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Updated Sep 09, 2024What's the Deal With Wedding Flowers for Rent?
Your "something borrowed" could be your blooms.
Photo: Courtesy of Something Borrowed Blooms
For your wedding, you can rent everything from tables, to linens to…flowers? It's true—vendors offering wedding flowers for rent have cropped up everywhere in recent years, from smaller operations that serve local markets to larger companies that cover most of the US. To clarify, all wedding flower rental vendors only offer high-quality, artificial wedding blossoms, not fresh blooms. But silk petals have come a long way. These flowers are leagues above what you'd find on the shelves at your local craft store and, if lush, fresh arrangements aren't on your wedding priority list, they could be the right choice for you.
"The first wedding where I worked with silk flowers was in 2023. I was beyond impressed with how natural they looked and even more impressed with how they photographed," says Sara Mack, wedding planner at Sara Mack Events in Milford, Pennsylvania. "It's definitely true that renting silk florals isn't for everyone, but as a wedding planner, it's my job to let my clients know all of their options." Below, we break down the pros and cons of renting flowers for your wedding, including how the price stacks up to the average cost of wedding flowers.
In this article: Can You Rent Wedding Flowers? | Cost | Pros | Cons | Flower Rental Vendors
Can You Rent Flowers for a Wedding?
Yes, you can rent flowers for a wedding, but only faux florals, not fresh ones. This service isn't typically offered by regular florists, but rather falls into a separate wedding vendor category. Something Borrowed Blooms is one of the most prominent names in the space, and the company has helped over 40,000 couples bedeck their weddings with bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, wedding cake flowers, arches and more from any one of their 20 design collections. "Of all the benefits our rent-and-return wedding flower model provides to couples, we're most proud of the freedom it offers," says Lauren Bercier, the company's founder and CEO.
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Silk Stem Collective is another highly recommended purveyor of rented wedding flowers, owned and operated by two sisters. The idea came to the siblings after they noticed a lack of cost-effective flower options on the market that looked attractive and didn't require heavy DIY work while planning one of their own weddings. "Our couples are trying to maximize their budget," says Amanda Rapacz, co-owner of Silk Stem Collective. "Many couples have a grand floral vision, but then they see quotes from fresh florists for thousands of dollars. They also find us after originally planning to DIY their florals with faux or fresh, finding that DIYing faux can quickly exceed the cost of fresh if using high-quality artificials."
Photo: Courtesy of Something Borrowed Blooms
Cost of Renting Wedding Flowers
The cost of renting your wedding flowers typically falls below $1000 (which is already a more-than-reasonable number), depending on how many individual floral pieces you choose to rent. Something Borrowed Blooms notes the average cost of their full wedding flower rental orders fall around $500, while Silk Stem Collective's clock in at $450. Bridal bouquets cost from $55 to $80 at both vendors, centerpieces from $28 to $138 each as well as various flowers and garlands to deck out ceremony arches for under $300.
Vendors typically charge a sample fee to view the flowers in person before you rent. You will also likely incur a damage fee if your blooms break during your wedding. Most flower rental vendors will charge for shipping under a certain spending threshold, but include a prepaid shipping label to return your blossoms. Most of these vendors do not offer setup, but if they do in your area, there may also be an additional charge for that service.
If you aren't sold on renting silk flowers alone, it's popular for couples to select a few typically costly pieces to rent, while opting to meet the rest of their floral needs with natural blooms from a favorite wedding florist. "I just recently worked with a couple who used both real florals and silk florals. They chose to have fresh florals on the guests tables, but everywhere else was silk florals," says Mack. Bercier notes that she also sees couples use this strategy to save on wedding flowers: "We often have couples that mix faux and fresh flowers together to meet their budget needs and the results are beautiful." Rapacz mentions that many of the couples that work with Silk Stem Collective use fresh flowers for their bouquets and silk petals for the rest of their arrangements and floral decor.
If you do go the fresh-meets-faux route for your flowers, The Knot budget tool can track the cost of each (along with all of your other wedding expenses) to help you stay organized in terms of payments.
Pros of Renting Wedding Flowers
"The majority of our couples report that the overall savings is the main motivator for renting our premium silk flowers," says Bercier. "However, we're seeing an increase in couples saying that sustainability and convenience were factors in their decision too." Rented petals are a great option for couples in the market for wedding flowers on a budget, since the savings is significant. Plus, the affordability aspect leaves more room for couples to put more funds toward other aspects of their celebration. "When working with couples, I always start by asking where their priorities are," says Mack. "If I see florals low on a list, I always recommend silk florals. The money that they thought they would be spending can then go towards something else that's a higher priority."
Additionally, many to-be-weds see rented flowers as a key step in how to plan a sustainable wedding. Though there are options for fresh sustainable wedding flowers that are sourced locally and seasonally, the energy used to ship some fresh flowers could be a concern for some eco-conscious couples. Most rental flower vendors also reuse packaging and, of course, the blooms themselves, so the amount of material going in the trash once your wedding concludes is virtually zero.
Rapacz also mentions that many couples appreciate seeing exactly what their floral designs will look like ahead of their wedding (and you won't have to fuss with poking stems into foam like you would if you chose to DIY your wedding flowers).
Cons of Renting Wedding Flowers
There are some trade-offs when you opt to rent your wedding flowers. First off, you'll always be choosing from a predetermined slate of designs and unable to create any custom arrangements or make any alterations. You'll also have to track your shipping and return windows carefully as well as likely coordinate setting up each floral piece yourself (only some rental services offer setup in certain areas) as well as repackaging every bouquet, arrangement and decor element for return shipping.
Damage is also a concern with rented flowers, if a guest knocks off a bloom or two with their handbag or an arrangement goes missing between the ceremony and reception, you'll be charged extra to fix or replace the flowers upon their return. Though you can purchase your rented bouquets from some companies, one sentimental drawback for renting your flowers is not being able to make a dried or pressed flower memento that can be handed down as an heirloom or be easily displayed in your home.
Vendors Who Offer Wedding Flowers for Rent
Sure, you can google "rent flowers for wedding near me" or you can check out experienced pros from The Knot Vendor Marketplace. Here's a handful of vendors that offer floral rentals:
Silk Stem Collective, Nationwide
You already know a few basics about the sister-owned Silk Stem Collective though their expert quotes and contributions to this article. The pros—with five years of experience—offer a generous prewedding delivery period of one week, with three days to ship blooms back after the celebration from any FedEx location. Choose bouquets, arch and altar decor, boutonnieres, swags, centerpieces and other floral elements from eight different color collections. The flowers also come preassembled, so no additional assembly is required.
- What Couples Love: Couples raved over the high-quality and realistic appearance of the flowers themselves, with heavy stems and full blossoms, as well as the seamless order and return process.
Wedding Flowers for Rent in Holly Hill, South Carolina
It's all in the name: Wedding Flowers for Rent is a three-time The Knot Best of Weddings winner and offers flower rentals for your altar, aisle, reception tables, bouquets and more. They even stock flower walls (aka: Instagrammable photo backdrops for your guests). Their prices for sample bouquets to try before you rent are some of the lowest we've seen. The vendor—whose founders combine 30 years of floral design experience and 20 years of event rental experience—also offers cost-saving local pickup for South Carolina-based couples, but does ship across the US.
- What Couples Love: Marriers were impressed with the vendor's kind and nimble customer service in correcting user errors as well as the lifelike flowers.
Blue Blossom Rentals in Fishers, Indiana
A two-time The Knot Best of Weddings winner, Blue Blossom Rentals is constantly adding new and trending designs to their inventory. The mother-daughter vendor's in-house florist and movers will assemble your flowers for you on site, so you don't need to worry about wrangling your wedding party to help out. What stands out the most about this vendor, in business for around five years and serving most of the state of Indiana, is how lush and full their florals look. Do note this vendor specialized in ceremony arches and decor and does not stock bouquets or centerpieces.
- What Couples Love: One marrier mentioned how gorgeous her ceremony arch turned out and how seamlessly one of the company's founders worked with her florist using real flowers, while another notes how one founder went out of their way to incorporate a couple of extra touches to make an arch color coordinate.
FauxReal Flowers in Raleigh, North Carolina
This woman-owned business offers delivery and pickup for all of their floral offerings, so there's no need to worry about shipping them back. FauxReal Flowers has designs for everything from vases, to wedding arches, to aisle decor, to corsages. With locations across North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, Southern couples should keep an eye on this vendor with 10 years in the wedding business.
- What Couples Love: Flexibility and attention to detail were mentioned in multiple reviews for this wedding vendor.
The Faux Bouquets in Redlands, California
This The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame member specializes in bouquets and centerpieces for rent, plus a unique keepsake set that includes a bouquet and boutonniere. And for couples that don't want a big bevy of blooms, The Faux Bouquets offer a six-foot garland of greenery as an alternative. Their bouquets are colorful, on-trend and jam-packed with blooms, most of which are arranged in whimsical and romantic silhouettes. The owner has a decade of experience in floral design.
- What Couples Love: The color palettes received high marks from couples as well as the customer service.
Christy's Cottage Floral Boutique in Mechanicsville, Virginia
If you're looking to rent silk wedding flowers alongside custom fresh or faux designs, Christy's Cottage Floral Boutique will let you source everything from one place. The newly minted small business serves the state of Virginia and offers personal consultations to ensure the items you select from her rental collections will perfectly suit your wedding. Choose from preset packages or any number of à la carte options
- What Couples Love: One pair mentions owner Christie's eye for detail and ability to accurately capture each customer's taste, all while displaying care and patience as well as staying mindful of their budget.
