Breakdown closes the event: the team removes flowers, hired vases, structures and waste, and leaves the venue as they found it. Many villas ask for everything to be cleared by the end of the evening, so breakdown often falls in the small hours, with a cost that may be a separate line.
The contract should say who clears, by what time, who pays any surcharge and what happens to the flowers. It is also the moment for repurposing: donations, gifts to guests, compost. The guide to set-up and breakdown explains timings and costs; the one on extra costs shows why a late-night breakdown adds up; the one on what to do with the flowers after the wedding has ideas.
What to ask: the venue's cut-off time, whether breakdown is included, who takes the flowers away.
