Combine flower purchases across several events

1. Why one order costs less

Cut flowers are usually sold in bunches of a fixed number of stems. If you order event by event, each variety is rounded up to the next bunch every time. Three roundings mean three times the spare stems. A combined order rounds once.

• Fewer spare stems: the rounding to bunches happens once, on the total.
• Fewer trips or orders: one market visit or delivery for the period.
• Larger quantities to discuss with your supplier: ask whether a price or packaging applies above a certain volume, do not assume it.
• An overview: you spot varieties needed by several events and secure their availability.

The downside is real: stock that waits several days keeps less well. Combine for events close together in time, and not for every type of flower (see below).

2. What to combine and what to keep separate

3. The five-step method

1. 1

   List needs by event and by variety

   Start from each arrangement recipe multiplied by its quantity. One row per variety, one column per event.

2. 2

   Add the loss margin you have chosen

   Apply it variety by variety, not on the total. A fragile peony does not carry the same margin as eucalyptus.

3. 3

   Add up over the period

   Total each variety across all events concerned, then round up to bunches once.

4. 4

   Order and record the allocation

   For each variety, write how many stems are reserved for each event. Without this, the first event uses up the whole stock.

5. 5

   Check on delivery

   Compare what arrives with what you ordered and check quality. A shortfall is settled the same day, not on the morning of installation.

4. Example: three events over one weekend

Assumptions in this example: three events (A, B, C) from Friday to Sunday, stem quantities already including the loss margin, and a wholesaler selling roses in bunches of 20 stems, eucalyptus and ranunculus in bunches of 10.

In this example the single order saves three bunches: one of roses, one of eucalyptus and one of ranunculus. If a bunch of roses costs €24 (hypothetical price), the saving on that variety alone is €24. The saving in value is modest: the real benefit is not multiplying roundings and trips. It grows with the number of varieties and events.

Watch the allocation: the 240 rose stems ordered cover a need of 225. The remaining 15 stems are not a gift, they are the margin you chose to keep or a reserve for the riskiest event. Decide that before ordering.

Calculate the price of an arrangement from its recipe

5. Suppliers, order cut-offs and payment

A combined order is often bigger, so it commits you more. Confirm with your wholesaler its order cut-off times, its cancellation terms and what it will take back. For hard-to-find varieties, order as soon as the total need is known.

Think about payment too. Between businesses in France, the payment term is by default 30 days after receipt of goods, and can be up to 60 days from the invoice date if the terms of sale or the contract provide for it. Read your supplier's terms: they affect your cash flow when a combined order is larger.

6. Mistakes that cancel the gain

• Combining fragile flowers over more than two or three days.
• Forgetting to reserve stems per event, then running short for the last one.
• Applying one loss margin to everything instead of one per variety.
• Changing a variety for one event without recalculating the combined order.
• Ordering before a quote or change is confirmed: do a last check of needs the day before ordering.

In Flolya, flower and supply needs are prepared from arrangement recipes, and the orders space helps you organise your shopping list. It does not order from your supplier for you: you keep control of the final quantity and the split between events.

Prepare purchasing and production from your recipes

Measure what each event leaves after purchases and hours

Price a complete wedding before ordering the flowers