How many florists did you meet with?

Liss1485 · December 2011

Hello everyone! I want to start by saying I have lurked on the board for a long time but I have just recently began posting things! I really love this board, everyone is so helpful and sweet!!

So on to my question:

I know noting about flowers, florists, or prices. I know I should meet with more than one florist before making a decision on one, but how many should I meet with? I am not sure what the standard is, and especially since I do not know a thing about florists I wouldn't know what prices are good, bad etc. How many did you all meet with before picking one???

Thanks!

HarperBargo · December 2011

Hi and welcome!

We met with 3. I scheduled the first 2 before making the 3rd appointment. I really liked the first florist we met with and thought we would go with her. However, communication was horrible and I had to follow everything up and even getting the quote was pulling teeth. The second florist seemed to aloof. She just didn't seem sure of herself. I decided to make a third appointment and I loved her. I liked that she gave me a rough quote on the spot. She understood working in our budget and had great ideas. I would like to add that all 3 quotes were roughly in the same ball park.

I don't know much about flowers either but I read some info online and got some advice through TK. I looked for pictures that I liked and I asked what it would cost to get something similar. Florists are going to know which flowers that are cheaper, in season, and what goes together. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

gregamywedding · December 2011

I only met with one. I was planning on meeting with one other, but the one I met with made feel like she was in my head and new exactly what I wanted. Their price was also with in my budget so I just went with them. I think 2 -3 is the standard though.

diamondx423 · December 2011

I only met with one. I wasn't picky about the flowers and her quote came in on budget so we booked.

acaponi87 · December 2011

I can help with this one!

My florist was probably the vendor that stressed me out the most, simply because I had NO IDEA of what to expect, what to expect to pay, what I wanted., etc

We ended up meeting with 2 florists, both of which I had gotten as recommendations from our ceremony/reception site. One was a small company w/just like 2 girls running it and the 2nd was a larger chain store in the area. The first florist we fell in love with. She had great ideas, was very inquistive about our wedding style, about us, etc. Truly wonderful to work with.

The 2nd florist (chain store) made me want to die. She didn't even introduce herself or ask my FI's name (he was at the appointment). We tried to tell them what we had discussed with the other florist so we could accuartely compare prices but that proved to be impossible because the chain wouldn't/couldn't even get half the flowers we had discussed with the other florist. I left feeling very unsure of what kind of flowers we would even be using. However our quote was about $400 cheaper.

I was heartbroken. So I talked to the first florist and she gave me lots of options to get us within budget. I'd reccommend being up front about your budget. Talk to people in your area to get a general idea of what to expect with price. Obviously it will depend on things like what kind of flowers you want to use, how many people are in your bridal party and how many guests you have (if they will be in charge of centerpieces). Go with whatever florist you have a good feeling about. Ask for recommendations from brides in your area. We ended up paying a lot more but we are very confident that we will have EXCELLENT service and beautiful, unique flowers.

Good luck!

Mustardseed8910 · December 2011

I just started posting on this board after a bit of lurking too!

I only met with one florist because I work for a church and had seen his work already. I heard only positive things about him and since there was the personal connection of knowing people who know him I got a good deal. Maybe check and see if your venue has any suggestions. They deal with florists all the time so if they are able to give out the information, it might be a step in the right direction. Also if you have a family or neighborhood church see where they get their flowers. They usually know where to get the best deals!

I researched a lot of prices online, but it is hard because they change based on geography, season, flower choice, etc. I would pick a florist who is completely open to working with your budget. Mine asked me to be candid about what I could afford and is working to give me the most for my money by offering suggestions of seasonal flowers and such.

Good luck!

ncd5015 · December 2011

I only met with one. They did my sister's wedding and my parent's wedding 32 years ago! I like their stuff and they're reasonably priced.

daria24 · December 2011

I met with 3: two brick and mortar florist stores and a third woman who buys everything wholesale and then works out of her home.

If you have a chance to meet with someone who isn't part of a shop it's a great way to see what things "actually cost" because they don't have a huge overhead they have to build into their pricing. And if that quote is close to the brick and mortar quotes, then you know you are getting a fair price.

Luckily all three had very similar price points so the important deciding factor for me is who I felt most comfortable with. The first shop I went to, they expected me to dictate every single thing. I'm not an expert! I want someone who can take what I like and prefer and have their own ideas to show me. It should be a collaboration.

Also, if you like one florist more than the others, but they are more expensive, don't be afraid to ask what they can do to lower the cost (ie, you are saying my center pieces will cost $50 each, what could you do to lower that to $40 each).

mbishop7 · December 2011

I've met with three.

The first was a lovely hometown shop and the lady was so friendly. We actually used a picture in a state magazine that was from their store! It's my bouquet inspiration and I love it SO much. I know NOTHING about flowers and she was very knowledge and I know they do a lot of weddings in the area. Their price was about 1,000 (middle in the three we talked with).

The second was an awful chain store. The lady (who I now think wasn't the usual one) seemed like she had no clue what she was doing, wrote everything down on like this little bity piece of paper. I wondered if she even had space to write everything we needed. Their price was waaaay more than the first store even though she offered to make it less by showing us different flowers.

The last guy was from another hometown store who wins lots of awards all over the state. He came 300 less than the first person and seems so knowlegable about flowers. We'll be using them for sure.

Zimsgirl · December 2011

We meet with ours tomorrow but we've had them booked for a while. I love them and they did my cousins wedding and flowers for my grandpas funeral. They are the best in town and have been great with emailing me back on quotes

Danidawn20 · December 2011

I only meet with one. I talked to others at Bridal Expos, but found mine through a recomendation of the reception site

Jean6912 · December 2011

Fi and I met with 4 florists, before we picked the second one we met with. We only met with four because of suggestions and recommendations. The first we met with was the perfered vendor florist from the hall, the second is a florist who I occasionally buy flowers from, the third was suggested by fmil, and the fourth was a florist that was reccomened by six different people. We ultimately went with our florist (the 2nd one we met with) because their selection of flowers are great and fresh, the price is reasonable, and the owner really took time to talk to us and find out what WE wanted. He also figured out how to give us the look we wanted at a lower price by swapping some really expensive flowers for ones that were cheaper but looked almost the same.

jaime10285 · December 2011

I'm meeting with 3 next week when I'm in CT for the holidays. To help us set a budget of what we wanted to spend I used these 3 websites. However, I know cost of flowers (like anything) can vary greatly across the country.

http://www.amazoniaflowers.com/Bridal-Bouquets_c_37.html
http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/budget/average-wedding-costs-connecticut-00000000006665/index.html
http://www.citylineflowers.com/trumbull-florist/Wedding-Flowers.asp

peachykeen26 · December 2011

I contacted 3 or 4. And met with 2.

I went with the 2nd choice. They were awesome.

Carebear62584 · December 2011

We met with 2. Before meeting with any I asked friends/family/girls on my local board for recommendations. I also asked my photographer for recommendations. Like you, I was completely clueless, know nothing about flowers, didn't know what colors to go with blue, etc. The only thing I did know was that we didn't want flowers in our centerpieces because to us, flowers were least important. We are getting married in the garden of our venue in front of a waterfall. I think there's enough flowers there!

It turns out the first florist we met with was the mother of one of my high school friends. I never knew his mom was a florist. We absolutely loved her and many people had recommended her. When we were writing up a contract it came in a little above where we wanted and she told us that there would definitely be places we could cut such as the flowers we use, size of the bouquets, etc. After we went home that night I found a bouquet I really liked so I e-mailed her and told her my thoughts to see her opinion. She said it would definitely come in lower than the original budget.

We already had an appointment with another florist that my cousin used for his wedding. My aunt swore by them so we figured we would meet with them. It was a small little flower shop. She brought us in the cooler to see what flowers were in season and told us we could wait til 2 weeks before the wedding to sign a contract (made me nervous). As much as I told her I had no idea what I wanted she wouldn't help me come up with ideas. Also, even though there were 4 other people in the shop, when the phone rang she answered it without saying "excuse me" or anything to us. We just didn't like her professionalism.

We ended up going with florist #1. When I started my new job in September one of the teachers I worked with had a son getting married in October. They were using her as well. And the reading consultant that I work closely with has a son getting married and they are also using the same florist.

sanfranciscoeve · December 2011

I'm like you with flowers. I met with 2 florists and it was an easy decision. Even if you don't know much about flowers, I think you'll find that you'll know pretty quickly whether you like a florist's work and if his/her personality meshes well with yours. Check multiple sources for reviews online if you can. That's pretty much it!

MoonlightSilver · December 2011

I met with two florists, but only because my mother was concerned that I only planned to meet with one. I know quite a bit about flowers, so between my knowledge and the recommendations of my local board, I picked out a florist before meeting anyone (I did the same thing with my photographer).

Carebear62584 · December 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2012-weddings_many-florists-did-meet?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:3ae4d68d-f10a-4dec-8810-da13c14a7b86Discussion:a9f4e9c6-5879-45ae-b971-d643aa628357Post:d5fd1216-325a-414a-9081-cacaa2926349">Re: How many florists did you meet with?</a>:
[QUOTE]I met with two florists, but only because my mother was concerned that I only planned to meet with one. I know quite a bit about flowers, so between my knowledge and the recommendations of my local board, I picked out a florist before meeting anyone <strong>(I did the same thing with my photographer).</strong>
Posted by MoonlightSilver[/QUOTE]

Haha, same with us!!!! Guess we just have the best photographer out there! My cousin used Jerome in 2008 and even though I didn't know FI then I just knew that when I got married I wanted him to be my photographer so I checked his availability before checking my venues. Who did you go with for a florist?

Shanee18 · December 2011

I met with two to discuss our ideas and prices. They were both super affordable and understood what we wanted so we didn't feel the need to look further.

L&J2012 · December 2011

I met with two. The first one played off of my preferences and gave me great ideas. Plus, she was able to give me a quote right then and there! The second one pretty much took the exact ideas I had given her (not the worst, but I didn't have that great of an idea as to what I wanted). Her quote came at least a week later and was $400 more expensive than the other one. So, I chose the first one!

I'd suggest meeting with at least 2, so that you can compare pricing and quality. Good luck!

Liss1485 · December 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_june-2012-weddings_many-florists-did-meet?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:3ae4d68d-f10a-4dec-8810-da13c14a7b86Discussion:a9f4e9c6-5879-45ae-b971-d643aa628357Post:a3780bef-e48f-45c1-a0f7-0bc16c2cbf17">Re: How many florists did you meet with?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm meeting with 3 next week when I'm in CT for the holidays. To help us set a budget of what we wanted to spend I used these 3 websites. However, I know cost of flowers (like anything) can vary greatly across the country. <a href="http://www.amazoniaflowers.com/Bridal-Bouquets_c_37.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazoniaflowers.com/Bridal-Bouquets_c_37.html</a> <a href="http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/budget/average-wedding-costs-connecticut-00000000006665/index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/weddings/budget/average-wedding-costs-connecticut-00000000006665/index.html</a> <a href="http://www.citylineflowers.com/trumbull-florist/Wedding-Flowers.asp" rel="nofollow">http://www.citylineflowers.com/trumbull-florist/Wedding-Flowers.asp</a>
Posted by jaime10285[/QUOTE]

Thank you! The sites were helpful on prices!!

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I am glad I am not the only one out there who doesn't know much about flowers! I will make sure to meet with 2-3 I think, that way I can get a feel for what each can do with my budget.

hlzander · December 2011

We met with 3 florists.

How many florists did you meet with?

Re: How many florists did you meet with?

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