should we charge wedding couples for flower arranging services at our church? ie pedestals, pew ends.?

Question

couples expectations are getting higher. Flower arrangers can spend up to 6 hrs each, arranging all flowers. Surely the Church can expect a fee/donation?

Answer 1

I thought that cost was included in the big tip the couple must give the priest for doing the service.

Sorry, but it's not like the church helps with the set up and decorations - florists come in and do that.

If you work for a church, you're awfully greedy. How sad.

Answer 2

Yes, you should be paid for your work, The real Question is should you be doing these services? A bride should be able to craft her wedding in her vision, with a professional that shares her vision (a Florist who will be more then happy to put up pew bows or place arrangements on your pedestals).
Our local Presbyterian church has a wedding director that the bride pays for. The Directors job is to order the altar arrangements from the local florist in what ever color the bride asks for, place the runner down, put up pew bows, open the door for the florist on the day of the wedding and cleans-up. They charge $200.00 on top of the $500.00 church fee. I always felt this was more then a fair price because the time the director puts in, but this is the exception not the rule. Most of our local Churches just leave the door unlocked for the florist and the florist does all the work.

Answer 3

We paid for our flowers in church, it was £10 per arrangement, still have the receipt today, mind you it was 22 years ago so maybe things have changed a bit since then, I think you should pay for your own flowers as most brides want some that match the colour of bridesmaid dresses, churches can't be expected to pay for every ones flower arrangements as it would cost a fortune and a lot of the churches today are struggling through lack of congregation on a Sunday.

Answer 4

When I got married, all of the churches had a fee. We were deciding between two. One had a flat fee of $300 and the other had a fee of $200 for members and $500 for non-members. They explained it as the cost for having the church open, A/C on etc. We had to pay the florist for our flowers and she put them in the church for us. We also still had to pay a stipend to the priest, the singer and the pianist. Maybe you can find a way to charge a flat rate for the wedding and then an additional fee if they want a church appointed coordinator to set everything up. It would be a great way to have all of your bases covered.

Answer 5

Couples have a choice at my church. They pay a professional florist for the flowers and the florist does the work and gets the money. OR they pay our flower arrangers a reduced fee and get as good a job done. We use that fee to pay for the cost of the flowers and a very small bit extra which goes towards paying for general church flowers the rest of the year. We explain this fully to couples and 95% ask us to do it for them. They save money and feel they are making a difference too.

Answer 6

The church where everyone in my family has been married for the past three generations charges a fee to anyone getting married there. It includes the minister's honorarium as well as having the ladies from the Chancel Guild arrange flowers for the altar and clean up the church afterwards. When it is my turn to get married there, I plan to, aside from their fee, ask that the flowers on the altar be in memory of my mother and my grandfather who are both buried in the cemetary attached to the church. This is a regular thing that they do for every Sunday service but I'm going to ask them to do it for a Saturday wedding as well.

Answer 7

yes you should. think about it this way, if the florist was going to be have to set up the floral arrangements in the pesdestals, pew ends, they would charged the couples for this service and/or included in the price. so do the same thing. included the cost in the marriage package that your church affords.
if your church does it more as a donation basis, get a fixed rate standard donation for the service and give all this information in writing to the happy couple.

Answer 8

I think that weddings cost enough, but a "donation" would be a kind gesture for arranging flowers that to be honest - you spend an absolute fortune on so why not expect to pay for the expertise for arranging them. Something the vicar should mention at the pre kick off cup of tea.

Answer 9

The church does the flowers? You are a unique church! Yes if you are doing the work you should begin to charge for that! That way you could purchase more decorations, and help to cover other costs or go into a new fund of where the church could use the financing.

Answer 10

I don't know where you live. But here, churches donot do that. There are some churches who do display arrangements. But if I want the pews decorated, or a particular arrangement, or candles, then I do it myself or hire a florist. And that's only according to the church rules & guidelines. Doesn't matter if I'm a member of the congregation or not.