Floristry is a high-impact industry. Consider the carbon footprint of flying flowers from South America. Consider that every bunch of imported flowers is wrapped in plastic, and then packaged together in a cardboard box. Consider the menace of floral foam, a single-use, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable microplastic. Responsible florists are committing to more sustainable practices, resulting in a resurgence of small family flower farms and tons of innovation.

Ferdinand prioritizes locally-grown flowers. The carbon footprint of transporting them from the farm to the studio is a fraction of that of imported flowers. They’re also fresher , and they arrive in better condition, having access to water the whole way, in reusable and recyclable buckets. (Buckets are gold to farmers and florists!) No cardboard, no plastic wrap. The leaves, stems, and other organic waste is collected by our local composter. And we’re supporting local agriculture and business!

Our goal is to source at least 60-70% of your flowers from growers in Maryland and Virginia, but yes, we do incorporate some shipped and imported flowers as needed. Examples include designs that require sturdier and hardier flowers (like arbor designs and flower clouds in which the flowers will not have a water source), and during times of year when locally-grown flowers are scarce.

Ferdinand also relies on foam-free mechanics for the majority of our designs, though we do occasionally use it when logistical challenges suggest no reasonable alternative.

Our business is driven by word-of-mouth and referrals. In order to keep our costs (and yours) down, we have decided not to advertise on the major wedding-planning hubs. We encourage clients to leave reviews on our Google profile, which you can read here or here.

We work in the orbit of Washington DC, servicing events anywhere in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Northern/Piedmont Virginia. We will consider traveling farther afield, so please reach out! Travel fees would apply.

Our studio is located in Greenbelt, Maryland. The address will be provided to clients who arrange to pick up their flowers at the studio. Please note that we are not a retail shop and can not accommodate walk-in customers.

Businesses of all types have minimum order limits, to ensure that the revenue generated from the order covers not just the cost of the product or service, but the general and fixed costs of doing business…things like rent, utilities, insurance, administrative expenses, staffing, supplies, etc etc and so on.

Our minimums are carefully calibrated to ensure that our services are affordable to as many clients as possible, while also being profitable enough to sustain us. We appreciate our clients understanding that this is how we make a living!

The minimum for full-service design is $6,500. If you require delivery to the venue, and if your vision includes props/structures (like an arch or chuppah), abundant candles, or complex designs that require set-up and installation, plus breakdown and clean-up after the event, then full-service design is for you! Note that this is one of the lowest minimums in the DC area; other floral vendors start at $10k and higher. We want to fit into your budget!

For clients with smaller budgets or less complex needs, we offer a partial-service option with a $1,000 minimum. Personals, tabletop designs, and statement arrangements can be selected from our menu and picked up at our studio in Greenbelt, Maryland or delivered to your venue for an additional fee. You (or your coordinator, or someone in your party) will be responsible for set-up.

A final word: A minimum is just that. Most clients spend more than that. More on this below in “What should I budget for flowers?”.

If you google this question, you will get an array of sometimes conflicting info. Here are just a few ways to approach it:

The long-term industry standard has been that you should plan to allocate 8-15% of your total wedding budget for flowers. Other sources suggest thinking of it in per-person terms, like catering. You may spend anywhere from $25 to more than $300 per guest.

The range reflects how important flowers are to you and your wedding day vision. At the lower end, you may expect to get the basics: personal flowers and some simple flowers for each table. Maybe a small-scale design for the ceremony. Your imagination can run wild at the upper end: lush centerpieces, high-impact statement designs, and dramatic installations for the ceremony and reception. Before meeting with your florist, have some idea where your priorities lie.

Keep in mind that a large wedding party will drive up costs, as will a big guest count. Even a simple centerpiece concept can balloon to a significant expense when multiplied by 20 tables. And when you’re looking at pinterest and wedding blogs, remember that these often highlight big-budget weddings and editorial photo shoots. The elaborate installations you see on these sites require complex mechanics, large teams of people, and thousands of flowers. The cost may be astronomical.

In addition to the cost of purchasing healthy and unique flowers for your event, our prices reflect the time spent talking with you; planning and figuring out logistics; selecting, ordering, and processing the flowers, vases, and other supplies. They reflect the training, expertise, and years of experience that go into creating each design. Yes, you can buy a bouquet of flowers for $9.99 at Trader Joe’s, but that’s not what you’re getting here (and note that TJ isn’t making a profit on those flowers!)

So what’s the bottom line? As always, it depends. Ferdinand’s full-service clients usually spend between $8,000 and $12,000 on flowers. We look for ways to make the most of that, by advising you on what to prioritize and suggesting ways that flowers can do double-duty. Our goal is to find the sweet spot where your vision and your comfort zone intersect. Please don’t hesitate to speak up during the planning process if you feel like you’re out of your comfort zone.

Because each client and each event is different, there is no standard price list available for full-service design. Each design is unique to your event, and priced according to your vision and the types of flowers available or requested. Pricing for raw materials varies widely throughout the year. For example, peonies in peony season are costly but reasonable. Peonies outside of local peony season are imported from faraway places, and are insanely expensive. If you really want peonies in November, we can get them, but your peony designs will cost more than they would in May.

Other considerations include (but are not limited to) the types of mechanics and vessels we use for your designs, the number of trucks we’ll need to transport everything to the venue, and the number of people we need to set up. If your venue has a short window for vendor set up, we will need more people to get it done in time. Because all of these factors are different for each event, there is no standard pricing. Your personalized proposal will be tailored to address all of these considerations.

Your personalized proposal will include the following items:

-The cost of the designs we’ve discussed

-A Design and Admin fee, which covers additional costs like labor, overhead, and other administrative costs. The amount varies from 20% to 30% depending on the complexity of the event.

-6% sales tax, when the pick-up or delivery is in the state of Maryland

-A delivery fee, if applicable

A gratuity is not expected, but would be greatly appreciated (by all of your vendors!) for a job well done. We work very hard and mostly behind the scenes to make your wedding day vision a reality, and we are grateful for a little something extra we can share with our team.

Use our Contact page to submit your inquiry. Include as much information as you can. We will respond within three business days (but usually sooner, unless it’s wedding season!) and set up a time to talk via phone or Zoom. The initial consultation usually takes 45-60 minutes. We’ll talk about colors, flowers, who’s in the wedding party, and any ideas you have for the ceremony and reception flowers. We’ll also address your budget.

Five to seven days after our call, we will send you a preliminary proposal and a personalized mood board to illustrate the concepts detailed in the proposal. Nothing is set in stone at this point! There is always an opportunity to add, subtract, or tweak. If the total is out of your comfort zone, we can pinpoint and eliminate the lower-priority items.

Some items have a bit of wiggle room. For example, you might have shown us a photo of a ceremony arch you love, and we showed you a price to design something with a similar scale and volume of flowers. Can we do it for less? Yes, but no :) We may be able to scale back our design to align with your budget, but it won’t be exactly the same.

The consultation and proposal are complementary; there are no obligations or expectations other than that you don’t ghost, please! Keep in mind that this process does take quite a bit of time and energy, and at this point we’re invested in and excited for your event! We’re happy to provide you with a revised proposal. If you’re comparing quotes from other florists, let us know so we can see if it makes sense for us to compete. And if you decide to go with someone else, please tell us so we can release the date to another client.

If you decide to engage Ferdinand for your event, we’ll send you the formal proposal and contract, and you will make a 50% deposit. There is still room for additions, subtractions, and modifications after the contract is signed; simple changes like adding or subtracting personals or centerpieces are expected. Significant changes like adding a new design may incur additional consultation fees (outlined in the contract). Note that subtractions are limited to no more than 10% of the contract total. The balance and all changes are due 3 weeks prior to the event.

Full-service design includes delivery to the venue, set-up and installation of all designs, plus breakdown and clean-up after the event. Partial-service clients may elect to include delivery for an additional fee.

This is more complicated than you’d think! The short answer is yes, you can keep your flowers, but you can’t necessarily keep the vases, vessels, and mechanics used in your designs unless we have discussed it in advance. For full-service clients, these items are typically priced as rentals, and we come back after your event to collect them.

If you want to take or give away your flowers, please raise that during your consultation so we can figure out how to make it happen. Options include designing arrangements such that the flowers can be popped out of the vessel, or providing the vessels yourself. We can also price them as non-rentals so they belong to you after the event.

Note that personal flowers (bouquets, boutonnieres, etc) are always yours to keep, as are the plain glass vases in which we deliver them to you.

For partial-service clients, the entire answer is yes, you can keep everything. Vases and vessels are priced accordingly; we do not come back to collect them.

There are a few organizations in the area that collect event flowers and redistribute them to care facilities and other worthy recipients. See “Can I keep my flowers?” above; the same principles apply, so please discuss with us so we can figure out how to accommodate.

Ferdinand Loves Flowers specializes in floral design for events; we are not a retail florist that sells individual arrangements/gifts. That said, we do typically offer bouquets and arrangements for the major flower holidays, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and the winter holidays (wreaths are our specialty!) We currently offer the Holiday Bundle, which makes a great gift! Our delivery area includes Washington DC and beltway-adjacent areas of Maryland. Delivery fees vary; delivery within our hometown of Greenbelt, Maryland is free. Visit the Shop page for current offerings, and follow us on Instagram or Facebook to stay informed.

Yes! Currently we offer a Holiday Bundle; see the Shop page for details.