My Best Hacks for Bigger Weddings on a Smaller Budget

Bigger weddings can mean bigger revenue—but they can also come with bigger expenses.

Studio rent. Coolers. Ladders. Lifts. Rental inventory. Delivery vehicles. Equipment. Staffing.

And if you are not careful, all of those expenses can start eating away at the profit you were hoping to make by taking on larger events.

In this episode, Jeni shares some of the practical hacks she has learned after more than 20 years in the floral industry for scaling into larger weddings without feeling like you need to buy everything first.

She starts by challenging the idea that a successful florist needs a beautiful commercial studio. Jeni has operated as a home-based florist throughout her career and explains why keeping overhead low has allowed her to protect profit while still building a workspace capable of handling large-scale events.

She also talks about one investment she does believe can dramatically change the experience of taking on bigger weddings: a cooler. Having proper flower storage can reduce stress, protect delicate product, and give you more flexibility during busy wedding weeks.

From there, Jeni dives into renting instead of buying.

Need a 12-foot ladder for one installation? Rent it.

Need a lift for a massive hanging installation? Rent it—and understand exactly what kind of lift the venue has before assuming it will work.

Need Harlow stands or specialty event equipment that you may only use once? Check with event rental companies before adding more inventory to your studio.

Jeni also shares why she continues to rent U-Hauls instead of investing in an expensive branded cargo van. For her business, paying for transportation only when she needs it makes more financial sense than adding another major fixed expense.

The goal is not to look like the biggest floral company.

The goal is to build a profitable business with the tools and resources that make the work easier—without unnecessarily increasing your overhead.

In this episode, Jeni talks about:

• Why bigger weddings can quickly eat away at your profit margin
• Why you do not need a commercial studio to have a successful floral business
• The financial reality of adding thousands of dollars in monthly rent
• How a home-based studio can support a large wedding business
• Why having a cooler can become a game changer as you scale
• Finding more affordable used or commercial coolers
• Why you should consider renting equipment before buying it
• Renting ladders for large installations
• What to ask venues about their lifts before wedding day
• How the wrong lift turned one installation into a seven-hour project
• Why renting specialty event equipment can make more sense than owning it
• Asking rental companies about wedding-vendor discounts
• Why you do not necessarily need an expensive branded delivery van
• How Jeni uses U-Haul rentals for large wedding weekends
• Why transportation costs need to be built into delivery, setup, and teardown fees
• How controlling overhead helps protect profit as your business grows

Key takeaway

You do not have to own every resource your business might someday need.

Before adding another major expense, ask:

Do I actually need to own this—or do I simply need access to it?

Scaling does not have to mean piling on overhead.

Sometimes the smartest way to grow is to rent, borrow, optimize what you already have, and spend money only where it genuinely makes your business easier and more profitable.

What is The Floral CEO?

Struggling to turn your floral design talent into a profitable, scalable, and stress-free business? Welcome to The Floral CEO® Podcast—the ultimate audio destination for wedding and event florists, flower-shop owners, and creative entrepreneurs who want to book bigger budgets, price with confidence, and lead like a true CEO.

Hosted by Jeni Becht, award-winning wedding florist, event designer, and floral business coach with 25 + years in the industry, each weekly episode dives into:

Profitable pricing strategies: markup formulas and minimums fine-tuned for weddings & events

Magnetic marketing & local-SEO hacks: social posts, blogs, and Google tricks that attract high-budget couples and planners

High-converting sales funnels: inquiry replies, proposals, and follow-up scripts that turn curious leads into dream clients

Streamlined systems & smart outsourcing: workflows, templates, and hiring tips that free you from the design bench

CEO mindset & sustainable growth: leadership habits and eco-friendly practices that keep both you and your business flourishing

Jeni pairs real-world success stories with actionable strategies you can implement today, so you’ll spend less time hustling and more time designing breathtaking bouquets, installations, and arrangements.

Ready to scale your florist business and reclaim your life? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast app. 🌸

Connect & learn more:

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 Hello, flower friends. This is Jen, and today I wanna talk about becoming bigger, growing your business, and getting to events that are larger or really, like, you're scaling up, but maybe you're scaling up and don't have the resources to really pull off these things or buy some of these things. And, you know, sometimes all the different components in a wedding, uh, they literally are...

can be so expensive that they just eat your profit margin. So I wanna talk about some, like, hacks to keep your profitability up and to really, like, make your life easier so you're not on the struggle bus when you're trying to navigate, uh, you know, a bigger wedding or a bigger event, and, you know, you just haven't been there yet.

So, one of the biggest things that, you know, I, I feel like so many people... is the look. Looking at, "I have this really cool badass studio." And I have actually been a home-based florist for, I mean, my whole life. So I have owned my business now for, I think, 23 years, and I've never owned a studio space, you guys, because I just never had a desire to take on that expense, and I feel like there's a lot of negative connotations around that.

But I am so grateful that I don't have this $3,000 monthly expense, because that eats away at your profit margin. And I want... If you are one of those people that you're just like, "Oh my God, I need to get a studio space," and I've coached those people. I've, I've had people that are like, you know, this big dream of, "I wanna own this big studio space," or, "I wanna own a retail shop," and it's very glamorous and very, you know, uh, idealistic.

But often when you figure out... Let's just say you're going into a situation and you have $3,000 of rent a month Literally, do you know how many, if you're opening a retail shop, how many daily orders you're going to have to do to just cover that expense? If it's $3,000 and your average order value is $100, you're going to have to do 30...

Actually, probably by the time you net out everything, you're gonna have to do $4,500 because then by the time you net out profitability, you, you know, you're, you're barely covering it with 45 orders. And to me, that is a lot. That's a lot of work, and I just never have been interested in taking on that type of expense.

It just never has sounded fun to me. And so I, I want to- you to know that, like, if that is you and you feel like you, you know, some people are, like, embarrassed. Um, I have a really nice setup. I have a... It's the bottom of a carriage house/garage. It's heated, air-conditioned. It's, um, got a walk-in cooler. I mean, this is, like, not simple.

This is, you know, years of me trying to optimize and really make my space Uh, really work for the level of events that I do. And so, um, I do pay myself rent because, uh, we then take that expense and we write off my, um, you know, some of the utilities and things like that, so it helps make some of those, you know, expenses that are related with the business and expenses just of, of, you know, having a house.

And especially like water, when I was growing a lot of flowers and we were living in town, um, you know, we... I literally in three months, the water bill went up like $1,100 when I was going, like, all in on... I just took the Floret workshop, Floret, um, flower farm workshop, and I was like, "I'm gonna grow a million things and just be this badass flower farmer."

It's like I spent that on water, but then I also spent, um, God, what was it? I think it was like $1,400 in additional, um, electrical usage. So our electric bill went through the flipping roof. And, um, so I, you know, have paid myself rent for years, and I've used that as like kind of a conduit. Um, I have... The majority of people that own home-based studios, um, don't, uh, pay rent in any.

Uh, I send myself a 1099 at the end of the year for what I've paid, and I think it is an amazing hack, uh, because I'm, you know, deducting that. I can, especially with my small children, I think it is amazing running a home-based studio because I can go in and I can get them off the bus. I can go and if I can't sleep, 'cause I am a total night owl, I can go out and I can, you know, work on some flowers if I am, you know, feeling some feelings about something, or if I'm, like, stewing about, like, not liking something or...

You know, sometimes I'm like, "God, I just don't love that bridal bouquet as much as I want to." And so I'll go out there and I'll mess with it, um, because I just am not a great sleeper, as it is only 2:30 in the morning right now. So, uh, I think that is an amazing hack, and if this is you, I see you. Do not be embarrassed.

You are kicking ass. And if you don't have, like, a great space You know, that's, that's a goal. Like, you could build a cute little shed. You could, you know, even getting a cooler, like, that's a big step of productivity, of being able to move forward, doing bigger events, and being able to take ... 'Cause I see the anxiety and angst for people who don't have a cooler, and it is the real deal.

So that is my next thing, is having a cooler is really a hack if you're getting into bigger events. That's critical, because you will literally be str- so stressed out on every delicate flower in the joint that it is just not worth it. I know coolers are an investment. I know that they are big, and they take up space, but this is one of the best investments you will do in your business because you can put those ranunculus that are stressing you out, you can do all the things, and pop that in, and just feel like, "Yeah, that was easy.

That was simple. No worries." But if you don't have a cooler and they're starting to pop, I mean, maybe you could put ice in the buckets. You can do a million other things, but you know what? The biggest thing you're gonna be doing is worrying, and I just, ugh, no time for that anymore. And there are really great ways to find affordable coolers.

I bought one of my older coolers on Kbid. It's K dash B-I-D. And Kbid is, like, an auction platform, and you can f- I mean, you can find so much stuff in there, you guys. It's absolutely crazy. But, uh, like a restaurant could be closing out. And I have not ever owned a floral-specific cooler. I've had one when I worked in some retail shops, but I never felt like this was some absolute game-changer.

So if this is you You need a cooler if you are stressing, and, um, Kbid is one place, but Craigslist is another great place. I bought my three-door cooler that I have from C- Cooler Depot, and they were the most, I, I thought, value-based. I don't wanna say it's cheap because, you know, they're, they're not cheap, but I felt like they're a really good value and, um, you know, it was, uh, shipped by a kind of speedy delivery type delivery service, and, um, I felt like was a really good deal comparatively to all the other companies that I looked at.

So this could be another hack, is just figuring out a cooler because without a cooler it is really hard to grow your business. All right. Next thing, rental companies. I- often we feel like we need all of these flippin' things in our inventory, or we have to have all of these tools for installation. I have an installation coming up on the 29th that the base height of this structure is 13 feet.

So it is a kind of big metal square that's gonna have pendant shades, um, throughout it. It's gonna be super beautiful, but 13 feet in the air is no joke, you guys, and we're putting a ton of Smilux on it. So with that, I have... Actually, because the other daughter in this wedding, or in this family, um, got married, I have a 12-foot ladder.

I was actually, um, told that the previous installation height for this client at this venue was going to be 12 feet, and then when I showed up with my 10-foot ladder, which usually is super trusty and wonderful and I love it, but it was scary trying to get to that 13-foot structure. So I had to hop into the van, um, the 26-foot U-Haul, and I ran and got a, a 12-foot ladder, and at that point, before the world went crazy from a pricing perspective, um, it was $389.

Well, I know that this installation, you know, I, I have several weddings that day, and I wanna kick ass and take names on this. And so I was like, "Okay, how much does one of these cost right now?" It's like $500, you guys. 'Cause I like... I don't want the one that, you know, telescopes up. I want it to be, uh, you know, a regular fold-out with steps so that somebody feels really safe installing.

And so I was like, "Well, what's, what's my other idea?" And I've, I've done this numerous times when I haven't had the resource, and I was like, "You know, I think I can rent a ladder." And so I looked at my local rental companies, and then I was like, "You know what? Like, there is a Home Depot really close to there.

I wonder..." And I... Sure as the, the sky comes, um, they had ladders, and for, like, $50, I can rent a 12-foot ladder for, um, you know, that 24-hour period, and I could do it for even less if I can figure out, you know, the timing schedule. And, uh, I will have a 26-foot U-Haul, so that'll be really easy. Then lifts. Lifts are often, you know, when you're doing a bigger installation or with some really crazy ceilings, you know, a lift is kind of a critical tool, and you can rent those.

Um, you know, some venues, which I absolutely love when this is actually the case, have venues or have, um, lifts, but, you know, it really sometimes matters, like, what kind of lift they have. I had a... I have a venue that's one of my favorite venues, and I went there to do a hanging, um, hydrangea petal install.

So it was, you know, fishing line with silk hydrangea petals on it, so it was like these airy, floaty petals. And that sounds beautiful and wonderful, except their lift is a... you know, it's not a driving lift. It's a manual just up and down lift. So every time I wanted to go over a little bit, I had to, you know, go and lift all the arms up on...

that leveled the unit, and then I had to, you know, push it to where I wanted to go, reset and level the feet down, and then go up, and then come back down. And then to move it again, I had to go through that same process. I had all of these hydrangeas already done, or these hydrangea petals, uh, in totes with, you know, tissue paper in between them so I could lift- literally just lift it out.

And this install, I had to create a grid to hang these on, and this install took me seven hours. Seven hours because of this lift, and I just... I, I didn't know. I didn't check what kind of lift they had because I was like, "Cool, they have a lift. That's amazing." Ugh, it was so bad, you guys. And I, um, I now know more questions to ask when I do have a venue with a lift, but you can rent a lift.

They deliver it to the venue, pick it back up. Um, I would not recommend you picking it up because even though you're saving money, the liability with that, the weight of that unit, the ramp that you would need, and some type of trailer, and then obviously you would have to have a trailer, which is a pretty good expense as well.

So checking ... Like, you might need something. Check a rental, like, tool place for that type of support. Then the next type of rental company is the company that's, like, an event rental. If you don't have something, l- let's just say Harlow stands. Does it financially make sense for you to go buy $75 Harlow stands right now?

If it doesn't, you can probably rent them at a rental company for $20. You could, for the hassle, pass that cost, and then an additional $5, $7 for you having to source, pay, do all the things. Often, rental companies that I've had experience with, if you are a wedding vendor, they will give you a 10% discount, and I've had some...

uh, actually one of them give a 20% discount. So you also, because you're a business, might have a perk with this company, and I definitely think it's something to ask about when you're going through. Then transportation. Everybody wants the sexy van with their logo on it, and I totally get it. That's really cool.

But that is really expensive. And not only is the vehicle expensive, let's say you're looking at a Sprinter van or some type of large cargo van. Even a decent, like, not totally half-ass shitty one of those types is, is with really high mileage, which then you have a, a maintenance payment instead of a car, you know, an, a increased car payment.

You know, you're, you're looking at 25 to 35 for kind of a shitty one. You want a really nice one, you're gonna be in the 60s. You know what kind of payment is accompanying a $60,000 business purchase? So I am more than happy to rent at U-Haul, and this last weekend, I rented a 26-foot U-Haul. I loaded it up with tables, eight-foot banquet tables, then was able to place flowers on the actual floor and then on the tables, and then I, I actually wedged in...

We had these really unique tall centerpieces that were attached to the stands, and I wedged those in between the boxes and everything, and it stayed amazingly. So I always make sure I'm getting, um, the Safe Move Plus. That is usually $15, and it covers, you know, damage, um, if somebody hit me, which you guys have had that happen.

I had a chair company actually, um, back into me. They backed into my U-Haul, and, like, they hooked their fender on the fender of this, and I was just, like, devastated. But I knew that I had the Safe Move Plus, so I felt like so much more at ease. When I'm in a stressful, you know, wedding situation, adding any additional stress of an accident or something is not great.

Um, I don't get the one that, like, the tow assistance and everything 'cause I just think, you know, I have... I, I'm worried about an accident. I wanna make sure something's covered if I get into an accident. So I, um, always buy the Safe Move Plus and think that that is very w- well-spent money. And a U-Haul, um, I drove it to pick up something, then drove to drop off flowers at a birthday party, then drove to my, um, wedding, uh, did a drop-off there, and then brought it back, and it's $1.19 a mile.

I got the big one, so it's $50 for actually renting it, and my bill was, like, $291, and I live an hour away from pretty much any wedding venue. So I just make sure I'm planning that expense into my, uh, fee for, you know, delivering and setting up, tearing down. If I need to tear... If I need to have that vehicle to tear down, like my one in two weeks, if I need a 12-foot ladder to tear it down, I need a 12-foot ladder, um, when I'm tearing it down and setting it up, which means, uh, several trips, and that has a different, um, cost to it than if I was just driving my van.

So that whole structure of what I'm charging for setup and delivery needs to make sure that I'm covering that cost because it is not a little cost. It can add up quickly, and I want to just make sure that's covered. Well, those are my biggest hacks, but if you are struggling with something and ever have a question, I would love to hear it.

I often take suggestions, and actually this episode was a suggestion from somebody saying, "I think it would be great for you to do an episode about, like, all of these little tools and tips and tricks that you have, um, after doing this for so long." So this is something that is so important to me that you are making sure you're maximizing that profit in your business.

You're making things feel easy instead of hitting the this is hard AF button every day. Get the tools that'll make you more successful, and it will come to fruition in so many ways that you're moving towards the business of your dreams. Thank you so much for listening, flower friends, and you have an amazing flower-filled day