Fresh Affairs-flower budget

jmp0930 · July 2010

Lets talk about money. So ive been developing a budget for everything...dj..reception gifts, etc. I heard that Fresh Affairs was the place to go for my flowers..I also heard that they were super expensive. I love flowers:peonies(not in season for my wedding, calla lillies, gerbera daisies, hydrangeas..etc. So whats a good budget for flowers? I don't want to go overboard but I do want some tall centerpieces and some really nice flowers. Should I tell them 1500-2000 or 3000-4000? I don't know how much is reasonable with them and get all the flowers that I need.

ashstwrt · July 2010

I kind of....didn't have a budget. I mean my plan was just "as low as you can go, without sacrificing quality". So I really can't help in that department. BUT, I did want to say that (in my professional opinion after meeting with 2 different florists - haha), Fresh Affairs isn't "super expensive." I met with a lady who owned her own company, and she was really great and I was going to use her as my florist (thinking she'd be way cheaper than the famous Fresh Affairs), but when I compared price quotes from her and Fresh Affairs, I almost DIED. Fresh Affairs was SO MUCH CHEAPER. I decided it's because they have good relationships with flower distributors and they give them so much business or something. (I don't know this for a fact. I just guessed.) Oh, also, when I met with florists, I showed them LOTS of pictures of flowers that I liked and listed specific flowers that I absolutely HAD to have at the wedding. Then, they made up a quote and we went from there. You can have really nice flowers in the bouquets, but just make the bouquets a little smaller, etc to save $$.

jmp0930 · July 2010

I have a meeting with Lyn and Linda next week so im bringing lots of pictures and hopefully it won't be too bad. Im not sure what to expect but im guessing they can work with my budget. Thanks Ashley!

tarheelbabs · July 2010

Thanks for that info. I've been dragging my feet horribly on the florist issue. Wanting cool flowers, but being concerned about the amount we've budgeted for them. Even today, I've been online looking at mixing in some alternating centerpieces--lanterns, etc.--to stretch that part of the budget. Guess it's time to bite that bullet!

wlfpkbride · July 2010

I met with Lyn and he was wonderful. I didn't really know exactly what I wanted , I just knew the types of flowers I wanted so I told him that. My quote was 2K and that was way too much for me. I never cared a lot about flowers so I didn't want to spend much money one them. I did my own CPs (not flowers) & altar arrangements. I had the Whole Foods florist do our bouquets and bouts. I was very happy with them & I spent about $300 on all our flowers. We got a videographer instead and I'm glad we did.

If flowers are super important to you I think Lyn is a wonderful choice.

meredithl618 · July 2010

Fresh Affairs is not super expensive. They work with what you give them, so if you give them $1500 they'll make it work out great, if you give them $4000, you'll be blown away. I say, just start what you're comfortable with. Then, they will write up a plan for you with the breakdown of costs and you can tweak from there. Like if you think the centerpieces would need different flowers or bigger, you could increase that. Or if you think bridesmaids bouquets are too expensive, you could make them less or change the flowers.

We met with Lyn multiple times and I emailed him so many times, debating on flower choices and numbers etc. So, don't worry. As long as you tell them what you're thinking, you'll be fine. I know in my first meeting with him we didn't talk about price that much because he does a lot of work before the first proposal to figure out how much everything will be. It's more about what kind of design/flowers you want and where your overall budget will fall.

BTW, I also shopped around and found that price-wise, they were very close with another florist that I looked at.

I totally recommend Fresh Affairs, they were one of my favorite vendors.

Lyn is such an artist and if you ask for his advice, he wont hesitate to say if he thinks reducing price, size, changing flowers will be detrimental. So, just give him all of your ideas and then kind of go backwards from there if the price is too high for your comfort.

elizabethb3511 · July 2010

Here in Charlotte I don't think the Florists know how to give you a quote within your budget! Each quote I've received has been at least $500 more than I explicitly told them in the appt. Good luck!!!

CJ4578 · July 2010

My budget was (is) 2K- I told Rachael from Tre Bella, and then we started talking about the flowers I wanted. I had in mind particular "budget" flowers and flowers that I thought were out of my reach (orchids, callas.) I fortunately mentioned this to Rachael who informed me that they could definitely do some orchids and callas in the bouquets and stick to my budget. I ended up getting every single thing I dreamed/wanted for about $600 less than my original budget.

Just for size-reference though, my wedding is about 75ish people. (91 invited.)

So, other than a plug for Tre Bella (SOOO amazing) I just want to say, talk with the florist about your dream flowers AND set a budget, that way they can either tell you your dream flowers are within your reach- yay!- or suggest equally awesome flowers that are budget-friendly.

jmp0930 · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_north-carolina_fresh-affairs-flower-budget?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:115Discussion:d2866a91-dbf2-4758-b4ac-9ac20988ac31Post:16cf65b1-f74a-4de5-b4c6-5258118840a9">Re: Fresh Affairs-flower budget</a>:
[QUOTE]My budget was (is) 2K- I told Rachael from Tre Bella, and then we started talking about the flowers I wanted. I had in mind particular "budget" flowers and flowers that I thought were out of my reach (orchids, callas.) I fortunately mentioned this to Rachael who informed me that they could definitely do some orchids and callas in the bouquets and stick to my budget. I ended up getting every single thing I dreamed/wanted for about $600 less than my original budget. :) Just for size-reference though, my wedding is about 75ish people. (91 invited.) So, other than a plug for Tre Bella (SOOO amazing) I just want to say, talk with the florist about your dream flowers AND set a budget, that way they can either tell you your dream flowers are within your reach- yay!- or suggest equally awesome flowers that are budget-friendly.
Posted by CJ4578[/QUOTE]

Awesome! I actually contacted them today. My budget is around 2000 as well. I want to stick to that if I can. I have about 100 guest. I was thinking I could have the florist do my reception pieces and I can do my own bouquets and bouts..i'll see if it works out. I love calla lillies, orchids, peonies, etc. so im hoping I can get it all within my budget. Thanks for the recommendation!

LBM7189 · July 2010

I met with Fresh Affairs because I met with Lyn and loved him, but we did not see eye to eye on what I wanted for my wedding and his quote was alot more expensive than I had budgeted. I shopped around with florist because I wanted someone that could see was I was dreaming of. I went with Victorian Seasons in Apex. The lady that owns the florist is JoLynn, and she was amazing! I even made last minute changes 2 days before the weddding and it was no problem at all. I got everything I asked for and it was about $600 less than I had budgeted. Just shop around and get different quotes and make sure you are comfortable. Clearly a florist that was amazing for so many other girls was wrong for me, and I had heard they were the best too. Keep your options open. Flowers is one place I wanted to save money, because, well, they die in a few days! Here is my bouquet

onlyncsu · July 2010

Another vote for Lyn and Fresh Affairs. He and Michael are TOP NOTCH! You will not be disappointed if you use them.

And as an aside, my personal recommendation is if you have to scale back, cut back on the reception flowers not your bouquets. You will be holding your flowers in nearly all of your photos, especially of you and your new husband, when walking down the aisle, etc. You'll be looking at those flowers for the rest of you life. Make sure you LOVE them.

jmp0930 · July 2010

Thanks for all the feedback girls!!! I am def meeting with Lyn next week from Fresh Affairs but I plan to keep my options open and I have time so im not gonna rush it.

dancr214 · July 2010

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I just want to say that yes, Fresh Affairs does amazing work, but I have had friends use them and what they talked to Lyn about was not what they received on their wedding day. I talked to this with my wedding planner and other vendors when I got married and they all said the same thing. Just beware. They are fantastic when you let them do what you want, but they will do what they want if they don't like your vision. Just make sure you get SPECIFICS in your contract.

onlyncsu · July 2010

^ I didn't have that experience at all.

CJ4578 · July 2010

JMP, awesome! Glad I helped.

I don't have experience with Fresh Affairs and I am sure they're wonderful, I just literally hands-down love Tre Bella.

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