08/15/2019
I just love elopements so much. When I got married 6 years ago, Rick tried to convince me to elope and I gave him a big fat “HELL NO”. At that time all I thought of was Elvis as the officiant and spending our first night as husband and wife at the Golden Nugget. Clearly I put in zero effort thinking of other ways to do it😂 I’ve done personal flower for over a dozen elopements and each one has been so special. Traveling to the mountains or the beach with a beautiful dress, a killer bouquet, an amazing photographer and your vows in hand. It’s such a stress free celebration of your commitment to love one another forever without breaking the bank.
The reality is weddings are expensive- I’ve had so many people reach out and ask what our rates are or for package pricing and there isn’t really an answer. It depends on how many centerpieces you need, do you want large statement pieces like an arch or a photo backdrop, do you have one bridesmaid or twelve? What’s your style? Do you want peonies or ge**er daisies? The list goes on...
I’ve debated about sharing this last part but I think it will give couples a little perspective on average pricing. The weddings that DRF has done range from $3,000 all the way up to $10,000, and the suggestion that 10-15% of your total wedding budget should be allocated for florals is pretty accurate. I’m sure there are some of you with your jaws on the floor wondering how flowers can cost so much. THEY JUST DO. Typically I spend about 30-50% on the actual flowers, and then there is all of the other costs to factor in. Hiring people, materials, vases, van rentals, gas, hotels, candles, etc. And I think everyone can agree that you want to make more than $5 an hour when you work. I pride myself on working within clients’ budgets, but the hard truth is you can’t have champagne taste on a beer budget. I was a Pabs Blue Ribbon kinda bride and that’s why I did my own flowers and I still spent $1500 and was up until 2am the night before making bouts and bouquets.
So long story long, it’s all about choices. And elopements seem like a fantastic choice if you don’t have the cheddar for a full blown wedding.