Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul

Florist estimates-how specific?

I'm just starting to meet with florists and hopefully will be getting one booked soon.  For those of you who have already booked one, how specific were the estimates as far as types of flowers to be used, numbers, etc?  I just received an email estimate and it just seemed a bit light on the details.  I talked to my best friend who got married about a year ago in San Francisco and she emailed me some of the estimates she had gotten and they were SUPER detailed about the types of flowers and such.  Just wondering what the norm is around here?

Also, are any of you having a sample bouquet or anything made in advance as a preview?  It just makes me nervous not to have a real life vision of what the flowers are going to look like before they show up on the wedding day.  Yikes, I think I'm realizing just how Type A I am though this planning process.  

Re: Florist estimates-how specific?

  • Bimbi284Bimbi284 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I didn't really know exactly what flowers I wanted, but I knew the number of arrangements and bouquets, and that I wanted lots of color and texture. I let her know the budget we were working with, and she adjusted accordingly. During my meeting, she showed me pictures of some flowers to get an idea of colors that I wanted and texture, and so in the estimate she included something that listed the flowers I had liked, but then also added that she may include others as well, based on the overall design.

    We went with Sadie from Sadie's Floral, and I felt totally comfortable giving her that artistic control over our flowers, cuz I knew they'd be awesome, and they were!!

    I think the more specific you can be, the better, because then you'll know that it is the best possible estimate of what you will be getting for the price.
  • edited December 2011
    Mine were not specific. I knew I wanted Calli Lilies so she wrote down that and the size and quantity. The form was pretty inclusive and she wrote down details, for instance I wanted a berry bout. for the Dads something different than a flower.
    I wont know what they look like until the day of the wedding. That also made me nervous because the flowers are the one of the most important details for me. However, I gave her plenty of inspiration pictures and have seen weddings she has done in the past, so I am confident she will get it right.
  • edited December 2011
    Ours was specific, but we had a conversation with the florist about what we wanted. Our estimate said "Bride bouquet- 30 callas with greens and bear grass... $150" etc. The only one we didn't know was the altar arrangement, and we just said 'something that matches for around $50", and that's what we got :)
  • edited December 2011
    I think some of it depends on how specific you are, like if you want calla lillies, I think it should say x number of calla lilies since that kind of flower you pay per bloom I believe. I am not a flower person and just told my florist that I wanted some specific colors and I didn't want to pay a ton of money. This is the exactly wording for one of my boquets, other items are pretty similar.

    Bridal bouquet – hand tied bouquet of seasonal blooms in shades of blue, purple, lavenders, plums, and white stephanotis accent. Bouquet vase included in price
  • MaggieandJakeMaggieandJake member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    my floral estimates were VERY specific-exactly what flowers will be used and how many each bouquet/bouttoniere/corsage will cost.  Also, my florist said that she has been doing this for so long, that she's confident/well versed in the cost of flowers-therefore whatever she quotes me is the full charge-if for whatever reason, they end up costing more than what she quoted me, she'll eat the extra costs.  

    I did not have a sample made up-b/c I would have to pay to the regular costs for it ($175).  I gave my florist lots of pictures and trust fully in her that she will deliver a fantastic product.


    I highly recommend her! 


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  • newlyseliskinewlyseliski member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I was pretty specific about my flowers and colors to my florist... I selected my florist (Molly from Studio Emme... college classmate) based on how specific she would allow me to be!  For my own bouquet, I wanted hot pink peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, freesia and berzillia... so that's what she priced and is able to acquire!  I was less picky about my bridesmaids' bouquets and had less expensive flowers like cabbage roses and hydrangea in theirs based on an image of another bouquet that my florist had created for a photo shoot.

    I think it might depend on the florist about how picky they'll allow you to be... some might be a bit more dependent on seasonal availability based on what wholesale markets they go to. I nixed one florist based on the fact that they only used one floral distributor and priced out a lot higher (with cheaper substitutions in my bouquet) than the florist I chose.  If you provide your florist with more artistic freedom and general outlines (budget, colors, 1-2 must-have flowers) of what you're looking for, I think that is the way to go.  Don't be as ridiculously picky as me... you'll give yourself an ulcer!! :)  The ladies on here have some great suggestions for florists to talk with who are very creative and reasonable! 
  • edited December 2011
    Mine was from Jeni at Simply Stated Elegance- and the quotes were pretty specific, not necessarily down to how many exact flowers were in everything- and there is some built in flexibility based on what is available at the wholesaler. Jeni mentioned I could go with her the week of the wedding to the wholesaler again (which is where our iniital meeting was) and I could help pick out the flowers for sure- which made me happy because I can be even more confident that I will love it.

    If you want I could email you my estimate to see what she did for it- ?
  • esunadaesunada member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi, I went with Jeni from Simply Stated Elegance, too.  I met her at one of the wholesalers she uses and we picked out the flowers we thought would look good together.  I told her I didn't want a big bouquet and I told her how many bouquet, corsages, bout, etc I needed.  I also sent her pics beforehand and told her my budget so she tried to stay within that range based on the flowers I picked.    

    She gave me a fairly detailed estimate - number of each flower used, cost of labor, and final costs.

    Like above poster said, I go with her again to the wholesaler to pick out the final flowers week of my wedding and there is some flexibility. 

    She's a bubbly personality, I like her so far! 
  • edited December 2011
    My first estimate wasn't very specific - styles, likes, dislikes - a rough draft. My description was similar in detail to Military Bride's above. Then about a month out from the wedding we had a meeting and I was sent a detailed final estimate. I had been worried about the lack of specifics too, but it all worked out.
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_minnesota-minneapolis-st-paul_florist-estimates-specific?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:81Discussion:ffb29e79-6693-445e-b7ce-4ed2775347fePost:b5d688e5-7a2a-45bb-839e-fd8d17b00ed6">Re: Florist estimates-how specific?</a>:
    [QUOTE]"Bride bouquet- 30 callas with greens and bear grass... $150" etc. The only one we didn't know was the altar arrangement, and we just said 'something that matches for around $50"
    Posted by Steph0871[/QUOTE]

    Ours was very similar to this. I have been and still am going back and forth between callas and roses, so our quotes all included a range depending on which we eventually decide. 
    The florist we did end up going with (Forget-Me-Not Floral Events- I don't think she has a website yet, but PM me if you want her info) had the flowers we were thinking of using at the meeting, and then she created mockups a couple of days later with the ideas we talked about in the meeting and emailed us pics. She's been sending us lots of pics of other arrangements she's done as well, both in our style and others, which has been great. We're going to the wholesaler with her to check out our options in March also.
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