Are those expensive?

Today was a busy day and not because of weddings. This was the only free Saturday that I had open  and decided to take advantage of it by meeting with a few new brides.  I meet with a lovely couple for their October wedding to start out my day. As I was giving my expert opinion and suggestion for  fall flowers that would work  for their style they asked "Are those expensive"? I hear this a lot and yes some flowers can be very pricey when not in season and for others its all about how you utilize them.   This question was asked in regards to a Asiatic lily in comparison to a rose.  All though the difference in cost is a few dollars its the perceived value of the lily that makes it less expensive choice than the rose.  For instance if a rose cost $5 and if a stem of lilies cost $7  you might say well the rose is the less expensive choice. Before you can make that conclusion you first should think about how the flowers are going to be used. A lily will have 2-3 nice sized open blooms and a few buds per stem making each bloom about $2.50 each. 3 lilies  in a vase with greenery will give you a full look for about $35 with the cost of the flowers and vase. Take the same vase and substitute it with roses for $35 and you will get about 5 roses. 5 rose will not have the same impact as the 3 stems of lilies because the lilies  have more blooms per stem and are a bigger, fuller flower. You would need to use about 10 roses to achieve the same fullness as the arrangement with all lilies costing you more money closer to $60. Don't hesitate to ask for the flowers you love because when flowers are used correctly they can be affordable no matter the price per stem.