Help - Florist Proposal is EXTREME

Deidra123

Um, I just got a quote of 3300 from the florist. How do I say this...HELP!!!!
How do I get this florist bill down?  If I buy the flowers wholesale, doesn't someone have to know how to put them together on the day of?  How do I find someone with that kind of talent (w/out having to essentially pay florist pricing all over again)?

clross01

What does this quote consist of?  Does it include flowers for the church, bridal party, and the reception hall?  What kind of flowers are you using?

KimRhone

What can you cut down on? Can you change the flowers to something less expensive or something grown locally? Mine started at 2500 and I got it down to 1800. I'm still working of getting it down. Can you make the bm's bouquets 5 in instead of the standard 10 in?

OFF

Yeah give us more details and maybe we can help you figure out how to get the price down without DIY your own flowers.

You can always use different type of flowers to make it cheaper.  Roses. lilies etc are expensive carnations and tulips are pretty and cheaper.   HUGE vases are generally more than smaller vases (rental prices) so if you were thinking of huge centerpieces maybe do a more medium sized one.   

keri_hurst

Also if center pieces are a part of this quote you can make sure that you have jsut one setting at each table no clusters of vases and things like that.  I know that helped me get my quote down a little...not much but at least some.  And although they are not the most exciting carnations are good for somethings.  Also, my florist asked me what i wanted adn jsut let me go whily nilly.  You may need to tell her what your willing to spend and then ask for her basic and see how that fits into your life.  Hope this helps. 

OFF

Also, maybe you can have your flowers do double duty.  We are having everything at one place so that makes it easier but our ceremony flowers are going to be used inside for the reception.  You can also make your BM bouquet all one flower instead of a smaller version of yours and that will make your bouquet stand out more.  The best thing to do is figure out the flowers in season and what the prices are.  There are lot of similar looking flowers where one is super expensive and the other isn't.  You should talk to your florist tell her your real budget and I'm sure if they know their business they can make it happen and still give you a great look. 

kimandwillie

I'd also check with some of the higher end grocery stores, like Market Street or Central Market. These grocery stores in Dallas have great florists and since they already order in bulk, I found that their prices were less than quotes I got from wedding/independent florists.

miss2mrscj

I had the same problem. What I did was tell my florist that I needed to scale down because of my budget. She went from $2500 to $1021 only because I had to have calla lillies and I will reuse the BM bouquets for the head table decor. So just be up front and if they need the business then they will work with you. You can also try getting a couple more proposals. Good luck!

Deidra123

Thanks for the tips ladies.

The proposal includes separate floral arrangements for the reception (5 large centerpieces (625) and 5 small centerpieces (325) and 14 roses for the cake (75 - yes, ridiculous)).  The flowers to be used are hydrangea, lisianthus and roses for the arrangements - my bouquet will have different flowers and is 145.  Posey sized BM bouquets at 45 each (there are four of them), wedding decor - tulle material sweeping across beam of outdoor pergoa at 150, four hanging floral arrangements at 155 each, two planters at 325 each (or so), boutennierres at 8 each (there are 4 of them)
shoulder corsages for mothers and grandmother at 25 each.

Wedding is in late June down South (Hotlanta).

I will ask the florist if she is using locally grown flowers and the least expensive flowers for the look.  I will also get more proposals. 

These line items seem high to anybody besides me?  75 dollars for 14 loose roses for the wedding cake?  I could go to the grocery store (or to a florist) and just buy 14 roses for way less than that.

MrsW2000

A couple of ways I cut down on the price was by alternating high and low centerpieces (I believe you're doing this), edible flowers on the cake (You can always use silk flowers too), and I DIY'ed the BM bouquets.  I didn't have centerpieces on the head table instead I used my bouquet and the BM's bouquets. 

At one florist for everything I wanted I was quoted at 6 grand.  Yeah, 6 grand.  I decided to take a chance with the florist that came with my venue package and was absolutely thrilled with the results and got the price down to $1800. 
I was skeptical at first but since I upgraded the centerpieces I got a discount because I didn't use the centerpieces that came with the package.  Some of my guests were also able to take home some the of centerpieces.  And the tall centerpieces were absolutely huge! 

To make a long story short try asking you're venue if they recommend a florist.  You may be pleasantly suprised.  GL!

miss2mrscj

Yes boo that is too much for what they are giving you. Try to get some other proposals and compare them. 75$ for 14 roses..girl I will send you some roses from my grandma's garden...lol...Keep looking.

desi2002

Wow, where are you ladies located? cause my flowers aren't costing nearly as much as yours, it makes me thinks im being cheap. My  bouquet, (70.00) bm bouquets ($6.00), boutonnieres(2.50),and  corsages(3.00) are costing $155, my reception centerpieces are costing $195, (13 medium sized rose centerpieces @ $15 each)  and my ceremony decorations are costing $150 (tulle draping from each seat,  floating candle vases going down the isle, and some flowers around the gazebo at the end of the isle) so i expect to spend around $600 for flowers. They're all fresh flowers too. Considering that your DRESS alone should be about %10 of your entire budget, $3300 is a lot of money to spend on flowers! Girl I really truly do hope you get it worked out! Let us know w/ updates!

adgenya

Yah, I'd keep looking (I'm getting 11 bouquets, 13 bouts, 10 centerpieces, 4 corsages and a lot of flower petals for our late June wedding and our initial quote was half yours). Those prices seem high. 

To cut down on our quote, we cut down on the aisle decorations since it wasn't that important to us and the ceremony site is already beautiful.