What to Expect: Working With Molly Oliver Flowers
What's the process like for smaller-scale events?
For smaller events, we're happy to produce a quote and a simple mood board that shares seasonal availability and other ingredients suited to your event. After booking, we may create digital renderings or simply hop on a couple of calls to finalize our floral plan — whatever works best for you.
What's the process like for larger events, like galas and weddings?
For larger events, we create a detailed proposal and a "starter mood board." After you book, we’ll schedule a “design review” call, and possibly a sample meeting closer to your event date where we’ll mock up designs. Sometimes, we simply create digital renderings. A walk-through of your venue is included for larger events.
How many meetings will we need to finalize our floral plan?
Typically, the process from ideation to a finalized floral plan takes roughly 1–3 meetings, whether in person, over Zoom, or by phone.
A note on the guidance below: it speaks directly to wedding budgets, since that's where clients most often ask for pricing context — but the same factors (NYC market rates, fair labor, venue load-in windows) shape pricing for galas and corporate events too.
How much will my event flowers cost?
We design for events of every size, so there's no single flat rate — cost depends on your guest count, venue, season, desired aesthetic and design scope. The most accurate way to get a real number is a consultation, where we'll talk through your vision and budget together and give you realistic, tailored guidance rather than a generic estimate. Read on for how we think about floral budgets, especially for weddings.
Why do most couples under-budget for wedding flowers?
After working with hundreds of couples, we can share — with empathy — that most prospective clients under-budget for flowers, sometimes by a little and sometimes by a lot. That's understandable: most people have never planned a wedding or hired a floral designer before, and simply aren't familiar with the real costs. We're happy to make this more transparent during your consultation. Coming to that conversation with as accurate and realistic a budget as possible saves everyone time, yours and ours.
On that note…
Can I use a friend's or family member's wedding as a budget benchmark?
It's natural to ask friends or family who've gotten married to help set your expectations. However, mimicking a friend's floral budget from a different city, a sibling's from five years ago in the same city, or even a cousin's at the same venue in a different year isn't the most reliable way to set your own budget — too many variables have changed.
What should I know before setting my floral budget?
- NYC pricing: New York is one of the most expensive cities in the country, so budgets from less expensive cities aren't an accurate comparison. Prices rise every year with inflation in rent, housing, goods, and wages.
- Fair wages: We pay our team a living wage. Floral work is physically demanding, skilled labor — it takes years of skill, artistry, endurance, teamwork, and an intuitive sense of efficiency and safety.
- Tariffs: Tariffs are currently affecting global trade, raising seed and bulb costs, which in turn raises local farmers' wholesale prices.
- Staffing model: Florists' costs vary based on experience and how they hire. We hire most of our team as employees rather than 1099 contractors, which means paying into unemployment, providing workers' comp, and offering paid sick leave. We occasionally bring on professional 1099 contractors for select jobs.
- Venue load-in time: Your venue's setup window affects your budget — a 2-hour setup requires more labor than a 5-hour one. No matter the window, we pay our staff for a full 8-hour day, since it's difficult to book experienced designers for less and an 8-hour day is standard for competitive, quality staffing.
What if someone else is helping pay for my flowers?
If you're receiving help to pay for your flowers, like many of our clients, come to your consultation with as much clarity on that number as possible. Money conversations can be challenging, both in your relationship and with family — we get it. But getting clear on the number as early as possible saves time and prevents headaches down the road.
What is it like working with Molly Oliver Flowers?
Clients describe working with us as collaborative, responsive, and stress-free. Here's what a few of them have said:
“From the moment we started working together, she truly listened to my vision and transformed it into something even more beautiful than I could have imagined.”
— Carmen, July 2026
“I had a great experience working with Molly in preparation for a special event. She was responsive, knowledgeable and delivered a top tier final product. The design process was a breeze and day of the event I had nothing to worry about. Molly's team had what they needed and were on top of load in and load out. Can't recommend enough.”
— Bridget, June 2026
“...every step of the way Molly was communicative and prioritized our vision. She went above and beyond to get to know us and how we can be expressed through florals. We appreciated her commitment to sustainability and locality and also just being a genuinely cool and great human to work with.”
— Meg and Emily, May 2026
