Everything You Need to Know About Floral Wedding Arches, a Perennially Popular Décor Element

If you've attended any weddings in the last decade, odds are good that you've seen at least one grand floral arch incorporated into the ceremony or reception design. Over the years, flower-studded wedding arches have exploded in popularity and become a mainstay at all types of celebrations, from rustic outdoor ceremonies to luxurious ballroom nuptials.

There’s a reason for this: “Floral arches are the go-to romantic backdrop for couples to exchange their ceremonial vows,” says florist Rachel Cho. “Couples love arches because they create a high-impact floral moment with a gorgeous focal point that draws attention and sets a beautiful ambience surrounding the couple during the wedding ceremony. The arch represents the couple's choice in color palette and style, and it speaks to the present moment in time in seasonality and the current floral trends.”

What's more, a floral wedding arch can be used in so many different places; while they're popular for ceremony backdrops, they're also regularly enlisted to decorate tent entrances, bars, dance floors, and more.

If you’d love to say your vows or share your first dance under an arch of luscious, seasonal blooms, here’s everything to know about floral wedding arch, including costs, the right blooms to select, and how to work with your florist to achieve your dream design.

How Much Do Wedding Arch Flowers Really Cost?

Depending on your vision, floral décor can be one of the most costly line items on your wedding budget, so you’ll want to ensure you and your florist are on the same page about preferences and pricing. If you know a floral arch is something you really want for the ceremony (or reception entrance, over your dance floor, or elsewhere in the space), make sure you factor that in early. Ultimately, floral arches can vary significantly in price depending on the structure and design; an opulent, fully-covered arch of white roses will cost more than a minimal piece with foliage and wildflowers, for example. “For couples who are budget-conscious, we typically recommend using a foliage-based arch with spots and clusters of flowers in asymmetrical corners to mimic a natural growth,” says Cho.

Cho notes that, in general, wedding arch flowers cost a minimum of $1,500 for the simples design and go up from there. What does your final price tag include? Quite a bit, as these statement-making décor details require a significant amount of work to create—both ahead of the event and on the big day itself. “Floral arch installations are typically built on site and florists weigh out various factors that dictate how much labor and time is associated as well as the hard costs of flowers, materials, and mechanics,” Cho explains. “Arches can start at $1,500 for the structure and design and can run the gamut in pricing fully dependent on the size and scale.” Delivery, trucking, labor, and design fees may also apply, and because they are generally made on-site at your wedding venue, your florist might have to bring in additional pros to help build the arch or set up other floral details.

Your budget plays an important role in the design of your arch, but if you work together with your florist, you should have no problem deciding on something you love that it's in keeping what what you can afford to spend. “It is extremely important for us as florists to educate our clients about the hard costs associated with a floral build-out and installation that is built from scratch,” Cho explains. “We always tell our clients that the flowers may only last a few hours, but the memory, the meaning, and beautiful photography will last for years to come.”

For a more budget-friendly floral arch, florist Alison Fleck suggests couples “consider smaller groupings on the arch instead of top to bottom coverage of the structure.” She cites an “asymmetrical design with a large floral grouping at the top left corner of the arch and a smaller grouping in the middle of the right part of the structure” as a great option, or “two corner pieces or even just one large central piece in the middle of the arch.” According to Fleck, “fewer flowers can mean less cost but doesn’t have to mean less visual impact.” 

Can You Rent Wedding Arch Flowers?

If you're looking to save on your floral wedding arch, you might be wondering if a rental is possible. According to our experts, the answer is probably not. Cho explains that your florist will typically rent the structure that serves as the base of your arch, but the couple will pay for all flowers and foliage that fills it out. 

How to Choose the Right Flowers for Your Wedding Arch

While there's no such thing as "right" or "wrong" flowers for a wedding arch, some blooms are better-suited to being used in these structures than others; what's more, certain flowers will help you stay within your preferred budget or aesthetic better than others.

Consider the season.

Seasonality is everything when it comes to popular florals; certain blooms may not be available—or may be way more expensive if they’re out of season—during certain times of the year. If you’re getting married outside, the weather may be too hot for a specific flower, causing it to dry out or wilt. In the spring, Cho likes “to “cheat the look of gorgeous colors around the entire arch” with flowering branches like cherry blossom, dogwood, mock orange, crab apple, and forsythia. “Summer and early fall can have high outdoor temperatures and there are a lot of flowers that do not fare well in the heat and can wilt,” Fleck shares, citing anemones, sweet pea, and peonies as examples. “These flowers bloom or open up faster in higher temperatures and can wilt in direct sunlight.”

For summer weddings, Fleck suggests hardier flowers like snapdragons, lisianthus, zinnias, and thistle. “These flowers can grow well in zones with higher temperatures and tend to be more hardy in installations such as arches. Think more wildflowers and less English secret garden as a visual.” Cho’s picks include clematis, sunflowers, and larkspur. In the fall, she recommends dahlias in “so many shapes, shades, and sizes,” and ranunculus, celosias, and amaranthus. Those changing leaves are also a gorgeous touch. “Fall foliage such as nandina, maple, sweet gum, pear, smoke bush and burning bush provide great coverage of the arch and the warm color tones of the season,” says Cho.

Be flexible with your vision.

Have you always dreamed of getting married under an arch of fragrant, delicate lily of the valley? Unfortunately, that's a prime example of a bloom that's just not right for an arch application. Flowers with short stems, like lily of the valley, hyacinths, and muscari, don’t work well for arches, says Cho. If “no” isn’t an option, you will have to pay for the extra work. “If a [couple] insists on having any of these for [their] arch, you need a lot more, and I mean a lot more of it for impact and coverage. For budget and practicality we do not recommend.”

This is a great time to trust your florist’s expertise and work together to find a solution you’re both happy with—share your preferred aesthetic and allow them the room to create something you'll love.

Get the most for your money.

Fleck suggests thinking of your arch as an aspect of your wedding photos. “I advise couples to put their money where people will see it at the ceremony location at their venue,” she says. “This is the most-photographed part of a person's wedding so it makes sense to spend whatever budget you have here.” You may want to shift your budget to the arch instead of aisle chair markers or aisle entry arrangements, which make less of an impact from a photo standpoint.

Think to scale.

Lean on your florist here if you’re not sure how big (and wide) your arch should be. “Think of a doorframe,” advises Fleck. “A single side doorframe won’t frame the couple adequately, a double wide doorframe feels roomier. I try to talk to couples in ways they can visualize scale at their wedding to help them feel more confident. My rule of thumb is usually 7 feet wide and 8 feet tall.”

Cho recommends an arch for spaces that are “plain, vast, and tall” so it can bring focus to the couple. While an arch doesn’t fit well in a smaller space or one with a low ceiling, she says florists can create a “broken arch,” which is exactly what it sounds like: a break between the arch shape where it nears the ceiling. “This provides the colorful semi-circle, drawing the eyes to focus on the couple while opening up the space just above them,” Cho explains. “When we do this, we often do an asymmetrical design where one side is taller than the other upright side to create a more interesting movement in the overall shape of the altar space.” 

Trust your florist.

It’s their job to bring your vision to life and create the floral arch of your dreams, but these professionals will also know how to bring you back to earth and keep you on budget. When in doubt, bring photos of floral arches you like. “Focus on the colors you like, focus on the design you like, or specifically how the flowers drape in the corner or that there is a lot of greenery,” says Fleck. “Approach this as showing the florist what you like but not telling them exactly what to do. Leave room for their creativity and knowledge as the inspiration is just that: inspiration to draw creativity from!”