Bringing Dream Weddings to Life

We often book weddings 9 to 12 months in advance, so it is important to reserve your wedding date as early as possible. May through October are our busiest wedding months and our schedule fills up quickly.  We generally schedule no more than 2 full-scale events on any one day to ensure that every event receives our full attention. Although smaller weddings may seem less complicated, it is still important to contact us as early as possible.

Your investment in your wedding flowers is comprised of the following:

• the cost of your floral items
• rental fees for certain items
• labor & service fees for items such as delivery, setup, room flips, end-of-event strike, travel
• sales tax on taxable items (8.0%)

Labor and services fees vary based on the nature and complexity of your event and generally range between 20% to 40% of the cost of your floral items. 

When you consider the investment you are making in your wedding flowers, remember that you are not simply buying a product. You are hiring floral design team to produce the décor for perhaps the largest and most important party you’ve ever hosted. You should feel comfortable and at ease with your wedding florist. Trust in their reputation, experience, & artistry is essential.

Andrew’s Garden is a custom florist and each of our weddings & events is uniquely designed. We prefer not to set a firm minimum since we design for many intimate weddings or other small events where a minimum just doesn’t make sense. For example, we would consider an “intimate wedding” to be a wedding in a small restaurant or a backyard. A “full-scale wedding” usually includes a wedding party, cocktail tables, reception tables, and so on.

For a full-scale wedding, your investment will vary dramatically depending on the size of your wedding party, the number of reception tables, and the nature & scale of floral impact that you are seeking, among other things. That said, the investment for florals for small full-scale weddings start around $5,000, and larger weddings or those with more elaborate floral details start around $15,000. During our busy wedding season, we require a minimum investment of $10,000 for weddings in the City of Chicago or at other venues located more than 20 miles from our shop.

If you have a set budget, it is helpful to let us know ahead of time so that we can do our best to meet your expectations. Regardless of your budget, we will offer suggestions during the planning process to maximize your investment.

Shortly after your Initial Consultation, we will provide a detailed estimate that is specific to your requests and needs.

We have worked with hundreds of venues since 2009, so it is very likely we have worked with your venue. We are a preferred vendor for many venues and receive referrals from them. HERE is our ever-expanding list of venues where we have worked in the past.

But, please don’t worry if we have not worked at your venue yet. Andrew and our event team will communicate with your venue, make a site-visit if necessary, and coordinate all of the details so you don’t have to worry about a thing.

Typically, our services for weddings and events encompass not only personal flowers but also arrangements for the ceremony venue, reception area, and other decorative elements. It is our job to transform spaces into the beautiful wedding of your dreams! This comprehensive approach ensures a cohesive and harmonious floral design throughout the entire event, creating a visually stunning and memorable experience for you and your guests.

However, we understand that some clients have a smaller, more intimate event planned and want us to provide only personal flowers. We will gladly honor this request, so long as you will not be incorporating flowers, real or faux, from other florists, DIY efforts, or family/friends into your wedding décor.  By adhering to this policy, we can maintain the high standards we set for our floral designs and guarantee a cohesive aesthetic that reflects our expertise and artistic vision. We genuinely appreciate your understanding.

Although a “personals only” wedding may be a smaller order, we still recommend booking as early as possible to avoid a conflict on your date.

We require a 50% deposit of the estimated costs of your wedding and a signed contract to reserve your wedding date. The deposit will be applied to the final contract price after all details are finalized. The final balance must be paid in full 3 weeks prior to your wedding date.

At the Initial Consultation, we will discuss your vision of the feel, colors, textures and mood that will set the stage for your wedding day. We will discuss your wedding party size, venue, personal style and traditions. The Initial Consultation is intended for us to get to know each other. Don’t worry if you do not have all of the details figured out yet for your wedding. We will start talking about fine details after you have booked us for your wedding.

If you are unable to attend an Initial Consultation in person, we are happy to arrange a phone call or Zoom meeting instead. 

We do not charge a fee for the Initial Consultation.

Please bring any photos or other inspiring materials that you feel may be helpful. If you have a Pinterest board for your wedding, please share it with us so we can better understand your visions and expectations for your dream wedding. Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start. We are pros and will help make it easy for you!

The short answer is “NO.” We consider every floral piece we create to be a custom work of art, from the smallest boutonniere to the largest hanging installation at a venue. We seek inspiration by collaborating with and sharing expertise with other floral designers around the world, but we do not copy anyone else’s work. When you provide images or other inspiration for your wedding, it informs us of the look and feel you imagine for your wedding. From there, we create a truly custom & unique design your wedding flowers that is all yours.

We are fortunate to work with many excellent wedding vendors and we would be glad to provide you with referrals. Please see our list of Vendor Recommendations, but don’t hesitate to ask at your Initial Consultation too!

At your Initial Consultation, we may be able to discuss ballpark budget ranges based upon the general details for your wedding. Then, we will prepare an estimate after our meeting that takes into account the details you have provided. Shortly after the Initial Consultation, we will email you a proposal with estimated costs along with our contract. When you are ready to book Andrew’s Garden for your wedding, we will ask you to approve the contract and pay the deposit. We require a 50% deposit of the estimated cost in the proposal with the final balance due 3 weeks prior to your wedding. If your wedding date is less than 30 days from the date of the proposal, payment in full will be required when you sign the contract.

After we receive the deposit and signed contract to book your wedding, we will work with you to revise the proposal and finalize all of the details. Most of this process happens by email and phone, but we may also schedule another in-person meeting. Andrew and his design team will work on all of the design elements for your wedding, and we will make arrangements to order any hard goods that may be needed for your wedding. Our Event Director, Paula, will communicate with you regularly about all of the fine details and logistics. As we approach your wedding date, we will contact you to inquire about any changes, confirm final details, and obtain the final payment. We will also coordinate directly with the contacts at your ceremony and wedding venues to make sure everything is well-organized. We don’t want you to worry about anything. We will work our magic behind the scenes as much as possible so that your wedding day is the most beautiful wedding you’ve ever seen!