Paper & Florals

By Southern Fete - TheWeddingShoebox.com

Paper
When I first started out as a wedding planner, I would take brides to look at invitations and there was always sticker shock when seeing the prices. I’ve learned since, what makes up these prices and ways to keep them down as much as possible. There are two options when ordering paper products.

1. STATIONERY SHOP – What you are paying for when picking a design from a local stationery shop with lots of books is the variety. If you’ve ever been shopping for stationery, you know these shops can have 30+ books each with 30 or more designs. The options are endless. Because the shop is not limited to an in house designer, they can carry tons of different lines. The price paid for this is usually double the wholesale price. But without them purchasing the books and making them available to brides, you wouldn’t have access to them. How to get the most? Utilize their resources to find exactly what you want. If you are picky but not hands on, this is a great option. It is a little less involved. Once the information is provided to the stationery shop, there is little left to do but pick them up when they come in.

2. STATIONERY DESIGNER – What you are paying for when working with a stationery designer is customization and direct communication and time with the designer. The process can be a bit more involved. This is a great option for those who may be more visual. Sometimes seeing what you thought you wanted is needed to decide on it. Being able to change your mind after beginning the process is possible when working directly with a designer. Most offer several rounds of revisions available to do any tweaking as you see proofs. How to get the most? If you’ve looked for the perfect invitation and can’t seem to find it, a designer and combine elements you may have seen or create a completely custom design for you. Along with these custom options, usually is a font library of tons of options. I can’t even tell you how much I’ve spent on fonts in the past few years BUT it adds value to the products I offer.

3. For both options, a big factor in price will be paper and print quality. The process of letterpress is extremely time consuming and is done by hand. You can expect to pay between $3-$10+ per invite for a letterpress invitation. The quality is top of the line. Flat printing is the least expensive because it is done by a machine instead of by hand. Ask to see options for the type of printing and paper you will be using to make sure it meets your expectations.

Questions to Ask:
What are customization options?
What does the process look like?
How many invitation designs do you offer?
What is the paper or print quality?

Florals
I’ve learned so much watching some of my favorites in the local industry. I dabble in florals but there is SO much more that goes into even a simple bouquet then I realize.

​1. Before the wedding day, florists meet with the bride to discuss their vision. Many times, it doesn’t end when the meeting ends. They’ll search for the perfect vases or come up with custom designs. They spend a good deal of time finding the perfect flowers or products to incorporate. A week or two before the wedding, orders are placed for the flowers and when they come in the real work begins. Flowers are removed from the boxes, stems cut, petals opened. Sometimes this process even involves dying. Then they begin assembling. Flowers are so fragile. For many florists, ensuring a bouquet stays perfect for hours of heat and holding means wiring each flower in the bride’s bouquet. Along with the cost of the actual cost of the flowers is the obvious cost of labor as well as supplies, like ribbon, floral tape, etc.

2. On the wedding day, deliveries are made before the wedding. Depending on the ceremony site, there is very limited time for the florist to set up. They’ve got to have prepped everything to ensure they can get in and get out in a very short timeframe. For many florists, their day does not end once items are dropped off. They may need to wait through the ceremony to  transport flowers to the reception as well as come at the very end of the night to get vases. And once again, florists normally work every single Saturday. I have so much respect for that! 

IN MY OPINION – Over the last few years I have seen all vendors raise prices, some very drastically, along with their cost of goods, etc. Florist seem to be the only ones that have not raised their price much, if at all. Part of this I’ve heard comes from everyone’s assumption that flowers are already seen as higher than normally expected by clients. Some florists may be afraid to further alienate clients. BUT the fact is, their cost of good, especially flowers are raising. Brides, remember if you are booking a traditional flowershop, instead of ordering flowers online, their products are top of the line as well. In your head, you may do the math. 10 packs of a dozen roses from Albertson’s is $100.
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Questions to Ask:
What flowers fit your budget based on a color scheme not type of flower? (Orchids & peonies are pricy. $35+ a stem sometimes. )
What size are bouquets? Centerpieces? Etc. Slimming down the same version can save.