The cause of a lot of confusion, brides are looking for more than just table centerpieces theses days. Lighting, linens, lounge furniture, specialty candles, outdoor decor, the list goes on and on. Because of the growing complexity of wedding design I think there should be some clarity to how much should be spent on your flowers vs. your floral and event design. In general I would still allocate 8%-10% of your total budget to your flowers. This should include:

Personal flowers- bride, bridesmaids, moms, flower girl, ring bearer, groom, groomsmen, fathers, readers, grandparents, etc.

Ceremony flowers- altar arrangements, aisle adornments, aisle runner- if allowed, entrance arrangements, wreaths, etc.

Cocktail hour flowers- bars, bathrooms, cocktail tables, stationary hors d’oeuvres, gift table, place card table

Reception flowers- centerpieces, buffet arrangements- if applicable, bars, bathrooms, cake table, etc.

You don’t need to include all of these flowers on your wish list, but it shows you all of the possibilities. In terms of your budget, expect to spend around 50% of your total flower budget on your centerpieces. Depending on the number of members of your bridal party, your personal flowers can really eat into your budget as well.

Here are a few photos of examples of the more classic flower proposal and what you should expect for services.

Photo by Blush Imagery

Photo by John Santerre for David Murray Weddings

Photo by Emilie Inc.

Photo by Claris Photography

When referring to floral and event design things can get expensive quickly. Often times event designers will include the rental fees in this total so you should expect to see the following items included in up to 20% of your total budget:

Flowers- all of the above PLUS
Specialty flowers- chandelier installations, chair back treatments, tent pole garlands, multiple styles of centerpieces, etc.
Lighting- paper lanterns, uplighting on the ceiling and walls, GoBo monograms for dancefloors, chandeliers, outdoor ambient lighting, etc.
Rentals- table linens, napkins, custom chair treatments- sashes, caps, full covers- china, glassware, flatware, unique table shapes and sizes, chairs
Lounge furniture- couches, chairs, chaise lounges, ottomans, light cubes, custom pillows
Ambiance Decor- sheers or draping of walls, candle installations- mantles, walkways, etc.
Outdoor Decor- pathway lighting, outdoor furniture, etc.

Here are a few photos showing what full floral and event design look like:

Photo by Claris Photography

Photo by McNamara Photography


Photo by Claris Photography

Photo by Nelson Hancock

One of our featured NYC photographers!

Lindsay Flanagan Photography

(Special thanks to Patrick McNamara who we used as our test vendor!)

We are SO excited to show you how the vendor directory is coming along… We’re almost ready for vendors to start uploading their information and going LIVE with MY KPW by early July!  Take a look at the screen shot and let us know your thoughts!

We really wanted to create a place for brides to get to know and learn about each vendor.  Photos and video are very important, but we felt that it was imperative to give as much information as possible so a bride can make a very educated decision to take the next step and contact a vendor directly.  We have added a number of features to the directory including:

11 Homepage photos: These photos will be seen every time a bride visits a vendor’s directory page.  If a vendor has uploaded more images they can be found in a slideshow format, but the homepage images will remain the same.  Each vendor can adjust their homepage photos as often as they like, highlighting a featured wedding or perhaps changing with the seasons.

Contact information: Website, phone, email, budget info, specialties, etc.

A MY KPW blog: Vendors can write about concerns directly relating to the specific state and overall budget they’re featured in.

Blog RSS: To each vendor’s personal blog.

Facebook badge

Twitter badge

Editorial Content List: Anything a vendor has written on MY KPW will be linked here for easy access.

Many brides will splurge more on their photography budget than any other aspect of their wedding.  It’s actually difficult to give an average percentage spent but the industry standard is 10% so I would generalize that to around 8%-12%.  That being said, some brides will spend 20%-30% of their budget on their dream photographer, knowing they will have to make some major cut backs in other areas of their overall budget.  The cost of a photographer varies greatly and depends on quite a few conditions:

Creative Fee/Coverage
Packages- including albums
Number of shooters
Number of events shooting
Geographic Location
Wedding date

Creative Fee/Coverage: Many photographers are not creating packages for brides these days.  Instead they are offering their services a la carte, starting with their creative fee or coverage of your event(s).  This allows the bride to choose their own post-production services: albums, proof magazines, digital negatives, online coverage for guests to view and purchase their own images, prints etc.  What’s great about the creative fee/coverage option is it allows the couple to spend all of their photography budget on the photographer, not on all the add ons that come after the wedding.  Many brides are waiting a full year or longer to purchase their wedding album to help offset the cost of a more expensive photographer.  Some are even foregoing any albums and are purchasing their negatives and printing their own images.  To these couples it seems to be more about the quality and relationship with the photographer than all the bells and whistles that a more traditional package will offer.

Packages-including albums: The more traditional way to price out photography, packages allow couples to purchase everything.  Each package will include certain add ons to the creative fee: engagement session, boudoir session, wedding album, parent albums, digital negatives online viewing of images, proof magazines, prints etc.  Usually packages offer reduced rates to a photographer’s add ons list, making it more affordable and appealing to brides.  If you are looking for coverage and multiple albums, a package might be the right decision for you.  A photographer offering a creative fee will often times charge more for their album options because they were purchased separately.  Some will offer a discount if you decide you want an album up front, but might not select it until a later date.  This is considered an album credit. 

Number of Photographers: Depending on the size and scope of your wedding, you might want to think about the number of photographers you’re hiring.  A guest list under 100 can certainly handle one photographer, but if you have 8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen and you want both to be shot during the getting ready stage of the day, you need two photographers to handle that request.  Obviously the larger the guest list, the more you should consider a second or even third photograph.  If there are a lot of detail shots you’d like to have, a second photographer can take those images while the principle photographer is taking images of you getting ready.  On the other hand, if you’re looking to have an intimate and personal wedding, no matter how large, one principle photographer would be a great option.  In terms of budget, a second photographer might run you anywhere from $500-$2000.00 for the same coverage time as your principle photographer.  You can also ask if a second photographer can be used for a portion of the total hours to help keep your budget in check.  Ask your photographer how many people they take with them as their standard and if they suggest a second or third photographer based on your personal wedding scenario.

Number of Events: Many brides are creating wedding weekends including the welcome party on Thursday, rehearsal dinner on Friday, wedding on Saturday, and farewell brunch on Sunday.  Planned activities are also being scattered throughout the extended weekend and some couples would like to have these events photographed.  For less structured events like a welcome party or rehearsal dinner, I would suggest around 3 hours of coverage.  It allows the photographer plenty of time to take some great images and meet some of your VIP’s before the wedding day itself.  These auxiliary days can be added to create a package of coverage for your wedding event, often at a reduced cost.  Keep in mind overnight accommodations will be necessary if your photographer is traveling further then an hour away, but you might have a room block somewhere and can add your photographer at that reduced nightly rate.

Geographic Location: For most vendors, traveling is more of a burden than a blessing.  For photographers, however, there is no limit to where they can shoot a wedding.  When selecting your photographer, don’t be afraid to look outside of the vicinity of your reception venue.  Many photographers live in one state and work in another, some travel the world shooting destination weddings.  The cost of their coverage will not increase at all either, you just need to provide them with overnight accommodations and I would even offer them a daily per diem for their travel expenses.  That’s not to say there are plenty of very talented photographers right around the corner from your reception and I’m sure the preferred vendor lists will show you the best of the best in your area.  There’s just a lot of incredible talent across the country when it comes to photography and you shouldn’t let a zip code stop you from selecting your dream photographer.

Wedding Date: Getting married on a Saturday in the middle of the summer is the most popular time to get married in New England.  Because of its popularity, you will pay a premium for all of your vendors, including your photographer.  If you want to save a bit of money consider getting married on a Friday, Sunday, or even a weekday to get a reduced rate.  Some photographers are so booked that their premium days include Friday and Sunday, so just be aware and ask about that option up front.  You can even think about a winter wedding which will definitely help with your budget.  Certain photographers take the off season to travel for destination weddings in warmer climates and will charge a reduced creative fee in order to get a little rest and relaxation away from the snow.