How To Book A Wedding

Consultations and sales skills are crucial areas of the floral design business that can take some time to figure out.

The first thing I learned in my business was how to price flowers, but the next most important part of my business success that I had to work on was booking new clients (even though my business was brand new!) and closing sales (without feeling too pushy or salesy).

I trained in several flower shops in my teens and early 20’s so I developed some sales skills along the way, but the truth is that most of the shops I worked in did not do weddings.

In fact, my first wedding experience presented itself in 2001 and I can tell you that I was hooked right away!

After 24 years, I still love the details and precision of wedding work.

From that very first wedding I became obsessed with the delivery and set-up schedule so we can make everything come together in perfect timing.

And I can still remember learning how to make my very first classic spiral bouquet!

What I discovered is that the steps that come before all of the design and delivery work require some more expertise and guidance.

The fact is consultations and sales take practice!

When you lead a consultation, what do you even ask?

When it’s time to write a wedding proposal or quote, what should that really look like? How much detail do you share?

I know that when I was starting my own business I certainly had zero confidence about leading clients through the sales process.

I was winging it and embracing the “fake it ’til you make it” mentality!

The good news is that all of the above can be learned and over the next several years I figured it out!

And one day, a florist friend suggested that I should share my steps, my exact wording and my booking process by selling templates and I got to work on my Wedding Templates for Florists! You can grab them now and put them to work in your business today!

The Wedding Templates Bundle includes:

5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly

How To Write Proposals That Sell

Contract for Florists

Wedding Workflow: 16 Steps to Client Management

E-mail Templates for Florists

And Bonus lessons!

Get Wedding Templates Here!

Naturally, I learned through trial and error.

I can still remember the first time I had a consultation on my own and how I bravely acted like I’d done this before…no big deal! But in reality, it was a big deal and that was just the start of hundreds of consultations to come.

I learned something after every consultation I conducted, but it took years before I truly felt comfortable taking the lead in a consultation.

And after the consultation…

When it came to writing proposals, I got some bad advice early on that I quickly learned to ignore!

Running a business means overcoming doubts and other obstacles on a near constant basis.

Even after decades in business, there’s more to learn, improve and refine on your business path.

Because trends come and go, and our customers are always evolving so we must evolve, too!

No matter how long you’ve been in business, if you’d like a shortcut for proposals, contracts, the most frequent email communications with clients and every step to follow to book wedding clients, you’ll find a bundle of my Wedding Templates Here!

Even if you just pick up 1 great tip or strategy to help book a new client, these templates are worth their weight in gold.

Need more help? Any questions for me? Reach out anytime! info[at]realflowerbusiness.com

By Alison Ellis

How To Price Flowers

The first thing I figured out before starting my floral design business was how to price flowers.

I learned on the job in various flower shops and while each store was different in terms of location, style and clientele, the one thing these shops had in common was how to price their floral designs.

So when I started my own business after almost a decade in the floral industry, I knew how to turn a profit from Day 1.

Your business can make money from Day 1, too, if you price for profit and avoid overbuying!

Even though my business started out as a part-time gig because I didn’t have enough customers to quit my day jobs yet, I turned a profit all along the way.

Looking back, I know I was lucky to have learned the pieces of the pricing formulas so that I didn’t second guess or undercut myself.

So many florists I’ve talked to over the years have told me that even after decades in the industry, pricing was never fully explained to them and most floristry schools simply don’t cover the level of pricing detail you need to stay profitable and competitive in your business!

As a floral educator, I’m known for the confusion-free approach to pricing I teach in my online course, Flower Math.

The reason I created this on-demand training is because I truly believe that pricing and profitability in your business shouldn’t be a mystery. In fact, the pricing formulas are easy.

For example, there are 4 main pieces of the pricing formula:

Marking up the flowers for retail.

Adding a design fee for time & talent to arrange.

Accounting for any supplies like ribbons, vessels and other mechanics.

Then, delivery, set-up, installation, breakdown….all the “other stuff” that goes into completing the floral order.

If you’re missing any of these pieces, or charging too little in any of these areas, you are losing profit!

Get Flower Math

After teaching florists how to price with confidence for over 10 years, I can tell you that before floral designers take Flower Math, one of 3 things is often true…

3 Pricing Mistakes Florists Make:

#1. Not including a design fee for your time and talent. (Markups are only 1 part of the equation!)

#2. Overfilling orders to make them look fuller.

#3. Buying too many flowers and losing profit margin because you set a spending goal instead of a profit goal.

If you know you’re guilty of any of the above, now is a good time to change that! Your business should be turning a profit on every order whether you own a brick and mortar shop or you work from home.

I show you exactly how in my Flower Math course!

Flower Math is tried and true…

If you’re not 100% confident that you’re maximizing your profits, Flower Math walks you through the pricing formulas step-by-step so there’s no confusion and no missing pieces of the puzzle.

There’s even a payment plan to make it more accessible, a money back guarantee and you can ask me questions anytime.

Flower Math is not just a course, it’s a roadmap to pricing and profitability and I’m here to support you along the way if you need help.

Do you have any doubts about your current pricing methods?

If you’ve been piecing together pricing tips without a full picture of all the steps, or if you just need some reassurance that you’re on the right track with your profit margins so you can pay yourself as much as possible, don’t hesitate to get into this class.

Florists often tell me they complete the entire course in an afternoon and make back the entire purchase price in the very first wedding they book after the class! You can see more of what Flower Math students say about the course here!

You have nothing the lose.

Click here to learn about Flower Math and get started today on your path to maximizing profits and paying yourself more.

And if you have questions for me, get in touch! info[at]realflowerbusiness.com

xo. -Alison Ellis

Learn more about Alison HERE!

See A Full Course List HERE!

By Alison Ellis

End of Year Business Tips

Every year in business is a learning year.

As the winds are often changing in terms of marketing, client buying styles and design trends, it’s an important part of your job to keep up and keep moving onto the next right step to reach your goals!

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that one good year will lead to continued success.

Which is why you need to stay engaged and focus on the next right steps in your floral business!

After 24 seasons as a wedding florist, I’ve had ups and downs in my business, but there’s no denying that things have been feeling a bit more down than many of us have experienced before.

Instead of pacing the floor or letting the sudden influx of price conscious clients get me down, I’ve learned through many years of practice that I can actually DO something to change the current trajectory of my business.

It takes some personal reflection, accountability and determination, but it’s worth the effort to find direction and feel confident in your actions!

As the year rapidly comes to a close, here’s what I’m doing in my own small business:

#1. Running the numbers.

I’m looking at all of my expenses to decide where I need to cut back and how much more I want to spend before the end of the tax year.

Sometimes, spending money in your business is a good thing after all–for tax purposes, for educational purposes, etc.

I’m also looking ahead and future-casting my cash flow based on 2026 bookings so far.

It can be as simple as asking:

Are you able to pay your expenses for the next 6-12 months with your current savings?
What’s the estimated profit margin on the sales you already have booked?
What will it take to to fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be?

#2. Putting my best foot forward.

When I get an inquiry from a wedding planner or a new client, I’m focusing on what will serve them best and adapting my service to accommodate their requests wherever possible.

This might mean writing a quote without gatekeeping (for example, not setting a firm minimum before a consultation) to help customers experience the value I provide before deciding if we’re a good match.

If budget is the #1 deciding factor, so be it–perhaps we are not a good match.

But if clients need a little more time and attention to help get to a “yes”, the least we can do is find a way to meet them part-way where possible!

#3. Marketing with a strategy.

This is a perpetual part of my process, but I’m re-examining all of the branding and marketing efforts in my businesses.

From how much money I’m spending on advertising, to the areas where I’ve slacked and fallen short, it’s the perfect time to improve my marketing strategy because they are always a work in progress.

It’s easy to get lost in a sea of social media “content”, but I don’t create content.

I provide a more valuable service and it’s my job to make sure customers know I’m the best choice for them!

FYI I’ll be walking through exactly how I work on improving my marketing and branding strategies in January in my 4-week program, The Art of Good Business.

You can learn all about it here if you have any interest in joining me! It’s a great program and we do some good work together to kick off the new year!

#4. Planning ahead.

What do I need to do next to reach my business and life goals?

What skills do I need to sharpen?

How can I best be of service in a way that thrills and delights my customers?

What does it really look like to reach the “next level” in my business?

#5. Giving 20% Off Courses & Coaching.

To close out the year, I’m giving floral designers 20% off my courses and coaching until Dec. 31 at 11:59pm EST! Use Code: GIVE20 to SAVE!

In a year that’s been down for so many, it feels like the right thing to do the close the year with 20% off courses over $50 to provide an opportunity to invest in your business, learn something new, and get it before the tax year ends! (Educational Courses are a business expense after all.)

Visit My Course Shop Here!

And if you’re interested in booking a Coaching Call, please note the 20% Offer is limited to 10 due to capacity limits.

Click Here to schedule a call!

I’m here to provide support if you need it, so if you’re growing your floral business or struggling to figure out your next steps, reach out to get in touch!

xo. -Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

5 Ways To Grow Your Floral Business

What are you doing to move your business forward right now?

A designer asked about any upcoming business trainings I’m offering. so to help make it easier for you to plan ahead and join me, here’s a list of 5 Ways To Grow Your Business With Me!

I have more than one LIVE business training for florists that you can take advantage of before the end of the year!

And as always, if you have any questions, please reach out anytime.

5 Ways To Grow Your Floral Business

#1. Improve your customer management and workflow to book weddings in less time with less effort.

Join me live on November 12th at 12pm Eastern/9am Pacific for 5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly!

It’s just $37 and you can get all the details here and I’ll see you LIVE on Wednesday, November 12th.

A replay will be available so you can watch anytime.

Sign Up Here!

#2. Create an intentional marketing and branding strategy beyond posting on Instagram!

Join me for the Marketing Workshop for Florists! This 3-day Live Virtual Training will take place December 8-10th at 12pm Eastern.

Learn how to market your business to build your brand and attract better clients without posting on social media every day.

Doors open soon….get on the waitlist here to stay in the loop!

Get on Waitlist

#3. Map out your business plan in 2 hours with this Business Plan Jumpstart and Next Level Business Planning Session!

Your business plan serves as a compass when you’re trying to find your way in your business and it’s the first place to start if you’re feeling lost, overwhelmed, or like it’s time to level-up and make a change in your current trajectory.

This workbook + video training is available on demand and you can get it right now when you sign up here for $27!

Get the Jumpstart

#4. Get answers to your specific business questions with Monthly Group Coaching Calls with Alison.

You can join me for Monthly Q&A Calls as a member of my Patreon Community for $29/month.

There is no longterm commitment–you can try it for one month and cancel anytime.

In addition to our Monthly Q&As, you’ll find a vault of lessons on business strategies, design tips and customer management strategies inside the membership.

Join on Patreon

#5. Private Coaching Calls.

If you prefer one-on-one attention for your specific situation, we can book a call to talk about your business goals or struggles.

Whether you need a mentor, a floral business coach or a sounding board, Coaching Sessions are designed to facilitate a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires you to maximize your potential (both professional and personal) and develop a plan to reach your goals.

Learn more about coaching here.

Request A Coaching Call

If you have any questions for me, reach out via email at info@realflowerbusiness.com

I’m here to provide support and point you in the right direction as you continue to grow your floral design business.

Keep doing beautiful work!

I hope to see you in one of the upcoming trainings.

xo. -Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

Wedding Bootcamp Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the Wedding Bootcamp recap! As I mentioned in my last post, hosting a Floralpreneur® Workshop with a commitment to foam free designs and a balance of business strategies has been a privilege and a proud accomplishment over the last 3 years! In all of the work we’ve done, not one piece of floral foam has been used. The reason for this is simple: if we can work more sustainably as floral designers, I believe we should!

I love learning and sharing new foam free techniques because it can truly be quite simple to reduce our environmental impact by cutting out single use plastics in our work. And when I can use the same simple mechanics in more than one way, I am really winning! Here you can see how we used the floral table runners above (from Part 1 of our Wedding Bootcamp recap) to create a foam free arbor design. We just placed the designs in boxes and marched them over to the arbor with a step stool and a few floral tools.

It was a beautiful spring day here in Vermont and we enjoyed the time outside to set everything up and enjoy the views of our work! We used Holly Chapple eggs, water tubes and bind wire to attach each arrangement to the arbor–so all of these mechanics could be reused if you want. Lori and I placed the first two pieces and then everyone jumped in to add a personal touch!

One of our reusable mechanics included these water tubes on bamboo skewers that I made in a workshop with Hitomi Gilliam several years ago. Sometimes the finer details on our mechanics can transform them into something that adds value to the design! As you can see below, another foam free flower design tip I share often is to mist your flowers with water. That’s why I gifted everyone with a 3-second mister to help encourage good flower hydration.

We’re a good looking group, aren’t we?! You can hardly tell that we’d been working hard for the last few days! (Although thanks to our wonderful hosts at The Round Barn we were eating quite well, too!)

In addition to the centerpiece designs and arbor decor that we made on Day 2 of our Wedding Bootcamp, our students created hand-tied bouquets, cascade bouquets, wearable flowers and floral crowns on Day 1, which Isora Lithgow Creations captured in the images below, too! Each student used their time to explore something they’d never made before or wanted to just experiment with. Every designer’s work is unique, though we did work with recipes and price out our designs.

A tremendous thanks again to all of our students and to my co-teacher, Lori Bley of The Hidden Daisy and her fantastic assistant designer, Kollin. We’re a great team and this was a truly special experience for everyone who attended!

A successful workshop requires so many tiny details coming together and it was an absolute pleasure to get to do this with you! I’m kicking around an agenda for 2026, so let’s plan to meet up again for another memorable floral gathering at The Round Barn. I’ll see you here!

xo. -Alison Ellis

See Part 1 of Wedding Bootcamp recap here.