How to Invoice as a Florist: Weddings, Accounts and Rentals

Flowers are perishable stock bought on a deadline, and a florist's invoice has to reflect that. You commit money to growers and wholesalers weeks before an event, the final guest count arrives late, and the market can force substitutions. An invoice that shows what was ordered, what was rented and what changed is what lets you collect the full amount without an argument the Monday after a wedding.

This guide covers the invoices for each kind of floral work, with a complete wedding example, then sales tax and the changes that cause disputes. For a blank layout, see the florist invoice template.

What should a florist invoice include?

Start with the basics: your business and the client's details, an invoice number, issue and due dates, line items and the total. The how to write an invoice guide covers them. Then add:

• Event or delivery date, venue and delivery window, and the setup and strike times for events.
• Each item with its count: bridal bouquet × 1, bridesmaid bouquets × 4, centrepieces × 12. Counts are what change, so they must be visible.
• Rentals as their own lines, with the return date and the charge for anything not returned or broken.
• Delivery, setup and strike on separate lines. The tax treatment can differ, and clients cut these first when the budget tightens.
• The payment schedule, with what each payment is tied to and whether the deposit is refundable.
• Your substitution clause and final-count deadline, referenced in the notes.
• Who is paying. At weddings this is often a parent, and the invoice should name that person.

Worked example: a wedding from booking to balance

Hypothetical example. A couple books florals for a wedding on Saturday 19 June 2027. The florist's terms are a $500 non-refundable deposit to hold the date, a second payment of $1,400 sixty days before (when stems and hardgoods are ordered), and the balance after the final count, 14 days before. For this example, assume a combined sales tax rate of 8% and that every line is taxable where this florist works. Your state's rules may differ (see below).

Invoice at booking (INV-0058, issued 10 January 2027):

Payment schedule in the notes: "$500 deposit due now (non-refundable, holds the date). $1,400 due 20 April 2027. Balance of $1,499.84 due 5 June 2027 after the final count. Unreturned or broken compotes are charged at $35 each."

The count changes. On 5 June the couple confirms 14 tables instead of 12. Because the original invoice was already sent and part-paid, the florist issues a short supplementary invoice for the difference rather than rewriting the first one:

The two compotes for the extra tables come from the florist's own stock at no rental charge in this example. If they were rented too, they would be one more line. The event comes to $3,594.24 in total. After the deposit and second payment, $1,694.24 is due by 5 June: $1,499.84 on the first invoice and $194.40 on the second. Every change is dated and tied to the count the client confirmed.

How should corporate standing orders be billed?

Bill each month in advance and list the delivery dates, because the count varies from month to month. A weekly lobby arrangement at $120 delivered every Monday costs $480 in a four-Monday month. In March 2027, which has five Mondays (1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 March), it costs $600. A flat monthly fee averages this out, but then the contract has to say what happens in five-week months and on public holidays.

Ask for the client's PO or account number and their payment terms when you open the account. For funeral homes, hotels and restaurants that order often, invoice each order and send a monthly statement of account showing what is still open.

How does sales tax apply to flowers?

Flowers and vases are physical goods, so start from your state's rules for sales tax on goods. The harder questions are the labour, delivery and wire-service charges around them. California's official Tax Guide for Florists (California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, accessed October 2026) is a useful example of how detailed the rules get:

• Flowers and merchandise: generally taxable.
• Labour to make arrangements: taxable as fabrication labour, even when the customer supplies the flowers.
• Wire, fax, telephone or relay charges: generally taxable as part of the sale.
• Delivery charges: exempt only when specific conditions are met, such as being stated separately and not exceeding the actual cost of delivery by a carrier. Otherwise they are taxable.
• Installation labour to put a finished piece in place can be non-taxable when stated separately.

Other states treat delivery, setup and rental charges differently, and wire orders between florists in different states have their own rules. Check your state revenue department's guidance for florists before setting up your invoice lines. This is general information, last reviewed October 2026, not tax advice. Whatever your state, keeping delivery, setup and rentals on separate lines makes it possible to tax each one correctly.

How do you handle substitutions, counts and price changes?

Put three clauses in the contract and refer to them on the invoice:

• Substitutions: "Stems may be substituted with flowers of similar colour, style and value if unavailable." If a substitution changes the total, list it on the final invoice ("white peonies replaced with white garden roses, equal value, per clause 6").
• Final-count deadline: a fixed date, such as 14 days before, after which you add items at your normal rate but do not refund removed ones, because the stems are already ordered.
• Quote validity: a proposal valid for a stated period, because wholesale prices move with the season.

When is this approach the wrong fit?

• A busy retail shop. Walk-in and phone sales belong in a point-of-sale system. Invoices are for events, accounts and trade customers.
• Wire-service orders. Orders sent or received through a wire network are usually settled under that network's rules, not by invoicing the other florist.
• Large event décor with a big rental inventory. If you rent arches, linens and furniture by the hundred, rental-tracking software will handle returns and damage better than invoice lines.

Invoicing floral work with InvoiceQuickly

You can type or say "Invoice the Patel wedding: bridal bouquet $250, 4 bridesmaid bouquets at $85, 6 boutonnieres at $22, ceremony arch $950, 12 centrepieces at $90, 12 compote rentals at $8, delivery setup and strike $300, tax 8%", and InvoiceQuickly drafts an editable invoice that you review before saving. For the workflow above:

• Staged payments: there is no separate deposit feature. Send the itemised invoice at booking and record the deposit and second payment as partial payments. The balance is tracked on every plan.
• Changes after sending: only drafts can be edited, so issue a supplementary invoice for added items, as in the example. On Pro you can issue a credit note against an invoice for removed items.
• Tax: one tax percentage per invoice, applied to every line. If your state taxes flowers but not separately stated delivery, put the non-taxable charge on its own invoice, or ask your adviser how to handle it.
• Standing orders (Pro): a recurring schedule creates a one-line invoice with the saved tax rate and saved payment terms (30 days by default), and keeps it as a draft by default. Keep it as a draft, adjust the delivery count and check the saved tax before sending.
• Payment (Pro): email the invoice with the PDF attached, add a payment link from your own Stripe or PayPal account, and turn on scheduled reminders before and after the due date.
• Not available: a product catalogue, rental-return tracking and photo attachments on invoices.

Frequently asked questions

Should a florist take a deposit for a wedding?

Yes. Florists commit money to stems and hardgoods weeks before the event, so it makes sense to tie payments to those dates: a deposit to hold the date, a second payment before ordering, and the balance after the final count. State in the contract whether the deposit is refundable.

How do I invoice vase and vessel rentals?

As separate lines with the quantity, the rental price and the return date. State the charge for unreturned or broken items in the notes, and invoice it after the strike if anything is missing.

Do florists charge sales tax on delivery?

It depends on the state. California, for example, taxes delivery charges unless specific conditions are met. Other states have different rules. Keep delivery on its own line and check your state's guidance for florists.

What if the guest count changes after I have invoiced?

Set a final-count deadline in the contract. Bill added items on a supplementary invoice dated when the count was confirmed. Do not refund removed items after the deadline, because the flowers are already ordered.

Is there a free app I can use to create florist invoices?

Several invoicing tools have free plans. InvoiceQuickly's Free plan includes 5 invoices, 5 clients and 3 AI drafts, with PDF download and payment tracking. It runs in the browser, so there is no app to install. Pro is $9/month for unlimited invoices, email delivery, reminders and payment links. See pricing or start free. More guides are on the InvoiceQuickly blog, including deposit invoicing, what to include on an invoice and, for planners you work with, invoicing for event planners.