For a one-day wedding or event, hire only wins for large pieces you could not store. Hiring for a single day can cost almost as much as buying, so price both before you book. Buy artificial for anything that has to travel and preserved for anything guests will see up close, and settle the logistics when you book.
Hire or buy
Event hire is priced per piece per day, plus delivery, collection and a damage deposit. For a single day that can come close to the purchase price of an artificial or preserved piece.
The deposit comes back if nothing is broken, so leave it out of the comparison. Compare the hire fee, the delivery and the collection with the price of owning the piece.
Buying makes sense once a venue, a planner or a business expects to do this more than once. A second use only saves money if you have somewhere to keep the piece and a way to move it.
Hire wins for one-off large pieces you could not store, or when somebody else handles the logistics. Buying wins for pieces you can reuse at a size you can keep: entrance pairs, aisle pieces, cones and balls.
We sell rather than hire, and we will say plainly when hire is the better answer. For commissioned pieces, events and brand activations sets out how they are quoted.
What survives an event
| Material | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Artificial | Anything that travels, stands outside or gets handled |
| Preserved | Tables and doorways indoors, where guests look closely |
| Mossed | Letters, hearts and animals a florist will dress |
| Live | Permanent installations, not single days |
Artificial. It travels well and takes rough handling. It does not wilt in a hot tent either. It can be packed away wet and dried later.
Preserved. It looks best at close range, because it is real foliage. That matters on a table or beside a doorway people photograph. It does not tolerate rain or a damp tent, so keep it indoors or under cover.
Live. Live plants suit a venue with a permanent planting. A live plant in a hot tent with no water for twelve hours has a bad day.
Monograms, hearts and logos
A couple’s initial is the most asked-for event piece. Monogram letters come bare for a florist or packed with sphagnum moss, on a stand that adjusts from 72 to 90 inches. For a letter covered in flowers, order it mossed and have your florist work the flowers into the moss on the day.
Logos and other shapes are commissions. How a topiary commission works sets out the steps. Send a reference and the height you want and you get one price back.
The three logistics questions to settle at booking
Access. How the pieces get from a vehicle to their spot. Gate widths, stairs, elevators, and whether the route is the same on the way out when everybody is tired.
Stability. Anything tall, in a tent, on grass or on a temporary floor needs weighting or fixing. Guests lean on things. Agree before the day who does the weighting, you or the venue.
Storage after. For bought pieces, where they live between events. A business that buys and has nowhere to keep the pieces has bought a problem.
Lead time depends on the queue
Stock pieces can be bought late while stock lasts. Letters, logos, large pieces and quantity orders depend on the queue when you ask, and it is longer in wedding season. Ask for a current lead time before you promise a date to a venue or a couple.
For venues doing this often, start with hotels and resorts. If you are buying to resell, or fitting out several sites, ask through the wholesale page.
Quick answers
Is it cheaper to hire or buy wedding topiary?
For one day, hire plus delivery and collection can come close to the price of buying an artificial or preserved piece. Buying makes sense once you expect to use it more than once.
Do you rent topiary for events?
No, we sell. Our team will tell you if hiring makes more sense for a one-off with pieces too big to store.
Which topiary is best for an outdoor wedding?
Artificial for anything that stands outside all day, and mossed letters or hearts that a florist dresses on the morning. Keep preserved pieces under cover.
Can I get a topiary of our initials?
Yes. Monogram letters come in every letter from A to Z and five lettering styles, bare or mossed.
