Talk me off the ledge, please...floral quotes are in!

[piccolascimmia]

Ladies - I need to vent/get ideas for more budget friendly options! I met with 2 florists who provided quotes 2x as much as I had hoped ($2k and my budget is $1k). And this was after I said I''m flexible with budget friendly flowers/fewer pieces.

I''ve overspent in other areas, and am really looking for simple, cheap but pretty options in line with the budget. I guess I''ll start looking for more outright budget florists (maybe I just accidentally chose expensive ones? but they all said they''d work with a budget!), and have also started looking at costco and other options.

I searched the old topics, and seems that many have been in these shoes. What did you end up doing...going with costco, buying online, doing them yourselves (I''d likely pay someone to do the bouquet/bouts/corsages, and I''d do simple vase arrangements?), and scouring for other florists that are cheaper? I didn''t really want to DIY due to time constraints, but this is making me think of doing that. I''m also going to (gasp) post a note on my local knot board.

I''ve been teetering stress wise, but this was just the straw that broke the camel''s back (this week). Help me remember that this is a small thing and nothing to freak out about...

 

[neatfreak]

Why don''t you tell US what you told the florists as far as what you needed/wanted and then we can come up with some ideas for places to cut or ways to save.

 

[piccolascimmia]

[deep breath]

Here's what they boiled down my request to be - I've put *s before ones that I think I can remove/modify:

Bride
Bridesmaids (2)
*Boutonnieres (7) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
*Corsages (6) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
Ceremony flowers (1) [to be moved to the buffet table at the reception]
*Pew markers (2) [I can DIY something random to put on the first row of chairs?]
Centerpieces (10) [might be 8, depending on the RSVP count]
*Cake topper [I'll just have the cake decorated another way]
Sign in table (1)
Delivery/set up

As for what I want, I'm attracted to ruffly flowers...cabbage roses, peonies, runuculus. Also lightly fragrant ones like sweet peas, freesia, stock, gardenias. I don't have any exact flowers in mind, and am willing to compromise on those based on price/seasonality. Color-wise, I'm looking for soft pinks, whites, cream, soft yellows, blushes.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[sumbride]

Did you tell them what your budget was?

One thing I see is that your flowers are all of the more expensive variety... peonies and freesias are expensive! Can you maybe do a little in-fill with roses and carnations in ADDITION to the peonies and such? Those are a lot less expensive and would fill it out without covering over the flowers you specifically want. I also would cut back on the corsages and such. Who are they for? The bare bones would be the moms and the grandmothers. The others are just "nice to have".

eta: also, the sign-in table doesn't "need" flowers... how about a framed picture of the happy couple instead?

 

[piccolascimmia]

My mistake with one florist was not telling them exactly what the budget was...which I did address with the 2nd florist. Now I know up front to just say what my max is. Painful dumb lesson to learn

Its normally my first statement!

And for the flowers I referenced, I''m open to ANY flowers, not only the ones I mentioned. I''m sure I have a few that I DON''T want, but I''m open to compromise...in the talks with them I specifically said that those were my ''inspiration'' flowers...and was open to other similar flowers.

For corsages, yes, I''ll figure out who absolutely needs one. These were starting numbers based on parents, brothers and sisters. Maybe I can just do parents.

And the sign in table...I meant to note that I could figure something out there too rather than paying for that.

I guess I just feel like even though it was my mistake not stating up front what the max budget was, they all said they could talk/work through options to get to a decent budget/compromise! Turns out that wasnt true for the first florist - he basically said they couldnt help me - cya, bye!!! I''m about to have the same talk with the 2nd florist, so maybe they can actually compromise. Maybe I just need to meet with more florists...

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 6/20/2007 3:44:24 PM
Author: sumbride
Did you tell them what your budget was?


One thing I see is that your flowers are all of the more expensive variety... peonies and freesias are expensive! Can you maybe do a little in-fill with roses and carnations in ADDITION to the peonies and such? Those are a lot less expensive and would fill it out without covering over the flowers you specifically want. I also would cut back on the corsages and such. Who are they for? The bare bones would be the moms and the grandmothers. The others are just ''nice to have''.


eta: also, the sign-in table doesn''t ''need'' flowers... how about a framed picture of the happy couple instead?

Agreed. I would also try getting some quotes from other florists. It does seem expensive for what you want, but if you said you wanted freesias and peonies, the quotes would have gone up because those are expensive flowers.

ALSO when is your wedding? Time of year makes some of those flowers even MORE expensive.

 

[So_happy]

Date: 6/20/2007 3:35:11 PM
Author: piccolascimmia
[deep breath]

Here's what they boiled down my request to be - I've put *s before ones that I think I can remove/modify:

Bride
Bridesmaids (2)
*Boutonnieres (7) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
*Corsages (6) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
Ceremony flowers (1) [to be moved to the buffet table at the reception]
*Pew markers (2) [I can DIY something random to put on the first row of chairs?]
Centerpieces (10) [might be 8, depending on the RSVP count]
*Cake topper [I'll just have the cake decorated another way]
Sign in table (1)
Delivery/set up

As for what I want, I'm attracted to ruffly flowers...cabbage roses, peonies, runuculus. Also lightly fragrant ones like sweet peas, freesia, stock, gardenias. I don't have any exact flowers in mind, and am willing to compromise on those based on price/seasonality. Color-wise, I'm looking for soft pinks, whites, cream, soft yellows, blushes.

Any help is appreciated!

I think your idea to do flowers in a vase for centerpieces will save the most out of your budget. I'm just buying the flowers from them and putting them in cube vases. They are peruvian lilies so won't need nit-picky arranging.

Pew markers you can eliminate and tie a satin bow on the ends.

Cake Topper can look lovely with 3 or 5 open roses that match the wedding or cake.

Sign in table can be a 2 bunches of a really beautiful line flower like snapdragon or gladiola in a tall vase that you may already have at home. Gorgeous, elegant, but simple and so easy I wouldn't even call it DIY technically

I too love full "ruffly" flowers but peonies are not in season during my weddign

The florist can , however, have your roses open as full as possible and when they are put in a bouquet arrangemetn, they will squish together and have the appearance of ruffly.

Hope that helps! I think with your budget of 1k you should DEFINITELY be able to walk away happy w a minimum of DIY. My budget is half that and it depends on the flowers you choose whether or not DIY becomes a pain or a blessing.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I used mostly tulips, some ranunculas, mini calas, and hydrangeas.
My total florist bill was around $1300.
That included brides, 4 bridesmaids, flower girl, a mother''s clutch, 2 corsages, and 10 bouteneires (I have no idea how to spell that word)
It also included 2 large arrangements for the ceremony, 15 centerpieces for the tables, and the cake topper. And I think I got my aisle runner from him.
We had our wedding in an old victorian greenhosue, so that contributed to the decreased florist bill somewhat. The centerpieces were very basic (bouquets of tulips in garden urn vases.)
I''m looking for a good picture of my bouquet.

If you like the ranunculas, and other expensive flowers, maybe you could tell them what your budget is and use some less expensive ones also.
Good luck!

 

[So_happy]

Date: 6/20/2007 3:56:06 PM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 6/20/2007 3:44:24 PM
Author: sumbride
Did you tell them what your budget was?


One thing I see is that your flowers are all of the more expensive variety... peonies and freesias are expensive! Can you maybe do a little in-fill with roses and carnations in ADDITION to the peonies and such? Those are a lot less expensive and would fill it out without covering over the flowers you specifically want. I also would cut back on the corsages and such. Who are they for? The bare bones would be the moms and the grandmothers. The others are just ''nice to have''.


eta: also, the sign-in table doesn''t ''need'' flowers... how about a framed picture of the happy couple instead?

Agreed. I would also try getting some quotes from other florists. It does seem expensive for what you want, but if you said you wanted freesias and peonies, the quotes would have gone up because those are expensive flowers.

ALSO when is your wedding? Time of year makes some of those flowers even MORE expensive.

Semi-hijack...........I had no idea freesia was one of the more expensive flowers

I am going to my final florist appointment tomorrow and instead of roses with several orchids in my bouquet, I was going to do all white and lavender freesia. I thought it would save money, if not break even.............but maybe I''m wrong there?

 

[enbcfsobe]

I think the pews and sign-in are good places to consider non-floral decorations or silk flowers or maybe even a potted plant? I bet you could get something done in silk at michaels for the pews for much cheaper, esp. with the varieties you mentioned. I read somewhere that as long as you buy the flowers/ribbon at michaels, they''ll arrange it all for free.
There are also some very ruffly varieties of carnations out there -- I would ask about that for filler or think about other ways to add that texture with fabric or the manner in which they are arranged. I also saw somewhere that used roses but added petals to them to make a big full peony-looking flower with a lot more wavyness. Not sure if that would be more or less expensive (seems labor intensive).
You could also think about adding more non-floral elements to your centerpieces. I saw a display in a restaurant that had just a few (2-3) peonies submerged in a tall, narrow clear glass vase with lots of clear glass ''rocks'' at the bottom. it was really striking, and the "design" of it more than made up for not having a ton of flowers. that''s just an example -- it is definitely a modern look and not for everyone. you could add things that go with the theme or season to make a smaller arrangement have more presence. dollar store votives, vegetables, seashells, etc. could all be great fillers if they go with the idea of the wedding. just stuff to think about...

 

[piccolascimmia]

[breathing deeper and slower now]

Thanks all - wedding is September 9 in a large metropolitan southern city.

I''m open to some DIY, but not up to spending all of the day before messing around with flowers (even though it sounds like it''d be fun...just not the day before MY wedding).

And upon rereading this...I will stop whining now. Just had a bit of an outburst/tantrum. I''m relatively level headed and just got frustrated when I thought I was on the same page with folks I spent over an hour talking through the ideas.

 

[sumbride]

Treat this as your chance to negotiate. Say "ok, the estimate came in a little high. How can we cut this down?" Talk about additional flowers... they were probably just quoting for what you asked for instead of giving you less expensive options to start with. Also, sometimes florists do have a minimum, so if your wedding is prime season, the first florist may not be getting enough profit from you to make it worth the time. Sad, but true... it all comes down to the bottom line. There ARE florists out there that are willing to work with you though, so don''t pay more than your budget allows! you have a great budget and I''m sure you can get good flowers for it. Just maneuver and negotiate. Use cheaper flowers. keep "SIMPLE" in mind!

 

[sumbride]

Date: 6/20/2007 4:02:39 PM
Author: So_happy


Semi-hijack...........I had no idea freesia was one of the more expensive flowers

I am going to my final florist appointment tomorrow and instead of roses with several orchids in my bouquet, I was going to do all white and lavender freesia. I thought it would save money, if not break even.............but maybe I''m wrong there?

Roses are cheap and hardy. Orchids are hardy and expensive. Freesias are delicate and pricey. Of course, season has a lot to do with it so definitely talk to your florist about pricing before making up your mind.

 

[Gypsy]

cabbage roses, peonies, runuculus. Also lightly fragrant ones like sweet peas, freesia, stock, gardenias

ALL expensive... except the stock.

I would say that you want your bridal bouquet made with these. But ALL THE OTHERS made with less expensive flowers (regular roses, stock some mini carnations, hybrid lillys, lysianthum) except your grooms bout which would be made with something signature to match your bouquet.

I also would NOT pay for boutineers. Make those.

Tell them you want open arrangements for the centerpieces (lots of different greens). If you are doing white or pinks ask for wax flower as a filler.

RE: Orchids... Cymbidiums SEEM expensive but actually aren't that bad if the florist buys by the branch. One branch can have like 16 blooms in it... so that would cover your bouquet and your BM bouquets and ALL your cosages. So it would actually be cost effective.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Our flowers were $$$$ Much more than we were expecting. That being said looking back at photos and the video I am glad we splurged. I would tell the florists you need to cut at least $500 off their quote. They will requote you. They want your business so they will help you find ways to save money (use more green, less expensive flowers, filler...)

 

[Pandora II]

I''m DIYing all my flowers along with a couple of my mother''s friends and her cleaning lady who is brilliant at wedding flowers.

I have a huge amount of space to fill and a budget of around 1.2k, so I''m buying loads of fake ivy garlands on ebay - they''re 6ft long, look very real and bushy and cost $4 each. Then I''ll put real flowers, fruit and loads of herbs in to add some colour body and scent.

Table centres I''m thinking of doing big bowls of fruit - lots of colour, look really beautiful, cheap and edible!!

I would spend some $$ on your bouquet and have that made. Boutonnieres - there are loads of books that show you how to make them. Same with the bridesmaids and the corsages.

Pew markers I''m using the fake ivy and some real flowers and buying a huge amount of ribbon - again on ebay.

Peonies will be super expensive in September - as will cabbage roses as they are out of season. There are some very feathery carnations which look very similar to peonies, last better and are heaps cheaper.

I love the strange coloured chrysanthemums -the green ones etc which are great for adding body to a design. Also tulips can look amazing and very modern. Herbs are also very traditional, smell amazing and some have beautiful flowers as well.

There are lots of websites that are very helpful on seasonal flowers and budget ideas that look like you spent $$$$$.

There are lots of

 

[piccolascimmia]

Thanks everyone for fabulous advice and ideas. I''m much calmer today and have 2 new appointments scheduled with florists who know up front that 1k is my max One I go through those, then we''ll see what I will DIY, but several of the options mentioned seemed like things I can do well in advance and allow me to still have free time before the wedding. Thanks!

 

[jcrow]

Date: 6/20/2007 3:35:11 PM
Author: piccolascimmia
[deep breath]

Here''s what they boiled down my request to be - I''ve put *s before ones that I think I can remove/modify:

Bride
Bridesmaids (2)
*Boutonnieres (7) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
*Corsages (6) [I likely can lower these numbers by a few]
Ceremony flowers (1) [to be moved to the buffet table at the reception]
*Pew markers (2) [I can DIY something random to put on the first row of chairs?]
Centerpieces (10) [might be 8, depending on the RSVP count]
*Cake topper [I''ll just have the cake decorated another way]
Sign in table (1)
Delivery/set up

As for what I want, I''m attracted to ruffly flowers...cabbage roses, peonies, runuculus. Also lightly fragrant ones like sweet peas, freesia, stock, gardenias. I don''t have any exact flowers in mind, and am willing to compromise on those based on price/seasonality. Color-wise, I''m looking for soft pinks, whites, cream, soft yellows, blushes.

Any help is appreciated!

i didn''t read over all of the responses, so sorry if i''m repeating...

have you thought about putting your flowers & the bm''s flowers into vases for centerpeices? that would mean 7 centerpieces needed.
we did that. my bridal bouquet was used for the family table. and then each bm bouquet was used for 3 other tables, thus lowering the amount we needed.

 

[Jaders731]

Picco...

Just a little note to help cut the budget a little...

We had 6 (yes 6) grandmothers at our wedding.. and it was just impossible wallet wise to have corsages for all of them.. SO... we did mini-nosegays for our moms at 25 each.. and then long stem roses with a ribbon bow for all the grandmothers.. it cut our budget considerably.. seeing as how corsages were running $30+ each.. YIKES... we got the long stem roses for $10 each (yes.. I know.. OUTRAGEOUS to pay $10 bucks for a rose.. but it worked out better that way)

Also, for centerpieces.. you can look into changing or altering your original vision.. for example.. we had this grand scheme to have rustic lanterns overflowing with rose petals.. and candles etc. We changed it to vases filled with water and sea glass with a floating candle... price difference was about $10-$15 per table. Also.. dont forget that you can use your bouquet and your bridesmaids bouquets for centerpieces. Our head table had 4 vases on it, one for each bridesmaid bouquet, and my huge bouquet (too big to sit up on the table in the vase) laid on the table in front of my husband and me. Again.. all we had to pay for was the "rental" of the vase.. about $3 bucks.. total savings was about $75 just avoiding centerpieces on the head table.

Do you really need flowers on the sign in table... depending on where you are having your reception.. or what your theme is.. you could totally do something fun, and NON-flower-y... if that makes sense.

That should help you cut down a little bit! Hope that helps!

 

[rockzilla]

My friend just had her flowers done by a floral school...not sure what the total came out to be but it was really reasonable. So, I''d check to see if there is a place in your area that would do it.

RZ

 

[qtiekiki]

Also try looking for florists who are starting out or freelance; they might be less pricey. I freelance sometimes, and I charge quite a bit cheaper than traditional florists.

You sound really flexible with types of flower, so you should be able to get better pricing for your wedding flowers. Were the flowers the florist using listed for each item include in the quotes? Maybe your vision is different than your florists and they are using more expensive because they think you want/talk about them. I would sit down again with the florists to make sure that you fully understand each other.