Wedding florists: a proposal that books first time

Most florists lose the booking between the consultation and the proposal. The consultation goes well, the couple loves the mood board, and then the proposal arrives as one number for "the garden look", the couple asks what happens if they drop the arch, and the florist rebuilds the whole document. Three rounds later the date is gone to someone who answered faster.

TL;DR: Write the proposal as a list of pieces with a price on each, mark the ones the couple can drop or add, and let them tick and sign on their phone. Set the retainer to cover what you order before the event, not a round percentage. Put the final-numbers date in the contract, and send the reminder for it from the system, not from memory.

Why pieces, not a look?

A couple cannot argue with a bouquet. They can argue with a look. When the proposal reads "bridal bouquet, eight bridesmaid bouquets, twelve boutonnieres, four corsages, ceremony arch, fifteen centerpieces, bar arrangement", each with a price, the couple can take two boutonnieres off and see the total move. Nobody calls you. Nobody asks what the garden look included. The proposal also becomes the recipe list later, so you price it once and order from it once.

What goes on the proposal as optional?

The pieces you would happily do and happily skip: a second arch for the reception, candles on every table, a flower wall for photos, petals for the aisle, a hanging install. Price them as add-ons the couple can tick. Most couples add one. Couples who add nothing booked anyway, and you spent no design hours finding out.

How much is the retainer?

Not a percentage: a number that covers what you order before the event. Hard goods, the wholesale stem order, rented vessels, any labor you book for the install. If that comes to 40% of the proposal, the retainer is 40%. A florist who takes 25% and orders 50% has paid for half a wedding that might cancel. Say in the contract that the retainer is non-refundable because the stems are ordered for that date.

When are final numbers due?

Put the date in the contract, not in a text thread. Four weeks out is typical: the wholesale order goes in at three, and a guest count that moves after that moves your margin, not the couple's bill. The contract should say that the table count follows the guest count, that pieces added after final numbers are priced at the add-on rate, and that pieces dropped after final numbers are not refunded. Then send the final-numbers request from the system, on the date, with a reminder three days later.

What should the couple sign?

One document: the proposal they adjusted, the contract terms, and the retainer invoice, signed on the same page with the retainer due at signing. A proposal in one PDF, a contract in another and a retainer request by email is three chances for the couple to stop.

How Booksui handles this

In Booksui, a florist's proposal is a list of pieces with pick-one and add-on items; the couple adjusts it and signs on one page, with the retainer invoice on the same job, and the chosen pieces become the recipe sheet and the wholesale order on the same job. The final-numbers date lives on the contract and the job sends the request and the reminder. See Booksui for wedding florists and the floral recipes and orders feature.