Free florist guide
How to price a Bloom Bar
A Bloom Bar looks simple: guests pick stems, you wrap them. But the price has to cover far more than flowers. Here's the exact method I use at Plantita Co. in Toronto, step by step, so you never undercharge again.
Step 1
Find your true cost per stem
Divide what you paid for a bunch by the number of stems in it. A $30 bunch of 25 roses is $1.20 a stem. Do this for every flower on your bar, then figure out how many stems go into each bouquet.
Then apply your markup. It needs to be more than 30% before there is real profit left, because the markup has to cover your time, your supplies and your waste, not just the flower. Flowers generally get marked up around 3.5x, so a $1.20 stem becomes $4.20 at 3.5x. That is a common starting point, not a rule. Choose the markup that works for your business and the client you are serving.
Don't forget waste. Plan for 10 to 15% of stems to break, wilt or not make the cut.
Want this done for you? Grab the free cost-per-stem cheat sheet.
Step 2
Add your supplies
Wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, labels, sleeves and rubber bands add up fast. Total them per bouquet. Most Bloom Bars land between $0.75 and $2 per bouquet in supplies.
Step 3
Pay yourself for your time
This is the step most florists skip. Count every hour, not just the event itself:
- Flower shopping
- Stem processing
- Bouquet prep
- Packing and loading
- Travel and driving
- Set-up, the event, and tear-down
Multiply your hours by an hourly rate you'd be happy to pay someone else. If you bring staff, add their hours too. A good rule: 1 florist for events over 30 guests, 2 over 45, and 3 over 80.
Step 4
Charge for travel and gas
Set a flat travel fee for your area (I charge $150 within the GTA), then add gas for the round trip. Farther events, parking and venue load-in rules can all raise this number.
Step 5
Add profit, then pick your price level
Your costs are not your price. Profit is what keeps your business alive. Your flower markup is where most of it comes from, so adjust your markup for the kind of client you're serving:
Budget friendly
Lower cost flowers like carnations and spray roses. Around 30% profit.
Mid level
A mix of seasonal favourites. Around 30 to 40% profit.
Luxury / corporate
Premium stems, custom branding, more staff. 40% profit and up.
Worked example
A 40 guest Bloom Bar, small bouquets
Each guest gets a small bouquet of 5 flowers plus 2 stems of greenery, so 40 guests means about 200 flower stems (plus greenery) to buy. At 40 guests that is one florist on site, the rule I use: 1 florist over 30 guests, 2 over 45, 3 over 80.
| Flower cost (200 stems at $1.20) | $240 |
| Flower markup at 3.5x ($240 x 3.5) | $840 |
| Materials at 30% of retail ($840 x 0.30) | +$252 |
| Supplies: wrap, ribbon, stickers (40 bouquets at $1.25) | +$50 |
| Labour: 1 florist, 3 hours at $50 | +$150 |
| Travel fee (GTA) plus gas | +$170 |
| What to charge | $1,462 |
That's about $36.55 per guest. The $150 covers one florist on site for 3 hours: set-up, running the bar and tear-down. Your own hours, the flower shopping, stem processing, bouquet prep and packing, are what the flower markup and the materials add-on are supposed to pay for, so check they actually do before you quote. Run this table with your own stem cost, labour rate and travel fee. If your per-person price lands under your true number, raise it, trim a stem, or lift your markup on the flowers.
Common pricing mistakes
- Pricing only the flowers and forgetting your hours
- Marking up under 30% so nothing is left after costs
- Not charging for travel, gas or parking
- Skipping a waste buffer on fragile stems
- Using the same price for a backyard party and a corporate launch
- Not asking for a deposit to hold the date
Skip the math
Let the calculator do it for you.
The Bloom Bar Starter Kit includes a Labour, Costs & Profit calculator that runs this whole guide for you, with all three price levels side by side. Try the toolkit preview before you buy.