How to Rent Wedding Flowers: Save Money & Skip the Stress

You want beautiful wedding flowers. You also want to stay on budget, avoid last-minute floral stress, and not throw thousands of dollars in the trash at the end of the night.

Good news: renting wedding flowers is one of the smartest (and fastest-growing) ways couples are pulling off jaw-dropping florals without the headache.

If you’re wondering how renting wedding flowers actually works (from booking to delivery to returning everything without panic), you’re in the right place. This guide walks you through the entire process, answers the real questions couples worry about, and helps you decide if rental flowers are right for your wedding. I’ve rented wedding flowers myself, so everything here comes from real experience, and I can honestly say they’re worth taking a serious look at. I personally used Something Borrowed Blooms for my wedding flowers, and it was effortless. Here’s how it works.

What Does It Mean to Rent Wedding Flowers?

Renting wedding flowers means you choose professionally designed floral arrangements (typically high-quality faux blooms) that are delivered to you before your wedding, used for your event, and then sent back after.

You get the full look of luxury florals without paying for:

• Per-stem pricing
• Last-minute substitutions
• Setup fees
• Floral waste (perfect for your sustainable wedding)

Think of it like this: you’re renting the design, not just the flowers.

Rental wedding flowers have become especially popular for destination weddings, micro-weddings, and venues with strict setup rules because they’re predictable, portable, and venue-friendly.

How to Rent Wedding Flowers (Step-by-Step)

Let’s walk through the full timeline so you know exactly what to expect.

Typical Rental Timeline:
Book (3–12 months out) → Delivery (2–4 days before) → Wedding Day → Return (1 business day after)

Step 1: Book Your Wedding Flower Rentals

You’ll start by choosing the pieces you need which is usually a mix of personal flowers and décor.

Most couples rent:

• bridal and bridesmaid bouquets
• wedding centerpiece rentals
• wedding arch flower rentals
• wedding flower rental packages
• eco-friendly wedding flower rentals

You select your date, style, and quantities, then reserve everything online months in advance (huge stress reducer).

Step 2: Your Flowers Are Delivered Before the Wedding

Your rental flowers arrive several days before your wedding, not the morning of. This gives you time to:

• Unbox calmly
• Check everything off your list
• Do a practice setup if needed

No racing the clock. No waiting on a florist.

Step 3: Set Them Up (Yes, You Can Do This)

Rental flowers are designed to be DIY-friendly. Most couples rent bouquets, centerpieces, and arches (I personally used Something Borrowed Blooms for weddings of clients — it was effortless). Bouquets are already arranged. Centerpieces are styled. Arches often come in simple, labeled sections.

If you can set a table or zip-tie greenery, you can handle rental florals. Many couples recruit a friend, coordinator, or venue staff to help.

If you’re attaching flowers to an arch, I recommend using extra-long zip ties — they work every time.

Step 4: Celebrate (And Forget About the Flowers)

This is the best part. You get all the compliments, photos, and “wow” moments without worrying about wilting blooms or floral breakdown schedules.

Step 5: Pack Up & Return

After the wedding, you place everything back into the original boxes and ship them back using prepaid labels. You can drop them off at your local drop-off location (typically a UPS store or similar based on your location). They scan your pre-paid labels and your rented flowers are shipped back while you jet-set on your honeymoon.

No cleaning. No preserving. No resale stress.

What You Don’t Have to Worry About with Rental Wedding Flowers

• ❌ Flowers wilting before the ceremony
• ❌ Last-minute floral substitutions
• ❌ Coordinating florist arrival times
• ❌ Paying for setup and breakdown
• ❌ Throwing expensive flowers away at the end of the night

This is one of the biggest reasons I keep coming back to rentals. The mental load is dramatically lighter.

Who Are Wedding Flower Rentals Best For?

Rental flowers aren’t just a budget hack: they’re a smart strategy. They’re especially perfect if you are:

• Budget-conscious and want a polished look for less
• Planning a destination wedding and need ship-ready florals
• Hosting a micro-wedding or elopement
• DIY-friendly but design-averse
• Eco-minded and want to reduce floral waste

If you’ve ever thought, “I love flowers, but I hate how complicated this feels”, rentals are probably for you. It’s also a perfect option if you adore flowers but you (or your future spouse’s) allergies do not. 🤧

Let’s talk through the concerns I hear most often: because if you’re thinking it, you’re not alone.

Addressing the Big Questions (Because You’re Not the Only One Wondering)

Do rental wedding flowers look real?

This is the #1 concern, and totally fair.

Modern rental florals use premium faux blooms designed specifically for photography. In most cases, guests (and even other vendors) assume they’re fresh. Cameras love them. Heat doesn’t hurt them. And they look exactly the same from first look to last dance.

What about freshness?

No wilting. No browning. No last-minute substitutions. No worrying if you added enough water to the vases, or if they need another quick misting before the ceremony.

Rental flowers look exactly the same at midnight as they did at noon… and exactly the same as the photos you saw when you booked.

Is setup hard?

Not at all. Everything arrives styled and ready to go. If you’re working with a coordinator or venue team, they’ll appreciate how predictable and straightforward rentals are. I especially appreciated that they arrived early, which gave me time to double-check everything and prep calmly before the wedding.

What happens if something gets damaged?

Normal wear from a wedding day is expected. Reputable rental companies build this into their pricing and explain damage policies clearly upfront.

Translation: you don’t need to panic every time someone hugs you with your bouquet.

How do returns work?

You pack the flowers back into their boxes and ship them using prepaid labels, usually the next business day.

No cleaning. No special care. No awkward post-wedding errands.

Is Renting Wedding Flowers Cheaper?

In most cases, yes, especially when you factor in:

• Delivery & setup savings
• No breakdown fees
• No last-minute replacements
• Predictable pricing

Rental flowers often cost 30–70% less than comparable fresh floral designs, depending on what you’re renting.

So… Who Actually Does This Really Well?

Once couples understand how renting wedding flowers works, the next question is usually where to rent from.

One company that comes up again and again, for good reason, is Something Borrowed Blooms. They’re known for polished designs, clear timelines, and a process that’s genuinely easy for couples (especially DIY and destination weddings). It’s the only company I trust for wedding flower rentals because they always come through when I need them. The quality is always top-notch and customer service was very helpful when I needed them.

You don’t need to be a floral expert, you just need a rental system that works. This one does.

Frequently Asked Questions About Renting Wedding Flowers

Is renting wedding flowers cheaper than buying?

Most of the time, yes, especially for bouquets, arches, and large installations.

Do rental wedding flowers look real in photos?

Yes. High-quality rental florals are designed to photograph beautifully and consistently.

When do rental wedding flowers arrive?

Typically 2–4 days before your wedding, giving you time to prepare without stress.

Can I mix rented flowers with fresh flowers?

Absolutely! Many couples rent the big visual pieces (bouquets, centerpieces, arches) and supplement with fresh greenery or accent blooms. This gives you the best of both worlds—stunning arrangements without extra cost or stress.

If you’re even slightly considering renting your wedding flowers, start by browsing styles and seeing what’s possible. It’s one of those decisions that feels small at first, and then ends up saving you time, money, and stress later.

At the end of the day, wedding flowers should make your life easier, not give you one more thing to manage.

The Bottom Line

If you want wedding flowers that look incredible, stay on budget, and don’t turn into a logistics nightmare, renting is one of the smartest choices you can make.

Now that you know exactly how to rent wedding flowers, you can focus on what actually matters: celebrating, soaking it all in, and enjoying your day. And that? It’s priceless.

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma