Pimp your florist!!

TiffanyandJeff

Hello everyone! I'm starting to look at flowers and its a bit overwhelming!

Tell me about your wedding flowers!
real vs. fake?
do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness?
Budget?!

flowers flowers flowers!

SuperRNluvsChef

real vs. fake?
100% real

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
Paying someone...I wanted my mom to do them but she said it would be too much right before the wedding (and she's probably right lol)

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
Well I'm not married yeet but we're having an alter arrangement that will also be on display at the reception.  We're having non floral centerpieces.

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness?
Lacey at Intuitive Blooms!! LOVE her!  She is so fun to work with and we came in under budget!

Budget?!
My original budget was $800 or less (without really knowing costs of real flowers at all) and we're paying just over $600 for 5 bouquets, 13 bouts, 4 corsages, alter arrangment, vase rental, delivery charge and tax. 

bellaxanthe

Florabella is doing mine.  Friend of a friend so I wanted to give her business. Just her in the shop in NE. Super cool girl with great taste.   Budget is about $1200 for bouquets, lots of corsages and bouts, 12+ centerpieces. Real flowers were a must for me.
We are doing an Vintage Anthropologie sort of look.  The colors are not correct in these but this is the feel. I collected antique vases for the eclectic look and they will all be green and clear. I'm going with colors like the last bouquet for everything. Lots of pods and odd flowers as well.

shan87

Ours are Real.
No flowers for the Ceremony except those people are holding or attached to them. (I may add 2 large bouquets on either side of the doors-- then tranfer them to the reception site. Not sure yet though)
For Reception we are having 30 Centerpieces. 15 tall and large, 15 single sunken rose (PIB)- thats DIY  

Budget was $1500.
For that we got
18 Tall Large Centerpiece arrangements
24 long stemed roses
My Bouquet (Large)
Toss Bouqet
Small arrangement to go in FG basket
4 BM Bouquets (Med.)
2 Jr. BM Bouquets (Sm)
Like 15 Bout.
4 corsages I think?!

That is based on memory. We are getting married in St. Cloud and using Corborns Floral.

lboerner88

real vs. fake?  definitely real!
do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them? using a company
how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
ceremony: floral balls on the ends of every othe pew and some vases on the alter
reception: floral centerpieces on every table, flowers to decorate around the cake
WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness?
Professional company: Forget-Me-Not Floral Events. This is actually my mom's company
Budget?!
$600 probably. we haven't finalized our needs/wants yet but it appears that it will be around that for everything listed above, 1 bride's bouquet, 5 BM's bouquets, 1 JR BM bouquet, somethinf (undecided yet) for 2 flower girls, and all of the corsages and boutennieres.

drdifabio

real vs. fake?
Real for sure. Fake can look really fake and may be more expensive when it is all said and done.

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
Paid someone...and I am def a DIY bride but this was one area I didnt want to mess with. It is a lot of work and has to be done so close to your wedding that I didnt want that stress. There are too many other things you are going to need to be doing then.

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
No ceremony flower decorations besides personal flowers. Reception we had CPs on each table and an arraignment on the guest book table.

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side business?
Budget?!
Her name is Sarah with SW Floral Designs (http://swfloraldesignllc.com). She is a professional but you could also say it is a side business as she is also a stay at home mom. She is really really good and not expensive at all. Our final bill was about 1200 for 18 centerpieces and personal flowers for 25 people and we used expensive flowers like calla lillies and orchids. I was very happy with her!

Here is one picture I have of the bouquet she made for me:

Kayla514

real vs. fake?
Real. Definitely

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
Paid someone. Considered the whole DIY thing... But decided it would be way too much to worry about on the day of the wedding.

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
I haven't had the wedding yet. Still deciding on centerpieces. Thinking of doing flowers on some tables.

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side business?
Budget?!
Simply Stated Elegance. Had the best price and she was super nice and knowledgeable about flower arrangements.

TriSaratops10

real vs. fake?
Real

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
paid someone

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
14 centerpieces + sweatheart table, bouquets/bouts for 8 attendants, 2 readers, 2 ushers, 2 grandparents, 2 parents, decorations for heritage/wedding certificate table.

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness?
Simply Stated Elegance- a professional who runs her business as a side business

Budget?!
$1100 for all flowers and flower-related costs.

tklund

real vs. fake
Real definitely! All gerbera daisies in the bouquets/bout's/corsages; centerpieces will have a variety of flowers

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them
Paying someone

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception
none for ceremony (outdoors)
25 centerpieces (3 different styles)
flowers for guest book table, cake table & placecard table
cake flowers
3 BM bouquets
3 GM & 2 usher bout's
various corsages/bout's (11 or so)
my bouquet
toss bouquet
flower for my hair

WHO is doing your flowers?
Just like Kayla & triSara: Simply Stated Elegance!  Love her and she does great work!  She does it as a side buisiness, but has great prices and has great ideas.  She also rents the vases for the centerpieces for $1 each; way cheaper than buying them all!

Budget
$770 for all of the above, including free delivery (mention the Knot!)

I Want Cake

real vs. fake
real all the way!  I am using some fake flowers for FG accessories since they're harder to destroy, but everything else will be real.

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them
Contracting someone.  I had thought of doing it myself, but although I'm also a big DIYer, I know my limitations and this is one of them.  I may have made some boutineers if I'd wanted roses, but I can't stand roses and tulips are way harder to work with

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception
4 bouquets
11 boutineers
2 corsages
2 aisle arrangements (recycled for reception) 
small groupings of bud vases on the banquet tables (about 75 of them)
10 dozen extra tulips for atrium tables

WHO is doing your flowers?
I'm another one using Simply Stated Elegance!  I really like that I can shop for the flowers with her and her labor/delivery rates are incredibly reasonable.  She's also given me some really great ideas I wouldn't have come up with on my own.

Budget
about $700 or so.  It may be a little higher, but not much.  I find it difficult to invest much of my budget in something that's going to die by the next day.

beka0404

- Real, paid Luna Vinca to do them

- Flower order consisted of my bouquet, 7 BM bouquets, 6 corsages, 14 bouts, two large altar arrangements, 1 guest book table arrangement (reception was decorated by Varsity Theater staff using their inventory of candelabras and other items)

- Budget was around $1500; LOVED the final product. Jennifer at Luna Vinca is fabulous!!

Steph0871

Tell me about your wedding flowers! um, they were amazing. My bouquet and DH's bout were calla lilies, the rest were daisies.

real vs. fake? all real.

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them? someone

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?

We had one big bouquet up front and then simple CPs

My bouquet (almost 30 callas)

14 bouts

10 corsages

3 BM bouquest

20 CPs

vase rental (4 for bouquets and 20 for CPs)

delivery

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness? Side business, but I'd still consider her 'professional'.  

Budget?! $600! It was 1/3 the other two quotes we received for the same exact flower requests.

Oh, and we went with Molly from Petals and Sprigs and Twigs. love love love.  I don't have all my pictures back yet, but here's one!

MaggieandJake

real vs. fake?

Both-we're doing all real flowers for the bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages

I'm doing fake flowers for my reception centerpieces.

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?

I am assembling the reception florals myself ahead of time and then paying my florist to set them up at the reception site.

All bouquets etc are being done by her as well.

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?

For the ceremony-not a lot, except for bridal party flowers. 

For the reception, we're doing 2 different center pieces; 1 high one (pomander atop a 30" pilsner with a drop crystal and uplighting), 1 low one (3 tiered cylinders of submerged orchids).

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side business?

Deven Nelson-and she is AMAZING!!  She totally get's my vision was very willing help me with my DIY centerpieces and stay within budget.  I also like that she's extremely knowledgable and passionate about flowers so she wasn't afraid to put in her 2 cents and give some constructive help with what I thought I wanted.

Budget?!

I told Deven that I wanted to stay around $800, less if possible.  She did that no problem.  Our final quote is $550

My bouquet-dutch blue hydrangeas, mini callas, orchids and white roses

4 Bridesmaids-calla lillies with blue rhinestone accents and a silver wrap

2 moms/grandmas (4 total)-orchid pin-on corsages

2 PA corsages-white roses

2 bouts for dads-calla lillies

1 bout for my bro-white rose

set up of my centerpieces and rental of vases ($100)

maybe984

- Real. I borderline loathe fake flowers.
- Paid someone.
- My ceremony site didn't need any decoration whatsoever; the bridal party bouquets were sufficient. The reception featured three different types of centerpieces: a high one perched atop ornate gold-leafed candle pillars, a basic low one, and one with submerged orchids. Both my bouquet and the first two CPs I mentioned were a combo of estelle roses, orange asiatic lilies, green hydrangeas, antique hydrangeas (they're a really cool purple/green combo), and orange gerbera daisies. The BM bouquets were 100% antique hydrangeas. I have a few pictures below:


my bouquet


one of the centerpiece varieties during set-up (the low ones were really similar...)


and here's one of my 'maids and I... because I couldn't find a couldn't find a good one of just the awesome BM bouquets...





- We used Intuitive Blooms. I llllooooved Lacey! Technically, it's a side business for her (most of the really talented wedding pros I've come across ironically have non-wedding-related day jobs) but she has extensive experience and really is a professional florist when it comes right down to it. From what I gather, she's just an overachiever who has about 3 different careers going at the same time ;-)

- The budget was originally negotiable... I just wanted to stay under $1000. I think we ended up coming in at about $800... maybe a smidgen more. For that $800, we got a TON of flowers... and I didn't have to compromise on any of my favorite flowers. I was pleased as punch!

JennyLange

real vs. fake?
Real

do it yourself vs. paying someone to do them?
Paying a company

how much did you use flowers for decorations for ceremony/reception?
We'll have: my bouquet, 3 BM bouquets, bouts and coursages (not sure on numbers yet), something for flower girl (not sure what yet).
Ceremony will probably be 2 altar/memorial arrangements, now I'm thinking about very simple pew decorations though...
Reception will have fresh floral centerpieces provided by the reception site

WHO is doing your flowers? Professional or someone with a side buisiness?
We're also using lboerner's mom's company: Forget-Me-Not Floral Events. She's great and so dedicated! We're going to the wholesaler with her and even FI is excited about it!

Budget?!
$600