What happened when I increased my wedding flowers minimum spend

It's been 12 months since I doubled my minimum spend, rebranded my floristry business and started trying to attract higher briefs. I went from a $5,000 to a $10,000 minimum spend. If you're not a florist or not in the wedding world, this might seem extreme. But, it's not actually that outrageous for people who have the money and want to invest in the florals

What is a minimum spend for wedding flowers?

Many of us wedding florists have what we call a ‘minimum spend’ – an amount that clients are required to spend to secure our floristry services for a wedding. This minimum spend ensure that we’re able to meet the clients expectations and deliver a high quality floral experience, in our own method and style.

Increasing your pricing is inevitable in any service-based business, and your floristry business is no exception. As your skills evolve and your portfolio expands, so too should the reflection of your value in your pricing.

I want to talk about what the last year has been like for me, since I doubled my minimum spend:

Inquires Dropped

The first thing that I noticed was that my inquiries dropped. This was normal and I expected it. A lot of the people who were inquiring with me before could no longer could fit within my minimum spend. I made it really clear what my minimum was, and this was on purpose as I didn't want people to come to me if they weren't the right fit for the service I was providing.

I didn't get as many inquiries, but when people did inquire with me, they already knew what they want to spend, how many florals they wanted, and they wanted exactly my style! What I found was less inquiries, but more aligned clients who weren't budget shopping when inquiring with lots of different florists and who specifically just wanted me for me and my work.

More Creative Control

Next thing I noticed was my increase in creative control! Because I had these dreamy clients coming in, I was getting more jobs with other vendors that aligned with my style and my brand at venues that I wanted to work at.
I found that the people coming to me actually just wanted to give up creative control. They had a vision and a vibe, but they just wanted me to be the expert in this area. They didn't want to spend any time nit-picking on flower types or getting too fussy about things. They had hired me for the expertise that I offered.

Even though I had less enquiries, I was finding more aligned clients who loved my work. I was coming into contact with clients who were less fussy, more focused on the finished product and happy to trust in me to deliver that result.
These clients just wanted to hire a professional who specialises in that area. They don't have to spend the time trying to figure it out themselves.
They've got better things to do.
That worked really well in my favour because I really do thrive when I have creative control.

Expanding my Team

The final thing that I noticed was that because I was offering a more premium service, I was able to also get more help on board. I had enough budget to put into labour which allowed me to get more help on, whereas before I was just trying to do everything myself to save money.

In turn, I actually began doing less physical work than I was before. My time, expertise and labour was going more into the creative vision of the design and I could hire staff to help me. From help with pack downs to driving to the markets to prepping the flowers. I started finding it less demanding, especially physically, which was really important to me because I had an injury from working too hard in the past.

Being able to put staff on allowed me to offer a more premium service. It also allowed me to be less burnt out and in turn, have more time in my life for myself. I could put on a team of skilled people to get the job done.

Increasing my minimum spend was one of the biggest decisions I’ve ever made in business, but it’s been the best thing I've ever done.

If you're starting to feel burnt out, or really starting to really grow, or you're getting booked out. It's not about just increasing your prices, it is about offering a more premium service and adding even more value to what you do!

Embrace the evolution, celebrate your expertise and let your pricing be a testament to the growth of your wedding floristry business. 

I know it can be a controversial topic, feel free to come and share your opinion over on our socials! Or, if you're like to learn more about how to implement or increase your minimum spend in your wedding floristry business, come and watch our Minimum Spends class inside the Wildflower Academy membership!