I have two friends getting married this year and want me to do their wedding flowers. I am invited to both weddings. My question is - should I take x amount off the cost of the wedding as my gift to the couple or charge full price and give a monentary gift at the wedding. I do know that my one friend is paying for the wedding. My other friend is getting help from his parents. Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated!!! Thank you.
Wedding Gift
- Thread starter purplegirl
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Hi Stacey
I am doing my daughter-in-laws sisters wedding in April 2009 also invited to the wedding, so I have an agreement with her that I would provide her wedding bouquet as a wedding present and she would pay for everything else I have given her a good discount as she is family.
Hope this helps.
Pat:ukflag:
I am doing my daughter-in-laws sisters wedding in April 2009 also invited to the wedding, so I have an agreement with her that I would provide her wedding bouquet as a wedding present and she would pay for everything else I have given her a good discount as she is family.
Hope this helps.
Pat:ukflag:
We did my brother's wedding last September and I feel your pain - this can be a difficult situation to be in. We were beating ourselves up as we didn't want to appear cheap or mercanary about getting some sort of financial compensation. When our now sister in law first began planning her event - she was all over the place. And she had some clearly defined likes and dislikes- she liked extremely pricey flowers and disliked anything we could get affordably! Ultimately, we decided to listen to what the bride wanted, her ideas and vision of what she wanted the day to look like and then determined we would do the flowers at cost. As time is my most precious commodity, I felt this was the best gift of all. (Just a side note, when you factor in the cost of another designer as I had to pay someone else to do "my" work so I could work on their flowers - this was a generous gift.)
They got gorgeous flowers they could not have afforded otherwise, I didn't have to absorb the entire cost of the event. When doing flowers for other close friends, we may given them the bridal bouquet, the rehearsal dinner flowers or a deep discount. Each is based on the situation.
I hope that helps. Remember that no one can tell what kind of gift (discount,percentage off or freebies) you need to offer. You can decide based of their selections and your relationship to them.
Leah
They got gorgeous flowers they could not have afforded otherwise, I didn't have to absorb the entire cost of the event. When doing flowers for other close friends, we may given them the bridal bouquet, the rehearsal dinner flowers or a deep discount. Each is based on the situation.
I hope that helps. Remember that no one can tell what kind of gift (discount,percentage off or freebies) you need to offer. You can decide based of their selections and your relationship to them.
Leah
I'd charge your regular price for the wedding work and then buy them a gift. The two should be completely separate.
When ever I do weddings for friends and family They pay for the flowers and I gift them the labor.
They are always thrilled with the gift and usually (but not always) break me off a nice, unsolicited tip!
They are always thrilled with the gift and usually (but not always) break me off a nice, unsolicited tip!
Carrieann
New Member
I agree with Mona, especially since these are friends and not family.
Business should stay business. Charge them accordingly and give them a gift at the wedding. You will be happy you did.
If it were a CLOSE family member things may be different.
Business should stay business. Charge them accordingly and give them a gift at the wedding. You will be happy you did.
If it were a CLOSE family member things may be different.
Depends on the situation and how close you are to them.... The way I do it is....
- Close family ( like Brothers, sisters) - I supply and create all flowers as a gift plus a token other wedding gift.
- Removed Relatives - Just charge them cost price for the flowers and my "creativity" is the gift.
- Very close friends - I supply and create all flowers as the gift
- Friends that are sort of close, treat the same as "removed" relatives
- Aquantances - Charge them full price, but probably at "mates rates"
- So called friends that shiit me - Charge them double..!
- Close family ( like Brothers, sisters) - I supply and create all flowers as a gift plus a token other wedding gift.
- Removed Relatives - Just charge them cost price for the flowers and my "creativity" is the gift.
- Very close friends - I supply and create all flowers as the gift
- Friends that are sort of close, treat the same as "removed" relatives
- Aquantances - Charge them full price, but probably at "mates rates"
- So called friends that shiit me - Charge them double..!
Tracy D'Amico
Well-Known Member
Immeidate Family/Closet Friends - full gift, or cost of supplies only. And I'll add in a token gift for the occasion, if it's a "small" wedding.
Not so close family - 1/2 price, plus a gift.
When I worked for another shop, I was permitted to offer my time/labor free - they paid for flowers only. When you break it down, it's still a hefty gift - I was grateful to work for a place that would allow me to offer good friends this service.
Whatever you do, if it's for friends, I'd show the actual invoice, with whatever discount you are applying. Most people are clueless about the actual retail value of what we do each day, and it can easily be taken for granted.
Not so close family - 1/2 price, plus a gift.
When I worked for another shop, I was permitted to offer my time/labor free - they paid for flowers only. When you break it down, it's still a hefty gift - I was grateful to work for a place that would allow me to offer good friends this service.
Whatever you do, if it's for friends, I'd show the actual invoice, with whatever discount you are applying. Most people are clueless about the actual retail value of what we do each day, and it can easily be taken for granted.
Well I have to say you all are bigger than I, I don't and won't do family or freinds weddings, cause I am darn near crazy enough, But did once up on a time in a far far away place, never again, Lord knows the Queen has enough drama Queens to deal with daily..Ya'll movin on up, So great, not I ,,,
What ever happened to the tradition of the Bride's Bouquet is the gift from her Groom? I always thought that was sweet & romantic. I guess that tradition went out the window with the guy paying for his Prom dates corsage.
I agree, business should stay business. If you could looking into a glass ball & see the future & be guaranteed you'd you'd still be close family/friends than by all means gift them flowers. But if the relationship does not remain close, you just got scrued.
I like your method of madness!
Something VERY important to keep in mind: how many other guests are going to "gift" $1,000 +/- to the Bride & Groom? You'll probably be the only one! IMO: I would charge them just like any other B&G, and give them a nice gift from their registry.
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