The exact five-layer method to price every wedding profitably — stem markup, design fee, setup, strike, and contingency, with a full sample quote.
Why this guide exists
They quote off feel. They forget delivery and strike costs. They eat their own labor and end the wedding tired and barely profitable. The work is luxury; the margin is grocery-store.
The fix isn't charging more for the sake of it — it's pricing every layer of the job on purpose. A wedding quote is really five separate prices stacked together. Miss one, and the gap comes straight out of your pocket.
The Framework
Every profitable wedding quote is built from these five layers — in this order.
Your flower cost, marked up for luxury work. Covers shrinkage, over-order, and conditioning.
Your eye, sourcing relationships, and bench time. Never optional, never hidden.
On-site install, travel, and rental handling — billed at a real rate, not absorbed.
Breakdown and teardown after the event. The fee everyone forgets.
A buffer for substitutions, market swings, and the unexpected.
Layer One
Take your wholesale cost per stem and multiply. For luxury wedding work, the floor is 3.5× and 4× is fair — that multiple covers shrinkage, processing, cooler space, the stems you over-order so you're never short, and the conditioning hours nobody sees.
Worked example — a single focal recipe
| Stem | Wholesale | ×3.75 | Qty | Line Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden rose, blush | $4.50 | $16.88 | 24 | $405.00 |
| Peony, soft peach | $6.00 | $22.50 | 18 | $405.00 |
| Lisianthus, lavender | $2.25 | $8.44 | 30 | $253.13 |
| Seeded eucalyptus | $1.80 | $6.75 | 20 | $135.00 |
| Stem subtotal | 92 | $1,198.13 | ||
The mistake to avoid
Marking up at 2.5× because that's the "industry standard." That number comes from retail walk-in work — no install, no strike, no custom sourcing. Price it like retail and you're funding the client's wedding out of your own labor.
Layer Two
A percentage of your stem subtotal that pays for the part clients can’t see: the design eye, the sourcing relationships, the mockups, and the hours at the bench turning a mood board into a real recipe. It is never optional, and it is never “baked in” — bake it in and you’ll quietly delete it the first time a client pushes back on price.
Which percentage to charge
| Charge | When the work is… |
|---|---|
| 15% | Familiar palette, repeat recipe, a style you build often |
| 20% | Custom palette, some new mechanics, a full mockup round |
| 25% | Statement build — arches, installs, hanging work, anything you’ll prototype |
On the quote
List it as a line item called “Design & Sourcing,” not “markup.” Clients happily pay for design; nobody likes paying for markup. Same dollars, completely different conversation.
Layer Two
A percentage of your stem subtotal that pays for the part clients can't see: the design eye, the sourcing relationships, the mockups, and the hours at the bench turning a mood board into a real recipe. It is never optional, and it is never "baked in."
| Charge | When the work is… |
|---|---|
| 15% | Familiar palette, repeat recipe, a style you build often |
| 20% | Custom palette, some new mechanics, a full mockup round |
| 25% | Statement build — arches, installs, hanging work, anything you'll prototype |
On the quote
List it as a line item called "Design & Sourcing," not "markup." Clients happily pay for design; nobody likes paying for markup. Same dollars, completely different conversation.
Layer Three
Everything between your cooler and the ceremony, billed by the hour at a real rate — not absorbed into the flower price. Setup is where profitable quotes quietly bleed out, because the hours are invisible until you're standing in a ballroom at 11pm.
| Line | How to price it | Typical rate |
|---|---|---|
| Install labor | Per person, per hour, on site | $45–65/hr |
| Travel time | Round trip, billed — your van isn't free | $45/hr |
| Rental handling | Pickup, staging, return of vessels/stands/arbors | 15% of rental |
| Delivery vehicle | Mileage or flat van fee | $0.70/mi |
Bill travel honestly
A 90-minute drive each way is three paid hours before a single stem is placed. If the venue is far, the quote has to reflect it — distance is a cost, not a courtesy you absorb to win the booking.
Layer Four
Teardown and breakdown after the event — usually late at night, often a second trip, almost always left off the quote. Many venues require same-night strike. That is real, paid labor. Price it up front or you'll eat it every time.
| Event | What strike involves | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Intimate (<60) | Ceremony + a few centerpieces, one trip | $250–400 |
| Standard (60–150) | Full reception, arch, return of rentals | $400–750 |
| Statement (150+) | Installs, hanging work, crew + late return | $750–1,500 |
Copy-and-paste contract clause
“A strike fee covers the removal of all floral elements, hard goods, and rented items following the event, including same-night teardown where required by the venue. This fee is separate from setup and is due whether or not the client retains any arrangements.”
Layer Five
A buffer added on top of the full quote that protects you from the things you can't control: a market that comes in short, a substitution that costs more, a heat wave that wilts your first order, a last-minute add from the planner. On luxury work, 8–12% is the right band.
| Approach | How it reads to the client |
|---|---|
| Build it in | Fold the buffer silently into your subtotal. Cleaner quote, no line to defend. Best for fixed-price proposals. |
| Name it | A visible “Market & Substitution Allowance” line. More transparent; useful for high-trust planner relationships and seasonal volatility. |
Why it matters most at the top end
The pricier the recipe, the more a single substitution stings. A 10% contingency on a $9,000 quote is $900 — roughly one focal recipe's worth of protection. Skip it, and one bad market week turns a profitable wedding into a break-even one.
All five layers, stacked
| Layer | Detail | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Stems | Full recipe, marked up 3.75× | $5,420.00 |
| 2 · Design Fee | 20% — custom palette + mockups | $1,084.00 |
| 3 · Setup | 2 crew × 6 hrs + travel + rental handling | $1,260.00 |
| 4 · Strike | Same-night teardown, full reception | $650.00 |
| 5 · Contingency | 10% market & substitution allowance | $841.40 |
Before you send
Run every proposal through this before it leaves your inbox. One missing line can cost you a full day of profit.
Stems marked up at least 3.5×
If it’s less, fix it before it ships.
Design fee applied separately
15–25% on top of stems — not baked in.
Every setup hour counted
All crew, all hours, round trip travel included.
Strike / teardown line included
Even if the venue doesn’t require same-night.
Contingency buffer added
8–12% on the full subtotal.
Rental handling fees listed
Pickup, staging, return — each billed at 15%.
Quote is itemized, not lump-sum
Clients who can see the math negotiate less.
Deposit requirement stated
50% to secure the date is standard.
Substitution policy written in
Market shortages happen — protect yourself.
Expiry date on the quote
Prices are only valid for 14–30 days.
Guest count change clause
Any count increase triggers a revised quote.
Your contact info on every page
If they forward it, they should know who made it.
BloomVision builds quotes like this automatically — stem by stem, with your markup applied, your labor costed, and your contingency calculated before you send a single email.
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