Last fact-check: 2026-08-11. Independent review based on official vendor documentation; no hands-on test is claimed.
Verdict
Curate is an AI-assisted operations platform engineered specifically for event-driven trade businesses, including florists, caterers, venues, and event professionals. Based on official product documentation, Curate unifies lead intake, visual proposal building, floral recipe construction, wholesale stem calculations, vendor purchase orders, e-signature contracts, client payments via Stripe, and day-of production prints into a single cloud dashboard.
Best-fit buyers: Independent wedding and event florists, custom floral design studios, and multi-location event teams that require automated stem calculations, recipe markup profiles, aggregated wholesale shopping lists, vendor purchase order generation, and integrated client payment portals. It is especially suitable for florists replacing manual spreadsheets and disconnected CRM tools to streamline proposal building and wholesale procurement.
Poor-fit buyers: Traditional walk-in retail flower storefronts seeking point-of-sale (POS) wire-service software for single-stem counter transactions, micro-businesses seeking free software, or teams unwilling to subscribe to Growth or Partnership tiers to access core floral recipe and procurement features.
| Evaluation Category | Feature Summary | Target Buyer Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Core Floral Tools | Recipe builder, automated stem calculations, Mayesh Floral Library import | Event florists and floral design studios |
| Procurement | Wholesale shopping list aggregation, vendor purchase order creation | Florists managing multi-event weekly flower buys |
| Sales & Client Experience | Drag-and-drop proposals, branded portals, Stripe payments, e-signatures | Teams seeking faster proposal sign-offs |
| Entry-Level Tier | Basic plan excludes recipes, shopping lists, purchase orders, and forms | High-volume florists will need Growth or higher |
What the official documentation confirms
Official vendor documentation confirms that Curate provides an end-to-end platform tailored to event-driven trade operations. As of August 2026, the vendor documents that over 1,000,000 proposals have been created across its user base. The platform addresses specific pain points in floral business management, focusing on automated proposals, recipe construction, stem counting, and wholesale purchasing.
Product Catalog and Recipe Management
Curate allows users to build a comprehensive product catalog containing individual stems, hardgoods, rentals, and staffing roles. Florists can build recipe-based arrangements (such as bridal bouquets, centerpieces, or ceremony arches) containing specific floral components, labor, and costs. The system auto-calculates quantities and cost breakdowns based on guest counts or order units and suggests retail pricing using customizable markup profiles. Additionally, the platform offers direct integration with the Mayesh Floral Library, allowing florists to import hundreds of flower catalog items with standard names and pricing directly into their system. Bulk upload via CSV templates is also supported.
Gameplan and Wholesale Shopping Lists
To streamline procurement, Curate automatically aggregates stem counts and hardgood components across multiple scheduled events. The software handles unit conversions and generates category-based cost breakdowns. Florists can generate and email vendor purchase orders complete with product photos, exact stem quantities, and required fulfillment dates.
Proposal Builder and Client Portal
The Proposal Builder allows florists to assemble visual proposals using drag-and-drop sections, image galleries, customizable cover pages, and recipe-based line items. Proposals can be shared with clients as interactive customer portals where clients review design details, approve pricing (or view itemized details without pricing), sign contracts electronically, and submit secure payments.
Event Prints and Production Documents
For day-of execution, Curate generates standardized back-of-house documentation including recipe production sheets, component summaries, master shopping lists, and staffing schedules. These documents include event headers, setup notes, ingredient totals by category, and recipe costs, exportable as PDFs or printable directly from the workroom. Customer survey statistics published on Curate's catering documentation claims client time savings up to 61% when creating recipes and shopping lists, 42% less time creating initial proposals, and 39% less time on operational paperwork.
Pricing and total-cost questions
Curate offers tiered subscription packages available on annual or monthly billing schedules. Vendor documentation states that annual subscriptions receive a discount equivalent to two months free.
Subscription Tiers
- Basic Plan: Designed for small operations optimizing initial workflows. Includes the Proposal Builder, Customer Portal, e-signature contracts, pipeline management, 1 saved configurable print layout, and 2 custom properties. Note: The Basic plan explicitly excludes the recipe builder, shopping lists, purchase orders, customer forms/questionnaires, production notes, linked line items, account codes, custom reports, API access, and third-party software integrations.
- Growth Plan: Positioned as the primary tier for established operations. Adds recipe management with stem auto-calculations, custom questionnaires/forms, production notes, vendor purchase orders, wholesale shopping lists, linked line items, 3 saved print layouts, 3 custom reports, 10 custom properties, 3 account codes, 2 calculated properties, and standard software integrations (Google Calendar, QuickBooks, Staffmate, Nowsta).
- Partnership Plan: Designed for growing or complex event businesses. Expands upon Growth by including unlimited saved prints, unlimited custom reports, unlimited custom properties, unlimited account codes, API access, Galley integration, expanded customer support, higher usage allocations for AI tools, and unlimited standard add-on modules.
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| CURATE TIER COMPARISON MATRIX |
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| Feature / Capability | Basic Tier | Growth Tier | Partnership |
+---------------------------+-----------------+-------------+-------------+
| Proposal & Client Portal | Included | Included | Included |
| Contracts & E-Signatures | Included | Included | Included |
| Recipe Builder & Stems | Excluded | Included | Included |
| Shopping Lists & POs | Excluded | Included | Included |
| Forms & Questionnaires | Excluded | Included | Included |
| Custom Reports | Excluded | 3 Reports | Unlimited |
| Integrations (Google/QBO) | Excluded | Included | Included |
| Developer API Access | Excluded | Excluded | Included |
+---------------------------+-----------------+-------------+-------------+
Marketplace Add-ons and Total Cost Factors
Curate provides an App Marketplace with specialized modules. Available add-ons include Rentals management, Multi-Location management, Staffing tools, AI Assistant, Room Management, and Ecommerce integrations. While standard add-ons are included in the Partnership plan, florists evaluating Basic or Growth tiers must clarify individual add-on costs with sales representatives. Buyers can inspect detailed tier breakdowns on the official Curate Pricing Page.
Questions for Your Demo
- What is the exact price point for my team size under annual versus monthly billing?
- Are payment gateway processing fees from Stripe charged separately from Curate subscription fees?
- Which specific marketplace add-ons require additional monthly fees on the Growth tier?
Workflow and integrations
Curate structured its platform to cover every stage of the floral project lifecycle, from initial lead intake to day-of event execution.
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| FLORAL OPERATIONAL WORKFLOW IN CURATE |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. INQUIRY --> Collect leads via custom online inquiry forms |
| Auto-create CRM contacts & send confirmation |
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| 2. PROPOSAL --> Pull items from catalog or Mayesh Library |
| Build recipes, markup costs, set payment schedule |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3. BOOKING --> Share interactive customer portal link |
| Client signs contract & pays via Stripe |
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| 4. PROCUREMENT --> Auto-aggregate stem counts across weekend events |
| Generate vendor POs with fulfillment dates |
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| 5. PRODUCTION --> Print BEOs, recipe sheets, and staffing schedules |
| Sync completed revenue data with QuickBooks |
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Step-by-Step Operational Workflow
- Inquiry Capture: Online inquiry forms collect client requirements, event dates, and preferences. Submissions automatically create CRM contacts with email uniqueness checks to avoid duplicates and convert directly into active event records.
- Design and Recipe Building: Florists select flowers from the integrated Mayesh Floral Library or their own product catalog. The recipe builder establishes stem counts, applies markup profiles, and formats visual proposals.
- Proposal Presentation and Contract Sign-Off: Florists send a single client portal link. Clients review design details, execute digital contracts with auto-populated personalization tokens, and pay scheduled deposits. Curate allows teams to restrict payment acceptance until contracts are signed.
- Procurement and Vendor Ordering: As events are booked, Curate combines stem totals across all upcoming dates. Florists generate itemized vendor purchase orders with stem photos and delivery dates.
- Production and Execution: Back-of-house teams print recipe execution sheets, component packing lists, and staff schedules.
Confirmed Integrations
Official documentation confirms direct integrations with key third-party platforms:
- Mayesh Floral Library: Direct import of flower names, photos, and wholesale specifications.
- QuickBooks Online: Financial sync for accounting codes, invoices, and completed event data.
- Google Calendar: Two-way event synchronization with shared calendar support.
- Stripe: Direct credit card and ACH payment processing with branch-specific account routing.
- Galley: Recipe and inventory management integration (available on Partnership tier).
- Nowsta & Staffmate: Event labor scheduling and worker coordination.
Implementation and support
Transitioning to new trade software requires setup of catalogs, pricing rules, and staff permissions. Curate incorporates onboarding protocols and data migration utilities to assist new accounts.
Onboarding and Training
Every Curate subscription plan includes a structured onboarding call led by the Customer Success team. During onboarding, specialists walk users through account setup, proposal theme configuration, payment gateway connection, and pipeline stage mapping.
Data Migration and Catalog Setup
Florists can import existing client lists and wholesale product databases into Curate using standard CSV templates. Access to the Mayesh Floral Library simplifies initial catalog creation by providing pre-populated flower records, eliminating manual data entry for common stems.
Customer Support Availability
Curate provides ongoing technical support across all subscription tiers via email (support@curate.co), ticket submissions, and live chat. The Partnership tier provides expanded priority support options for higher event volumes.
Implementation Verification Questions
- What is the typical timeframe required to complete catalog setup and launch live proposals?
- Does the Customer Success team assist directly with importing custom CSV catalog files?
- What support channels and response time SLAs are guaranteed for my subscription tier?
Security and privacy questions
Evaluating cloud business software requires reviewing how vendor platforms handle sensitive corporate data, personal client information, and online payment details.
Data Security Infrastructure
Curate Inc. operates its cloud infrastructure within the United States (Saint Louis, Missouri). Official documentation confirms the following security safeguards:
- Network Protection: Systems are scanned on a regular basis for security holes and known software vulnerabilities.
- Data Encryption: Sensitive client and payment data submitted to the platform is encrypted in transit using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
- Access Controls: Account information is stored behind secured networks, accessible only by a limited number of authorized personnel under strict confidentiality agreements.
Payment Processing and Cardholder Data
Curate processes all credit card and ACH payment transactions through external gateway providers such as Stripe. Cardholder payment details are processed directly through gateway providers and are not stored on Curate’s internal servers.
Privacy Standards and Breach Protocols
Curate collects personally identifiable information (PII) necessary for account operation, order processing, and communication, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses. The vendor states it does not sell personal information or mobile consent records to third parties for marketing purposes. Standard privacy rights (including California CCPA access/deletion requests and Nevada disclosures) are supported via privacy@curate.co. In the event of a security breach, Curate's documented Fair Information Practices policy commits to notifying affected users via email and in-site notifications as soon as the company is notified.
Limitations and who should not buy
While Curate delivers specialized features for event operations, potential buyers should analyze its plan restrictions and operational boundaries against their specific business models.
Documented Feature Limitations
- Basic Plan Feature Gating: The entry-level Basic plan excludes core floral operations features. Florists subscribing to Basic cannot build recipes, calculate automated stem totals, generate wholesale shopping lists, issue vendor purchase orders, or capture client questionnaires.
- API and Integration Restrictions: Third-party software integrations (such as QuickBooks and Google Calendar) are omitted from the Basic tier. Developer API access is strictly limited to the top-tier Partnership plan.
- Add-On Dependencies: Specialized modules—including Rental tracking, Staffing scheduling, AI Assistant, Room Management, and Multi-Location tools—are structured as optional marketplace add-ons that may increase overall software costs depending on the base plan.
Who Should Not Buy
- Retail-Only Flower Shops: Florists whose main business consists of everyday cash-and-carry retail transactions, single arrangements, and wire-service dispatch rather than customized event projects.
- Budget-Constrained Micro-Businesses: Sole proprietors or hobbyists who cannot justify paid monthly software tiers and only require simple, free word-processing or spreadsheet templates.
- Offline-Only Operations: Organizations requiring a locally installed desktop application, as Curate is entirely web-browser-based and requires an active internet connection.
Alternatives to evaluate
When reviewing software solutions for floral and event management, buyers should compare Curate against four distinct functional software categories.
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| SOFTWARE CATEGORY EVALUATION FRAMEWORK |
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| Category 1: Specialized Trade Platforms (e.g., Curate) |
| - Strengths: Floral recipes, stem counting, wholesale list aggregation |
| - Best for: Wedding, event, and custom floral design operations |
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| Category 2: Generic B2B Event CRMs |
| - Strengths: General client invoicing, booking calendars, basic forms |
| - Best for: General planners without trade-specific recipe needs |
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| Category 3: Retail POS & Wire Systems |
| - Strengths: Daily walk-in sales, cash register POS, local delivery |
| - Best for: Traditional retail storefront florists |
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| Category 4: Manual Spreadsheets & Document Processors |
| - Strengths: Zero software license fee, basic calculation templates |
| - Best for: Hobbyists or very low volume single-person operations |
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1. Specialized Trade Operations Platforms
Specialized trade software like Curate combines client management with industry-specific operational tools like floral stem counting, recipe pricing, wholesale flower library imports, and multi-event purchase order generation.
2. Generic B2B Event Management CRMs
General event management software platforms serve planners, caterers, and venues with lead tracking, invoicing, and contract tools. However, generic CRMs lack trade-specific capabilities like floral stem counting, recipe pricing, flower library imports, and wholesale procurement lists.
3. Retail Floral POS and Wire-Service Systems
Traditional retail florist platforms focus on cash register integration, local wire delivery routing, storefront inventory, and holiday delivery logistics. While effective for everyday retail store counters, traditional POS systems generally lack custom visual proposal builders, interactive event client portals, and multi-event stem aggregation.
4. Manual Spreadsheets and Document Processors
Newer or small-scale florists frequently start by tracking events using manual spreadsheets and document templates. While free, manual methods require duplicate data entry across client quotes, purchasing lists, and invoices, creating operational bottlenecks as event volume grows.
FAQ
What primary business functions does Curate serve for florists?
Curate provides an operational software platform connecting lead intake, visual proposal building, floral recipe calculations, wholesale stem counting, vendor purchase order creation, digital contract signing, Stripe payment processing, and production scheduling into a single system.
Does Curate automatically calculate stem counts and shopping lists?
Yes. When florists create recipes for arrangements within proposals, Curate automatically calculates total required stems based on order quantities. The Gameplan feature aggregates these stem requirements across multiple scheduled events into a master wholesale shopping list and generates vendor purchase orders.
What is the difference between the Basic, Growth, and Partnership plans?
The Basic plan focuses on client proposals, customer portals, and e-signatures but excludes recipes, shopping lists, purchase orders, customer forms, and software integrations. The Growth plan adds the recipe builder, automated stem counts, shopping lists, vendor POs, customer forms, and standard integrations. The Partnership plan expands on Growth by providing unlimited custom reports, unlimited custom properties, API access, Galley integration, expanded support, higher AI usage, and unlimited standard add-ons.
What third-party software integrations does Curate support?
Confirmed integrations in official documentation include QuickBooks Online for accounting sync, Google Calendar for two-way calendar sync, Stripe for credit card and ACH payment processing, Mayesh Floral Library for flower catalog imports, Galley for recipe/inventory management, and Nowsta and Staffmate for staff labor scheduling.
How does Curate manage client contracts and payment processing?
Curate enables florists to attach e-signature contracts with personalization tokens directly to proposals within a single client portal link. Clients can review the proposal, execute the contract electronically, and submit payments via Stripe. Florists can configure setting rules to restrict payment processing until the contract is signed.
Is customer onboarding included with a Curate subscription?
Yes. Official pricing documentation confirms that every subscription plan includes an onboarding call with Curate's Customer Success team to assist with initial account setup, template setup, and platform orientation.
Can florists import their existing product catalogs into Curate?
Yes. Florists can bulk upload product catalog items via standard CSV templates or import pre-populated flower listings directly through the integrated Mayesh Floral Library.
Official next step
To evaluate whether Curate fits your floral operation, review your team's weekly proposal volume, catalog size, and required software integrations.
- Audit Your Current Workflow: Identify whether your primary operational friction lies in proposal creation, stem counting, wholesale purchasing, or contract collecting.
- Review Plan Tiers: Inspect the official Curate Pricing Page to verify whether the Basic, Growth, or Partnership tier aligns with your feature requirements—keeping in mind that recipe management and stem counting require Growth or higher.
- Prepare Verification Questions: Compile key questions regarding catalog migration support, Stripe gateway payment fees, and add-on pricing for your sales demonstration.
- Schedule a Live Demo: Visit the official vendor site at Curate to request a virtual tour and test sample floral proposal workflows.