Why Florists Have Minimum Spends (and Why We Don’t)

A love letter to the brides who just want some flowers and not a full-blown jungle.

Let’s be honest, nothing crushes a bride’s floral dreams faster than hearing the words “We have a $5,000 minimum.” You’re like, “Um, I just wanted a bouquet and maybe some cute centerpieces, not an indoor rainforest.”

But before you write off florists altogether, let’s talk about why so many wedding florists have minimum spends and why I decided to skip that rule entirely (for now).

Sooo....What Is a Minimum Spend, Anyway?

A minimum spend is the lowest amount a florist will accept for a wedding order. Think of it as their “this-is-what-it-takes-to-make-it-worth-it” threshold. I know that sounds terrible, but it's true for some florist. Especially, celebrity florists.

It’s not because they don’t want to help you, it’s because weddings are big, detailed, and time-consuming. Between design time, flower sourcing, prep, delivery, and teardown, a florist might spend 20+ hours on a single event. And some florists, only do large scale weddings and they only do so many weddings a year. A minimum spend just helps ensure they’re compensated for all that effort. Basically, it’s not greed. It’s logistics.

Photo by: Sage and Iron Creations

Why Florists Have Minimum Spends

1. Time + Expertise = Real Labor

Designing wedding florals isn’t just plopping flowers into a vase and calling it a day.

There are consultations, mood boards, ordering from suppliers, processing flowers (a very fancy term for “giving every single bloom a spa day”), designing arrangements, setting up on-site, and cleaning up afterward. It’s...well... a lot, and that’s before you even factor in the creative side of translating your Pinterest board into real-life magic.

So when a florist has a minimum spend, they’re really saying:

“We want to make sure we can give your wedding the time, artistry, and attention it deserves — without losing our minds or money.”

2. Quality Materials Don’t Come Cheap

The secret to wedding-worthy florals? Quality blooms. And those? They’re not hanging out in the grocery store floral cooler. Florists often source from specialty farms and sometimes as far away as Holland, South Africa, or Colombia to get the freshest, most unique flowers. Those premium blooms cost more, especially if they’re out of season, tropical, or rare. A minimum spend helps cover that cost so florists can work with the good stuff, the lush, vibrant, “wow-those-are-real?!” kind of flowers that make your wedding photos pop.

3. Logistics, Delivery, and All the Behind-the-Scenes Chaos

Setting up wedding florals is not for the faint of heart. There’s loading, unloading, driving, arranging, re-arranging, climbing ladders for hanging installs, praying the wind cooperates, and tearing it all down after the party. Sometimes there are multiple venues. Sometimes there’s rain. Sometimes there’s mud.

(There’s always coffee or my case Alani)

All that requires vehicles, staff, time, and nerves of steel. A minimum spend helps cover those logistical costs so your flowers arrive and survive the day looking perfect.

Why I Don’t Have a Minimum Spend

Okay, real talk: I’m a one-woman floral circus. It's me, myself, and I (and occasionally my boyfriend, who handles all the heavy lifting and gets paid exclusively in kisses and snacks.)

When I was training and apprenticing, I watched countless couples walk away heartbroken because they didn’t meet a florist’s minimum. They just wanted something simple; a bouquet, a boutonniere, maybe a ceremony arch, but couldn’t find anyone willing to take them on.

That stuck with me. So when I launched Petals and Silks, I decided:

No minimums. No dream too small.

Maybe someday that’ll change (if I get fully booked with a team and a flower van named “Daisy the Delivery Diva”), but for now, I want every couple to have access to beautiful flowers, no matter their budget.

So, instead of setting a minimum, I offer curated wedding floral packages that start at $350 and go up to $2,850. Every package includes thoughtful design, quality blooms, and the option to add à la carte upgrades because you deserve flexibility and floral magic.

What My Packages Include

Each package covers the essentials:

• Consultation + Design Time: We talk vision, color palette, and vibe (and yes, you can bring your Pinterest board).

• Flowers + Materials: Blooms, vases, ribbons, mechanics, and all the behind-the-scenes supplies.

• Labor + Love: Every stem is trimmed, wired, and designed by hand.

• Setup + Teardown: I’ll deliver, stage, and make sure everything looks perfect before guests arrive (delivery fee separate).

• Extra Hands (for larger packages): For my biggest floral installs, I bring a helper to make setup seamless and stress-free.

Basically: you get the full experience, scaled to your size, your space, and your budget.

The Bottom Line

Whether a florist does or doesn’t have a minimum spend, it all comes down to one thing: value.

Florists with minimums are protecting their time, team, and artistry and they deserve to and I respect them to the moon and back. Florists without minimums (hi, that’s me 👋) are choosing a more flexible model that still honors their craft while giving couples more options.

At Petals and Silks, not having a minimum spend lets me create something special for every couple; no gatekeeping, no guilt, just gorgeous flowers that feel like you.

Because whether you’re spending $350 or $3,500, your love story deserves to bloom beautifully.