The wedding floral quote build sheet

Event facts to pin down before pricing anything

• Record the final guest count and the table count separatelyGuest count sells the event, table count builds it. Ask how many guest tables plus sweetheart, bar, escort, gift and cake tables. A hundred and eighty guests can mean eighteen tables or twenty three.
• Get the load in and strike windows in writing from the venueAsk for the earliest access time and the latest strike time, not the ceremony time. A venue that opens at two for a five o clock ceremony changes your entire build schedule and your crew cost.
• Confirm whether a ceremony to reception flip is requiredWrite down what moves, how many pieces, and how long the crew has. A flip means paying people to wait through cocktail hour, and that hour has to appear somewhere in the price.
• Note water access, cooler space and parking at the venueNo spigot near the install means carrying water. No shade means a heat plan. A loading dock four hundred feet from the ballroom adds a person to the crew.
• Log the delivery distance and whether a second trip is likelyRound trip miles times two vehicles for a large event adds up quickly. Decide now whether personals get delivered to a different address than the reception flowers.

Build the recipe piece by piece

• Write focal, secondary, filler and greenery counts for one of each pieceDo it for a single bridal bouquet, one centerpiece, one boutonniere and one install corner. Everything else is a quantity multiplier on those base recipes.
• Multiply each recipe by the piece count from the event factsKeep the multiplication visible on the sheet. Seeing that twenty centerpieces means one hundred and eighty spray rose stems is the moment most quoting errors get caught.
• Convert total stems into wholesale bunches and round upA variety sold in bunches of ten means twenty three stems costs you thirty. Write the purchased quantity next to the needed quantity so the waste is visible, not hidden.
• Mark a substitution tier for every focal and secondary varietyName one alternate at a similar cost and one at a lower cost for each key stem. Do this now, while the design is fresh, not at six in the morning when a shipment arrives short.
• Price every line at this week cost including freightUse a current wholesale list or a recent invoice, not last season numbers. Add freight per box across the order so imported focals carry their real landed cost.
• Add a shrink allowance on delicate varietiesGarden roses, dahlias, sweet peas and anemones need a buffer of extra stems. Five to ten percent on the fragile lines keeps the design intact without a panic order.

Hard goods, labor and logistics

• List every vessel and mark it rented or soldRented vessels need a pickup plan and a replacement value. Sold vessels are a cost line at your markup. Mixing the two on one sheet is how compotes disappear after receptions.
• Total the mechanics and consumables for the whole buildChicken wire, tape, wire, ties, water tubes, candles, pins and the foam alternative for the installs. It is rarely a small number on an event with structural work.
• Estimate design hours by piece type, not as one lumpBouquets, personals, centerpieces and installs each build at a different pace. Adding them separately produces an estimate you can actually check against the clock later.
• Write install and strike crew hours with the number of peopleThree people for four hours is twelve labor hours, and strike at eleven at night usually costs more per hour. Price the flip window as paid time even though nobody is designing.
• Add vehicle, fuel and any refrigerated rental costInclude the van, a second vehicle if personals go elsewhere, and cooler rental if the bucket count exceeds your own capacity for that weekend.

Margin check and proposal language

• Apply your markup and compare the result to your margin floorSet a floor before you look at this event, so the number is not negotiable in the moment. If the quote sits below it, cut counts or the piece list rather than the price.
• Calculate profit per design hour for the eventDivide gross profit by total studio hours. Compare it against your last three weddings and use it to decide whether the date is worth holding at this price.
• Write the substitution clause into the proposalState plainly that varieties may be substituted for equal or greater value based on market availability, with the palette and style held. This one sentence prevents most week of disputes.
• Set the deposit, the payment schedule and the final count dateThe final count date should sit before your wholesale order deadline, usually two to three weeks out, so late additions are priced separately rather than absorbed.
• Check sales tax treatment on rentals and labor for your stateRules differ on whether design labor, delivery and rented vessels are taxable. Get it right on the sheet so the quoted total and the invoice match.