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Need centerpiece advice

carimercercarimercer
First Comment
in Flowers

I received my first floral quote on my centerpieces. It is outrageous!
Please see image below... what would this typically cost?
I feel my florist is raking us over the coals. The photo below was posted on the knot.
Any advice or suggestions? The topper consists of roses and hydragenas. I'm very open to using peonies. I live in the PIttsburgh area.


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Re: Need centerpiece advice

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    danielm18danielm18
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited March 2013
    I have no idea how much that would typically cost. 

    However one thing you might want to talk to your florist about is its size. 
    When I first looked at it I thought it was freakin huge. At second glance it might be perspective making it look that big. If it's smaller than what your florist is thinking, or if you're willing to reduce the size, it could cut costs significantly. And if you're worried that the florist is charging to much, go get a second opinion. I think we went to 4 different places before we decided on one.

    Other things to consider:
    Hydrangeas are pretty cheap, but some types of roses can be expensive. Can you replace with cheap roses or rose look-a-likes?
    maybe increase the hydrangea to rose ratio.
    fake roses and real hydrangeas? Or even make all the flowers fake, but still nice? Etsy would be a great place to look for this.
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    Maggie0829Maggie0829 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I used to work in a florist and our elevated centerpieces started at $100.  For that arrangement you are probably looking at $175 to $200 a piece.  But of course prices vary depending on area.  What were you quoted for the centerpiece?

    Hydrangeas and roses are in the average to expensive range depending on the color you want and the time of year you want them.  Also, peonies are only available for a very short amount of time (typically May to early June) and that solely depends on the weather.  Using peonies outside of their season would cost an arm and a leg.

    As for your centerpieces.  Are you doing elevated on all tables?  If so consider doing only half elevated and half low/candle centerpieces.  This will help to save costs.  What about the arrangement do you like?  Is it the flowers or just the overall look?  If it is just the overall look you can do the same style but with less expensive flowers (carnations and such)

    You also need to remember that the price that the florist is quoting you is not just for the flowers in the centerpiece.  Most of the cost is labor.  Trust me when I say that making 10-15 elevated centerpieces is time consuming and labor intensive.  The actual cost of the flowers is just a small portion of the entire floral quote.

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    AddieCakeAddieCake member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    That looks incredibly expensive, so I'm not surprised. We paid $100 each just for this:

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    Ro041Ro041 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    That looks insanely expensive.  If you found that pic on TK, then it is probably featured from a 90k wedding.  If it looks extravagant, it probably is.  

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    Sue-n-KevinSue-n-Kevin member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    The above posts are all fairly accurate. It's hard to have caviar taste when you don't have the money to support it.

    You could consider less expensive flowers, only have the tall centerpieces on a few tables and lower ones with fewer flowers on the rest of the tables, or scrap the idea all together. I did my own centerpieces with flowers from Costco because having a "grand look" in the room was less important than the food we served, and there was only so much money to go around.  

    I'd also highly recommend you locate your local wedding board (to the left, "Local Wedding Board") and ask for some budget conscious florists in the area where you are having your wedding. The centerpieces you posted are going to be expensive no matter who does them, but there may be some florists with other options than the one you have spoken to.
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    MobKazMobKaz member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    These arrangements were $80.  Now, we offset some of the costs by purchasing our own vases, as well as the feathers. We watched and waited for sales when making those purchases.

     Often, you are charged more for the vessels even though they are "on loan" and go back with the florist.  Some of the higher fees may be incurred because the florist includes a delivery as well as "pick up" fee.  We also found a florist that was willing to work within our budget, and use seasonal, less costly flowers.  I would agree with posters above who suggest you post on your local board for some affordable recommendations.

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    carimercercarimercer
    First Comment
    Thank you for all of the advice. Our "family acquaintance" quoted $705.00 per centerpiece. I was able to get a few more quotes, all are in the $200-$250 range. Yes, it is very large. I really like the suggestion to do every other table with the large centerpiece. I believe this will bring down the cost. I was shocked- then appalled by our first quote.

    I'm open to using different flowers I just prefer the fullness of the centerpiece and the holder/riser. I live in the Pittsburgh area and it has been difficult finding a centerpiece/florist of this caliber.    

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