Florist: Where to get the most for your money?

clb112481 · January 2010

Hi,

I am looking for a florist in RI that will do a great job but give me alot for my money. Any suggestions? Thank you!

eacosta1120 · January 2010

I highly suggest Florals By Alisa. They are two friends that work out of their home so they have less overhead than most florists-this means more bang for your buck. Their quote for me was at least $1000 less than the same flowers from Jeff and Co, StoneBlossom and Golden Gate. They are also extremely easy to work with, responsive with emails, and help with suggestions for saving money (like using your BM bouquets to decorate the sweetheart or cake table and reusing your ceremony flowers for the reception etc.)
http://www.floralsbyalisa.com/intro.htm

Karara · January 2010

Definately Florals by Alisa! I just booked them today!

Sharpbride · January 2010

Golden Gate is wonderful! Jay gave me a price (before I gave him my budget). He asked if that would work. When I said no, he dropped it without dropping any of the flowers. He also makes sure to re-use flowers. An example, my stone urns I am using for my garden ceremony will be moved into the carriage house for my reception. Same thing with the pomanders I am having to line my aisle.

kc25winnie · January 2010

I am using The Flower Girls in Warwick, and I am getting a ton for my money!

SummerBoston10 · January 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.weddings.com/Sites/Weddings/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_rhode-island_florist-money?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:122Discussion:a2f27afc-f517-4973-8d06-970d54de421dPost:e1050fa2-c954-414c-b146-2f45a576354f">Re: Florist: Where to get the most for your money?</a>:
[QUOTE]Golden Gate is wonderful! Jay gave me a price (before I gave him my budget). He asked if that would work. When I said no, he dropped it without dropping any of the flowers. He also makes sure to re-use flowers. An example, my stone urns I am using for my garden ceremony will be moved into the carriage house for my reception. Same thing with the pomanders I am having to line my aisle.
Posted by Sharpbride[/QUOTE]

See I have a problem with vendors who do business like that. I met with Winstons and they lowered my quote by 25% just because I told them their proposal was over my budget. Winstons lost my business because of this. What if his original quote had been within your budget....you would be blatantly overpaying!!

I am using Toni Chandler. While she may not be the cheapest florist, she brings a lot of design talent to the table which in and of itself will go a long way and give you more bang for your buck. I thought her prices were very fair and if something is over budget she doesn't lower the price without dropping flowers, she gives ideas to get the same/similar result for less money.

I was supposed to meet with Jeff & Co. but he left the spot we were meeting at before the meeting time he suggested. But, I did get to see his finished product at a wedding at the Hyatt and I didn't bother rescheduling. His arrangements each individually were nice but they were way too busy together. While it is true that his client may have asked for these arrangements, in my opinion it is a florists job to direct you to a great design based on the discussions you have with them. They should know better than you right since they are the expert? That is why I think not focusing all on the specific dollar amount and more on what you get as a whole package is very important.

spfclr · January 2010

I used LiRog in Providence based on a recommendation. They did a beautiful job and worked well in my budget. I didn't get other quotes so can't say for sure how cheap they were compared to others, but I spent less than $1500 and felt like I got a ton.

livelaughlove717 · January 2010

I second The Flower Girls.
She was more reasonable then the other florists I met with. She has a lot of great ideas, and she loves what she does, it shows.
She recently did a mockup centerpiece for me, and I loved it. I can't wait to see how everything comes together on my wedding day.

RoyalOrient · January 2010

The reason why a florist lowers a quote isn't always because the original quote is blatantly overpriced. A florist like Golden Gate has been known to go above and beyond to make their client's happy. That's why their popularity on this board has grown so much. I know. I've been stalking this board for awhile and I've seen more Golden Gate brides than any other florist shop in R.I. Florals by Alisa come in a close second. Both create beautiful wedding day flowers and are very budget friendly. Winston Flowers on the hand is a high end floral boutique on Newbury Street. With that said, I can understand their overhead charges are sky high. And the delivery cost, is it a flat rate or based on distance? Any flower shop based in Boston is going to cost more than a florist based in say Cranston, R.I. Personally I could not afford Winston or even Toni Chandler, same can be said about Stoneblossom, Flowers by Semia and Sayles Livingston. I know they create beautiful artistic extraordinary wedding day flowers but I like to think I can get what I want for a much lower quote. I know. I've met with Sayles and for the same EXACT flowers I got a much lower quote from Golden Gate and another florist, Colors in Swansea, MA. And I'm still shopping around to see if I can get a better quote somewhere else. It doesn't hurt to try.

Sharpbride · January 2010

My best friend used Golden Gate at her wedding and her flowers were beautiful and lasted weeks afterwards. Knowing this, reading the dozens of recs from this board, and understanding the business of negotiation, I do not feel like the first quote was blatantly overpriced. In fact, it was much lower than other florists I had heard of/found in the RI area. I negotiated to work under my budget. I wanted a deal--and Jay, being a smart business person, gave it to me. One of the first things you read about regarding booking vendors is negotiation. As the bride, you want the most bang for your buck. As the vendor, they want your business--and ideally for you, the bride, to have great service so you can pass along their name. A part of great service means giving you what you want for a price you want. Golden Gate did that for me. Would you walk into a dealership and pay the sticker price for a car? Most likely, no.

aylee · January 2010

I inquired with Florals by Alisa, Golden Gate, and Toni Chandler. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. I've posted my planning reviews on all three including price comparisons at http://www.ayleebits.com/2010/01/26/looking-for-a-florist/

[Deleted User] · January 2010

I'm using Sayles Livingston who is a talented artist as well as willing to work within any budget!

http://www.sayleslivingstonflowers.com/

good luck!

526SadieSadie · January 2010

I'm another Golden Gate bride, Jay is fantastic. When he was going over what he had in mind, I was literally afraid to look at the price tag, but I was completely pleasantly surprised when I did look! I cannot recommend him enough!

jlsimon56 · January 2010

We used Florals by Alisa and I was completely blown away by all the flowers we got, with what I realize now is a SMALL floral budget. I think FbA is more creative than GG.

Definitely find ways to reuse flowers. Use your BMs' bouquets as centerpieces - just have empty vases ready for their bouquets to get plopped into! Or use them to put on your cake table. Reuse ceremony arrangements at the reception. Or nix ceremony arrangements altogether! (That's what we did.)

fitnessgirl630 · January 2010

Another Golden Gate Bride here:) I used Golden Gate because I saw at 2 different weddings how amazing their work is.
The price, customer service and final product has made them my fave vendor.

DansBride52911 · January 2010

aylee, your comparison chart is fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to break that down and share with other brides to be!

If I wasn't a bride that comparison shopped, I'd have booked GG on the spot. Their service and enthusiasm combined with their glowing reviews makes them one of the most saught after florists in the RI wedding industry. I did not meet with Jay...it was another one of the women that works there. She was so excited for my day and shared her creative visions with me along with several ways to save money. So, while I'm still in the comparison stage, I am pretty sure I'm going with GG.

SummerBoston10 · January 2010

Aylee, I found your comparison to be very interesting. Have you decided who to go with yet or are you waiting to see some samples?

Toni actually mentioned to me that she knows she got some bad reviews for email communication so she hired an assistant to help her. She said she hates that part of the job so this allows her to focus all of her time on the actual client meetings and design of the events.

Dicaps55 · January 2010

We used Florals by Alisa & I couldnt have been happier with their work & pricing! They were the 1st & only florist we met with!

birdy7797 · January 2010

Somone just recommended The Flower Girls to me I will be interested to hear how you liked your flowers!
Aylee, Thanks for the comparioson chart!

aylee · January 2010

I'm glad my comparison chart helped

.

Becky... Yes, we decided to go with Florals by Alisa.

Florist: Where to get the most for your money?

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