How to Compare Wedding Flower Quotations Without Comparing the Wrong Things

The short answer

Compare quotations on quantity, flower grade, and labour, not on the total at the bottom. A wedding flower quote is a bundle of four separate things: the flowers themselves, the structures they sit on, the people who install them, and the time they hold. Two quotes can differ by half and both be honest, because one assumes imported roses on a built frame and the other assumes local roses on a rented one. Until you know which is which, the totals tell you nothing. Ask every florist for the same three columns and the comparison becomes simple in ten minutes.

What a fair quotation should list

A quotation you can act on names each element separately: the bridal bouquet, the bridesmaid pieces, the entry or mandap flowers, the stage, the table arrangements, the car, and anything for the home ceremony. Against each, it should state a quantity, a rough flower list, and a price. It should say whether structures are rented or built, whether installation and dismantling are included, and what time the team arrives. If a quote is a single line saying decor with one number beside it, you are not being given a price, you are being given a guess with confidence attached.

Why two honest quotes differ

Flower cost swings widely by variety and source. Local roses, marigold, tuberose and jasmine bought at the Bengaluru market on the morning of the event are a fraction of the cost of imported hydrangea, peony or ranunculus flown in and held cold for two days. Season matters as much as source; the same flower can double in price during wedding months or around a major festival. Then there is wastage, which every honest florist builds in, because a proportion of every consignment arrives bruised. A quote with no wastage allowance is a quote that will either disappoint you or come back for more money later.

The labour line nobody reads

Installation is often the largest single difference between two quotes. A mandap or entry arch that takes six people five hours the night before is a different proposition to a set of table arrangements dropped off in the morning. Ask how many people will be on site, when they arrive, whether they stay through the ceremony for touch ups, and who removes everything afterwards. Venues frequently charge for late night access or for the dismantle window, and if the florist has not budgeted for it, that cost lands on you on the day. Get the arrival and exit times written into the quote.

Questions that make the comparison fair

Send the same list to every florist. What flowers, by name, in each element? What happens if a variety is unavailable that week and who decides the substitute? Are structures rented, and if so is the rental included? How many staff, arriving when? Is transport included, and to how many locations? What is the payment schedule and what is refundable? Do you carry spare stems for repairs on the day? When you have the same answers from three people, you can compare properly, and the cheapest quote often stops being the cheapest.

Substitution policy matters more than the flower list

Flowers are agricultural. Whatever is written in March may not exist in the market in November, and a good florist will say so plainly. What you want is not a promise that nothing will change, but a written rule for what happens when it does: same colour, same texture, similar or better cost, and a message to you before the swap. The florists who refuse to discuss substitution are usually the ones who will make the swap silently. Ask the question early, and note the answer beside the price.

Hidden costs to look for

The usual ones are venue access charges, generator or lighting for a late install, an extra vehicle for a second location, water and buckets on site, and cleaning after dismantle. On multi day weddings, ask whether each function is quoted separately or whether the quote assumes flowers are reused across days, which they rarely survive. If the wedding is out of town, ask about travel and stay for the team. None of these are unreasonable charges. They only become a problem when they arrive after you have committed.

Set a number before you ask for quotes

Tell each florist your flower budget at the start. It is not a weakness in negotiation; it is the only way to get comparable proposals. A florist working to a stated number will design to it, choosing seasonal varieties and rented structures where necessary, and will tell you honestly which element to drop. A florist working blind will design what they would like to build and hand you a figure. Our note on the wedding flower budget sets out sensible ranges for a South Indian wedding if you have no starting point.

How to score three quotes in one page

Draw a table with a row for each element and a column for each florist. Fill in quantity, named flowers, structure rented or built, staff count, install and dismantle times, and price. Leave a last row for what is missing. When the table is complete the decision usually makes itself, because one column has blanks where the others have detail. Price the blanks at market rate and add them in before you compare, since you will be paying for them either way.

What we do

We quote element by element with named flowers, a stated substitution rule, and installation timing on the page, because it saves everyone a difficult conversation later. If you already have quotes in hand and simply want a second read of them, send them across on the begin page and we will tell you plainly where they differ. Our bouquets sit in the bouquets edit, and how we work is set out on the experience page.