Newport Florists

LooLooBell1

Anyone using Broadway Florist or Toni Chandler? Have read good  reviews on both from several internet sites, but was wondering what personal experiences have been. Looking for reasonably priced florist who is easy to deal with from a distance.

Thanks

RoyalOrient

I didn't use Toni Chandler for my wedding but my cousin did and she was very happy with her flowers. Her attention to details and floral artistry is unsurpassed. She will also work within a budget. Toni's daughter, Christina at Studio 539 is also talented too. She works with out of state brides and is based in Providence. Two other budget friendly florists who are experienced with Newport weddings are Pam of Blooming Blossoms and the ladies of Florals by Alisa.

http://www.studio539flowers.com/

http://www.blooming-blossoms.com/

http:www.floralsbyalisa.com/

getaclue44

I have always found Broadway Florist's work to be beautiful, but pricey. I am using Waters Edge. They are very reasonable and do great work! I always use them for special occasions and usually just call, give them dollar amount and let them do their thing. I have never been disappointed.

LooLooBell1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:1be59b14-b677-4d63-b325-d1a555333a0d">Re:Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]I have always found Broadway Florist's work to be beautiful, but pricey. I am using Waters Edge. They are very reasonable and do great work! I always use them for special occasions and usually just call, give them dollar amount and let them do their thing. I have never been disappointed.
Posted by jdandrea[/QUOTE]

You are using Water's Edge for your wedding? Are you getting married in Newport?
We are having a destination wedding in Newport, but are from NJ.  We're trying to find the most reasonably priced florist in Newport and hot have to travel to Providence, Warwick, etc to get a better price.

LooLooBell1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:14ba2135-1269-4a95-a99e-c1c76110e3e7">Re: Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]I didn't use Toni Chandler for my wedding but my cousin did and she was very happy with her flowers. Her attention to details and floral artistry is unsurpassed. She will also work within a budget. Toni's daughter, Christina at Studio 539 is also talented too. She works with out of state brides and is based in Providence. Two other budget friendly florists who are experienced with Newport weddings are Pam of Blooming Blossoms and the ladies of Florals by Alisa. <a href="http://www.studio539flowers.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.studio539flowers.com/</a> <a href="http://www.blooming-blossoms.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.blooming-blossoms.com/</a> http: <a href="http://www.floralsbyalisa.com/" rel="nofollow">www.floralsbyalisa.com/</a>
Posted by RoyalOrient[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info! Is Toni Chandler considered pricey?

kathanddave

I had Toni Chandler for my wedding and she was awesome!  I really didn't want to spend alot of my on my flowers and she worked within my budget.  She is very responsive and had alot of great ideas.

ghowlett

We haven't signed any contracts yet (I changed my mind about the "look" I wanted & requested new proposals), but Toni was the only florist that came within a reasonable range of our budget.  I was really surprised since she was the only one we met with from Newport & usually anything from Newport is the most expensive.

getaclue44

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:a5de37a6-9957-4b22-88cf-3ec650e4072f">Re:Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re:Newport Florists : You are using Water's Edge for your wedding? Are you getting married in Newport? We are having a destination wedding in Newport, but are from NJ.  We're trying to find the most reasonably priced florist in Newport and hot have to travel to Providence, Warwick, etc to get a better price.
Posted by LooLooBell1[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Yes, I am using Water's Edge.  They are my parents florist and have always done fabulous work from afar.  When we went in for our consultation, I told her what I didn't want  because I wasn't sure what I did want.  I also told her the colors we wanted.  We are doing my bouquet, 4 BM, 6 bouts, and 4 corsages plus flowers for the church.  My dad got the quote so I am not sure of the exact price, but I do know he was pleasantly surprised.  We can also change things up til about 2 weeks before the wedding which is nice.  </div>

LooLooBell1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:407e2a94-87bd-4d74-a2a4-2314e991e535">Re: Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]We haven't signed any contracts yet (I changed my mind about the "look" I wanted & requested new proposals), but Toni was the only florist that came within a reasonable range of our budget.  I was really surprised since she was the only one we met with from Newport & usually anything from Newport is the most expensive.
Posted by ghowlett[/QUOTE]

Just curious, what other florists did you meet with that were more expensive? Are you going with Toni Chandler or still deciding? Sometimes I hesitate telling a vendor the wedding is in Newport because they think you can afford more! Not the case here.

 We are down to 11 1/2 months before the wedding and still have to decide on a florist and a cake.

ghowlett

We also met with Sayles Livingston, Studio 539, and Twigs.  Studio 539 was a little under $1k over Toni & the other 2 were about $3k over Toni.  We're still waiting on the revised proposal from Toni & then we'll make the final decision.  I was upfront with everyone we met with about our budget, but it didn't really seem to matter.  Toni told me during the appointment that what I wanted wasn't do-able on my budget, so she was going to go over but she'd try to be reasonable.  She was the only one who said that & I appreciated the heads up.

LooLooBell1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:39fe6e47-86ea-4a3b-9767-de2ef71647b4">Re: Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]We also met with Sayles Livingston, Studio 539, and Twigs.  Studio 539 was a little under $1k over Toni & the other 2 were about $3k over Toni.  We're still waiting on the revised proposal from Toni & then we'll make the final decision.  I was upfront with everyone we met with about our budget, but it didn't really seem to matter.  Toni told me during the appointment that what I wanted wasn't do-able on my budget, so she was going to go over but she'd try to be reasonable.  She was the only one who said that & I appreciated the heads up.
Posted by ghowlett[/QUOTE]

From your meetings with several florists, what would you say is the average price/budget for flowers? I know there will be great variations depending on number of bridesmaids, tables, etc. We think we will have about 125 people = 12-13 tables, and a large bridal party. We also hope to do some DIY things, like bows for the church pews, etc. We are thinking of a budget around $2500. Is that unrealistic?

getaclue44

OP flower choice will dictate a lot towards the price. I was very clear that I didn't want roses just don't like them and that I wanted seasonal plus hydrangeas. We opted not to do centerpieces because our venue is providing us with them as part of the cost there. Depending on your church you might be required to do some flowers there.

LooLooBell1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:7accbd04-81e7-4cba-8430-b7cdb4cd076d">Re:Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]OP flower choice will dictate a lot towards the price. I was very clear that I didn't want roses just don't like them and that I wanted seasonal plus hydrangeas. We opted not to do centerpieces because our venue is providing us with them as part of the cost there. Depending on your church you might be required to do some flowers there.
Posted by jdandrea[/QUOTE]

Yes, we will have flowers at the church which we are allowed to take with us to the reception too. The venue does not provide us with any centerpieces though. We are thinking of maybe having a tall candle display on every other table to mix it up, but not sure if that will be more or less expensive than flowers. Will the candles, sconces, & displays cost more than the flowers? We are not going to ask for any crazy kind of flowers. If something is out of season, it will be mininally used or substituted for the same effect. Some roses here and there.

getaclue44

Our church won't let us take flowers with us. So what we decorate with, we have to leave ay the church. It might be cheaper to do candles and stuff if you can find something you like at a dollar store or something. One of my friends just did candles instead and found it cheaper than flowers.

ghowlett

It really depends, but that's definitely do-able.  Use in season flowers, ask for cheaper substitutes for centerpieces (ie, if you use peonies in your bouquet, use garden roses in the centerpieces to save $$), do low centerpieces instead of high (I don't fully understand why, but the high ones were significantly more $$ at every florist).  Figure out what aspect of flowers are most important to you & budget accordingly.  I had my heart set on an elaborate escort card table & Christina at Studio 539 snapped me back to reality.  Do I really want to spend a huge chunk of my floral budget on something people will only see for a short amount of time & truly don't really care about?  We put that money towards centerpieces instead.

ghowlett

If you alternate non-floral centerpieces, definitely look into buying everything yourself.  The rental price might be a few bucks cheaper, but then delivery & pickup fees are added, so it almost balances out.  Plus you can sell them after if you own them! 

LooLooBell1

Looks like we will have to do a little research on summer flowers and what are reasonable alternatives to more expensive flowers. Really don't want to spend a fortune on flowers.

ghowlett,
When do you want to make a decision by? Looks like your wedding date is close to our date, but we have a Sunday wedding, so  I'm hoping that buys us a little more time.

How much before the wedding did everyone  book your florists?

MissMeghan80

Just wondering, what is considered affordable?  Also, I believe Whole Foods in Providence has been mentioned a few times on this board.

OceanStBride

Not in Newport, but we loved working with Pam from Blooming Blossoms in Providence. Our wedding was in Narragansett and there was a delivery fee, but it was small (maybe a little over $100). We had a fairly small wedding, but had a lot of centerpieces for our tables which were 6 long tables, with 5 centerpieces each (3 "medium" and 2 "smaller"). Centerpieces, a wreath for the church, 2 church arrangements, bouquets and boutinneires were just under $2500 off the top of my head. Actually, that included some cocktail table arrangements and flowers for our cake. I should mention that I think our cost was slightly higher than normal because we got married the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend.

We also planned from a distance (NC), but we used to live in Providence down the street from her shop. We met with one other very popular florist and while I know they would've done a fantastic job, I loved that Pam was willing to work with our budget, suggesting different flowers, and really asked a lot of questions to get the feel for the type of wedding we wanted.

LooLooBell1

Yes, I agree, any place outside of Newport will be cheaper. We already have our photographer, videographer, DJ, and priest from out of town. Whenever we come up from NJ to Newport to do some planning it gets more complicated with more vendors from yet another location. So, we want to keep the florist in Newport or at least Middletown. That may change however if we get out of this world estimates!

RoyalOrient

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_newport-florists?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:b8d20268-4a6e-4a1a-b795-d8fe7fe1a677Post:1226124b-83a7-4532-9a99-271f95917b56">Re: Newport Florists</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Newport Florists : Thanks for the info! Is Toni Chandler considered pricey?
Posted by LooLooBell1[/QUOTE]

<div>Toni is a well established florist and with a location in Newport, I imagine her overhead cost is higher than say a florist in Cranston. Her work has also been published and she tends to do a lot of high end weddings. With that said, she is grounded and willing to work within a bride's budget. I love her attention to details so if you are particular about flowers and such, she is your florist. This woman lives and breathes flowers. </div>

LooLooBell1

Made an appointment with Toni Chandler for next week. Clipping pictures of flowers and designs I like to bring with us as well as what we need. She also sent a preliminary fact sheet to fill out with all our info.  Hoping we can arrive at a do-able cost.