceremony, make the rest from bulk stems, pick flowers in season and use the ceremony flowers twice. Below: where a florist quote goes, Costco vs Sam’s Club vs wholesale prices, a bloom calendar, 6 swaps and a DIY bouquet plan.
Prices checked 30 September 2026, with a source on every number.
Spend here: the bouquetSet an all-in number first: couples spend $2,800 on average and $1,900 at the median. Keep a florist for what the camera sees most, the bouquet and the ceremony, and make the table flowers yourself from bulk stems, which cost about $2 to $3 each at Sam’s Club and FiftyFlowers. Choose flowers in season, swap peonies for garden roses or ranunculus, lean on greenery, and move the ceremony flowers to the reception.
$2,800
is the average couples spend on flowers, $1,900 at the median, per The Knot
3.5x to 4.5x
the wholesale cost is the markup in the florist pricing formula Curate describes
30 to 50%
less is what in-season flowers cost versus the same flower out of season, per Poppy
$1.94
a stem for hydrangeas in a 20-stem Sam’s Club pack, $38.77 in total
Sources: The Knot Real Weddings Study, Curate (florist pricing), Poppy (seasonality) and Sam’s Club. The example quote in the hero is illustrative: $3,670 cut to $1,920, with bouquet, bridesmaid, boutonniere and centerpiece prices inside the ranges Zola and Poppy publish. Checked 30 September 2026.
The stems are the small part. Curate describes the usual florist formula: the wholesale cost of flowers and supplies (ribbon, wire, tape, vessels) times 3.5 to 4.5, plus a labor or design fee of 30 to 50%. That is why the savings are biggest where you take the labor off the invoice.
$100 of stems becomes $455 to $675
Worked example of the formula in Curate’s florist pricing guide, labor taken on the marked-up price. Real quotes vary by florist and region.
Guests drive the bill
From The Knot. Poppy’s 7,500+ orders show the same slope: $2,680 under 50 guests, $4,010 at 150 or more.
Bridal bouquet
Bridesmaid bouquet
Boutonniere
Low centerpiece
Delivery and setup
From Zola’s floral budget guide (updated February 2026) and Poppy’s cost data. Checked 30 September 2026.
Rank every piece by how long it is seen and how often it is photographed. The bouquet wins on both. The tables lose on the second one once the dancing starts.
SpendIt is in the ceremony, the portraits and the toss, so it shows up in more photos than anything else. Zola puts a florist bouquet at $250 to $350. Keep it professional if one thing is.
SaveCenterpieces times tables is where quotes balloon: 10 low ones at Zola’s $100 to $250 each is $1,000 to $2,500. Greenery runners, candles and bud vases cover a long table for a fraction.
DIYSmall, repeatable pieces are the easiest to make yourself from bulk stems. A boutonniere at a florist runs about $25 each at Poppy; a bunch of spray roses at Trader Joe’s is $5.99.
ReuseThey are on show for 30 minutes. Plan from the start for them to move to the head table, the bar or the cake table so you pay for them once and use them twice.
Prices from Zola, Poppy and The Stem Edit. The Knot adds that more greenery in a design lowers the cost. Checked 30 September 2026.
Your guests will photograph the bouquet, the tables and the petal toss from angles your photographer never sees. A Pix Wedding album collects every one of those photos and videos from the phone browser, with no app and no account, in one place you can download as a ZIP.
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
Example album
187 photos · 21 guests
Seven ways to get wedding flowers, with prices read from each seller’s own listing on 30 September 2026. Rose chips mark the cell that most often rules an option out.
A florist bouquet and ceremony pieces, then Sam’s Club, FiftyFlowers or Trader Joe’s stems for the tables and the small pieces. Pro work where the camera looks, bulk prices everywhere else.
| Option | What it costs | What you get | Ordering and delivery | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Florist bouquet + DIY the restBest value for most | Florist for the bouquet and ceremony pieces, bulk stems for everything else | Pro work where the camera looks, simple arrangements on the tables | Florist delivers on the day; bulk flowers arrive 2 to 3 days before for prep | Some florists have a minimum order, so ask before you split the work |
| Full-service florist | $6,300 average for full service, per Zola | Design, every piece, delivery, setup and often teardown | Book months ahead; delivery and setup is often a flat fee ($470 at Poppy) | The priciest route: 3.5x to 4.5x markup plus 30 to 50% labor |
| Costco wedding collections | About $260 to $680 a collection, by size | Set designs, e.g. a 20-piece set: bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, 2 centerpieces, 6 corsages, 6 boutonnieres, toss bouquet, petals | Order 15 to 20 days ahead; delivery Tuesday to Friday, none to PR, AK or HI | Fixed designs, no vases, changes only within 48 hours of ordering |
| Sam’s Club bulk stems | Hydrangeas, 20 stems for $38.77, about $1.94 a stem | Loose stems by variety and color, plus wedding bundles | Order up to 30 days ahead; delivery suggested 2 days before the event | You do the design, the prep and the arranging |
| FiftyFlowers wholesale | 50 roses for $139.99, about $2.80 a stem | Bulk stems in many varieties, stems of about 15 to 24 inches | Priority overnight shipping, set to arrive 3 days before the event | You do the prep and the arranging, plus buckets and space |
| Trader Joe’s and grocery | Bunches from $3.99 to $12.99: eucalyptus $3.99, spray roses $5.99 | Seasonal stems and greenery, good for bud vases and small bouquets | Buy 1 to 2 days before, from the stock on the shelf that day | No guarantee on color or quantity; call the store ahead |
| Faux flowers | Silk bouquets $20 to $100, real-touch $300 and up, per Zola | Any flower in any season, made weeks ahead, kept after | Order and arrange whenever you like, no last-week rush | The best-looking stems cost as much as real ones or more |
Swipe to compare all 7
Prices from Zola, The Knot, Poppy, Curate, Costco, Costco’s Orange Sorbet set, Sam’s Club, Sam’s Club wedding flowers, FiftyFlowers, The Stem Edit and Zola on faux flowers. Retail prices change often. Checked 30 September 2026.
Costco flowers for about $500, after a $10k quote
A bride walks through the Costco bulk flowers she ordered, how she prepped them and the arrangements she made herself after florist quotes of more than $10,000.
Watch on YouTubePick the colors first and the flowers second. In-season stems cost 30 to 50% less than the same variety sourced out of season, per Poppy. The calendar is for US weddings.
Peonies in May, dahlias in September
Seasons from Poppy, peaks from Paperlust. Checked 30 September 2026.
$5 vs $25
A peony stem wholesale: $5 to $8 in May, $15 to $25 in October when it is out of season, per Poppy.
12%
between the priciest month (August, $3,412) and the cheapest (April, $3,174) in Poppy’s data. The month matters less than the flowers you pick.
Year round and safe in any month: roses, carnations, hydrangeas, baby’s breath, eucalyptus, lisianthus and mums.
Show the florist the photo, then ask for the look with these stems. Most guests will never know the difference.
Peonies peak in May. In October they cost $15 to $25 a stem wholesale against $5 to $8 in May.
Several small blooms per stem fill a bouquet with fewer stems.
Dahlias peak in September. Outside late summer, zinnias and mums give the same round shape.
A similar speckled look on a long-lasting stem that is sold year round.
Small white clusters with the same delicate feel.
Carnations and mums are on Poppy’s year-round list and come in strong colors.
The swap that works everywhere: fewer flowers, more greenery. The Knot notes that more greenery in a design lowers the cost, and a bunch of eucalyptus is $3.99 at Trader Joe’s, per The Stem Edit. Peony prices from Poppy.
Seven steps from delivery day to the walk down the aisle. Do one practice bouquet the week before with grocery flowers.
Time the delivery so the flowers open in time: FiftyFlowers ships to arrive 3 days before, Sam’s Club suggests 2 days. Grocery stems go last, 1 to 2 days out.
Strip the leaves that would sit under water, cut every stem at an angle and stand them in clean buckets of cool water in the coolest room you have.
Build a loose base of eucalyptus or other greenery in your hand. It sets the shape and fills space for little money.
Three, five or seven of the big blooms, turning the bunch as you go so it looks good from every side.
Tuck the smaller flowers and filler into the gaps until the shape is round and nothing looks bare.
Wrap the stems with floral tape just under the flowers, cover it with ribbon, then trim the stems to one even length.
Back in water right away, out of the sun. Carry bouquets upright in buckets or jars in the car, and pat the stems dry just before the walk.
Swipe for all 7 steps
A bridal bouquet from $35 of Trader Joe’s flowers
A florist builds a full bridal bouquet from about $35 of grocery flowers and explains every step on camera: prepping the stems, placing the focal flowers and binding the finished bouquet.
Watch on YouTubeDelivery timing from FiftyFlowers and Sam’s Club. Checked 30 September 2026.
Watch a guest scan the QR code and add photos from the phone browser in seconds, with no app and no account. Every photo of the bouquet, the tables and the toss lands in one album.
WEDDING ALBUM
Example album
Nora & Sam
Added by Aunt Ruth
Share one link or a QR code and guests add photos and videos from the phone browser, with no app and no account. The flowers last a day, the photos of them stay. The first 20 uploads are free.
The flower girl, off duty
Scan to join the album
No app, no account
UPLOADING
THE ALBUM
Example album
187 photos · 21 guests
SCAN TO TRY
pix.wedding/
your-wedding
Free to try with 20 uploads, no card. Every paid plan is a one-time payment with unlimited photos, videos and guests. What changes between them is how long the album takes uploads, how long it is stored and the extras.
For collecting every original
Most couples pick this
One-time payment, no subscription
For big guest lists
One payment. Yours to keep. No subscription. No renewals. No surprise charges.
Secure checkout. Polar, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
Money-back guarantee: if your guests never upload a single photo, you get 100% back. See how it works
The cheapest arrangement is the one you already paid for. Plan the move with the florist or coordinator before you sign, so someone owns it on the day.
Two arrangements frame the vows and the aisle.
During cocktail hour the same two pieces move to the head table.
Bud vases go home with guests; nothing is thrown out.
We used the arrangements from the altar at our ceremony for our sweetheart table. It was a huge money saver.
Lead with the number, not the mood board. A good florist will design to a budget; they just need to know it.
Ask before you sign
Lines that bring the number down
Sometimes. Zola lists silk bridal bouquets at $20 to $100 and real-touch ones at $300 and up, and the best-looking artificial stems cost as much as fresh ones. Faux wins on timing and heat; fresh wins on scent and feel.
The middle path: a fresh bouquet, faux boutonnieres and arch pieces made weeks ahead.
Pros, cons and prices from Zola’s guide to artificial wedding flowers (updated February 2024). Checked 30 September 2026.
Seven ways couples overspend on flowers, and the fix for each.
A florist designs to your Pinterest board, not your budget, unless you say the all-in figure first.
Delivery and setup is $470 flat at Poppy. Take it off the budget before you plan a single arrangement.
A peony wedding in October pays $15 to $25 a stem instead of $5 to $8 in May. Pick the palette first, then the flowers in season.
Bouquets, 10 centerpieces, boutonnieres and the arch in two days is a lot for a family. DIY the small repeatable pieces and keep the florist for the rest.
Many stems arrive closed and need a day or two to open. Follow the seller’s timing: 3 days for FiftyFlowers, 2 for Sam’s Club.
Ceremony pieces that sit in a corner after 4:30 are money on the floor. Plan the move before you sign.
Vases, arches and stands are often cheaper to rent or borrow. Costco collections, for one, come without vases.
Read the quote line by line and ask of each piece: how long is it seen, and is it in the photos? Anything low on both is a cut.
Number first, design second
Florist for the bouquet, bulk for the tables
Delivery 2 to 3 days out
Quick answers on the cheapest route, the budget, Costco, florist markup, cheap flowers, the wedding month, faux flowers and reusing the ceremony pieces.
Keep a florist for the bridal bouquet and the ceremony pieces, and make the rest yourself from bulk stems: Sam’s Club sells 20 hydrangeas for $38.77, FiftyFlowers sells 50 roses for $139.99 and Trader Joe’s bunches start at $3.99. Use greenery to fill space, choose flowers in season and move the ceremony flowers to the reception.
The Knot puts the average at $2,800 and the median at $1,900, with $1,600 for weddings of up to 50 guests and $3,300 for more than 100. Zola’s average for full-service floral design is $6,300, about 13% of the total budget. Set your all-in number, including delivery, setup and tax, before you ask for quotes.
For a set look at a fixed price, yes: Costco’s wedding collections run from about $260 to $680 by size, and a 20-piece set covers a bridal bouquet, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, 2 centerpieces, corsages, boutonnieres, a toss bouquet and petals. Order 15 to 20 days ahead, delivery runs Tuesday to Friday only and vases are not included.
Florists usually price from the wholesale cost of flowers and supplies, multiplied by 3.5 to 4.5, then add a labor or design fee of 30 to 50%, per Curate. You pay for design, prep, delivery, setup and teardown, not only the stems. That is also why DIY saves the most on simple, repeated pieces.
Flowers in season and flowers sold year round: carnations, spray roses, hydrangeas, baby’s breath, mums and eucalyptus are on Poppy’s year-round list. Poppy says in-season flowers cost 30 to 50% less than the same variety out of season, and greenery lowers the cost of any arrangement.
Less than most people think. In Poppy’s data from more than 7,500 weddings, the priciest month (August, $3,412) and the cheapest (April, $3,174) are about 12% apart. Guest count and design matter more. The month matters for single flowers: peonies are cheap in May and very expensive in October.
Sometimes. Zola lists silk bridal bouquets at $20 to $100 and real-touch bouquets at $300 and up, and notes that the best-looking artificial flowers cost as much as real ones or more. A common middle path is a fresh bouquet with faux boutonnieres or arch pieces made weeks ahead.
Yes, and it is one of the biggest savings. Ask the florist or your coordinator to move the ceremony arrangements to the head table, bar or cake table during cocktail hour. Bridesmaid bouquets can go into jars of water on the tables once the photos are done.
Centerpieces, decorations and the rest of the budget, plus how to keep the bouquet after the day.
Sources, checked 30 September 2026
Nora & Sam, the example quote, the names, the times and the counts in the mockups on this page are illustrative. Photos are from our own library.
Free tools for the budget, the colors and the guest photos.
Compare wedding costs by city.
Turn your total into a category-by-category plan.
Real fees by county and what to expect.
The best way to collect guest photos.
Month-by-month planning checklist.
Write "banger" vows in seconds.
Banger toasts for Best Man & more.
