Please help with my florist decision

[luvthemstrawberries]

So I am trying to make the decision on flowers. Here''s the thing... I realize people spend way more on flowers than these quotes every day, but I just have an issue deep down with paying this much money for something that literally wilts and dies within days. Sure, a few flowers are pretty and really liven up the space. But is it really worth this much? This is already fairly simple compared to most people''s flowers.

We''ve thrown around the idea of doing all the flowers ourselves, and I have every bit of confidence that Mom and I could make them look great - she''s awesome at this type of thing. But the wedding is almost 4 hours away, and we''re staying up there the night before and night of the wedding. They don''t offer refrigeration or storage/setup areas for you if you''re doing the flowers yourself, so they''d have to stay in our rooms I guess. I could even use silk arrangements - Mom did that for hers and loved it. Plus they last forever. The other big issue though is actually getting everything down to the venue - we''re staying on the estate''s grounds, but Mom will be helping the grandparents get ready and all. Our coordinator at the venue has already said they''re very willing to help set up whatever items we bring, since the wedding is so small. But I just don''t know exactly what would be too much to bring, haha.

I''ve got 2 florist quotes here... I''m leaning toward one just because I liked the lady a lot, she only does weddings and events like this (isn''t open to the public as a florist), she was very open to us bringing some of our own stuff and doing some things ourselves if we want, and she really got what I was going for (even though I know that never guarantees what you''re going to come out with until you actually see it the day of, haha).

Just a quick rundown of the layout, so you know what we need... everything is in the same room - a wine cellar, so it will be fairly dark, mostly lit with candlelight and very low chandeliers. There are 13 guests total, including us. So the ceremony chairs will be set up on one end of the room, and 3 bistro tables will be set up on the other side for appetizers/mingling immediately following the ceremony. We then leave on a winery tour while they switch out the room, and they''ll bring in a single 12''x5'' rectangle table with additional half-circle tables for the ends. The venue has ivory linens, and I have a beautiful eggplant runner with a black damask pattern that I found in a local store that we''ll use (fits with the color and designs).

Quote 1:
(wasn''t itemized - only the changes are itemized so I could see the cost changes)
- Bride''s bouquet (I''ve attached a photo that I showed as my inspiration)
- Groom''s boutonniere - either berry/winter pods or single calalily
- 4 low mounds of baby''s breath - line aisle, 2 on each side - will move to dinner table
- 22" baby''s breath wreath to hang on ceremony wall - $200
- 2 8" baby''s breath wreaths to hang on gate doors at entrance - $60
- 6 small vases of flowers similar to bouquet - sit on bistro tables, then move to dinner table to sit among baby''s breath mounds
- 3 additional vases of flowers (same as bullet above) - to make 3 on each bistro table - $30 each - $90
- single bloom tucked into each napkin
TOTAL: $950 (includes delivery and setup)

Quote 2:
(they did itemize)
- Bride''s Bouquet - $185
- Groom''s Bout - $16
- 2 small baby''s breath wreaths for gate doors - $45 each - $90
- 24" baby''s breath wreath for ceremony wall - $80
- 3 cocktail arrangements for bistro tables that reflect bouquet, one per table - $15 each - $45
- 4x 5" cubes and 8x 3" cubes of baby''s breath - for aisle and decorations, move to table - $195
- candles - 7 clusters of 5 pillar candles each for room''s ledge - $275
- single bloom on each napkin $40
Subtotal: $926 + $185 labor/deliver + $72 tax
TOTAL: $1183

The big difference with #2 is that we want to bring the candles ourselves, but they didn''t seem too open to letting us do all that ourselves - kind of like it''s something they''re putting their name on, and they don''t want the possibility of our work not being up to their standards or something I guess. #1 was fine with us bringing all the candles if we wanted to, and whatever else we wanted - she said she''d be glad to set up whatever we bring as well.

There are a few sticking points I have...
1) How is the cost of the baby''s breath wreath so different between the two? Couldn''t I make my own wreath for WAY cheaper? Couldn''t I even make a practice baby''s breath wreath PLUS the real one for cheaper?
2) Are candles really that expensive(#2)? Mom and I have already collected so many ourselves, and hardly spent any money on it!
3) Just the basic idea of dropping ~$1000 on FLOWERS. I''ve always loved having fresh flowers at home and what not, but all this money for flowers for a few hours... it''s something I''ve having a hard time coming to grips with. Maybe for the sake of my conscience, we should just make a few of our own, whether silk or real, and just be done with it...

Whew!! This is how I feel:

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Whoops... here is the flower photo:

 

[Clairitek]

Damn PS at my post!!

I can''t comment on whether or not those quotes are reasonable as I did DIY flowers. What I would suggest is to price everything out if you did it yourself. Or, perhaps you can have the bouquet and bout made professionally and make the decor items yourself since it seems that they are about 75% of the cost.

There are many websites that sell flowers to regular consumers wholesale. There are a few links to discussion about DIY flowers in the Biy DIY Threads stickied up in BWW.

Sams Club and other wholesale clubs also sell flowers in bulk. If you have a membership or know someone who does then that could help you out.

Heres a link to get you started on the hunt for lots of baby''s breath.

Lots O Baby Breath

 

[Gypsy]

Thoughts: Both sound pricey-- the labor and set up and delivery are close to what I paid for my flowers and I had 10 tables, 6 foot tall centerpieces that had to be assembled on site, a petal aisle and two HUGE ceremony pieces. Plus I'm in Nor Cal (land of the overpriced). Your bouquet is priced okay in the one itemized qoute-- those grape hyacynth are not cheap-- but it's not a deal either.I would ask how big the bouquet is going to be (10 inch is a standard dinner plate in circumference) to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

I would go with the florist that 'got you' the best and that you click with IF you've seen their portfolio and liked their work. Florists are artists (at least the good ones are) too, and some have materials they like to work with, and some don't. Also some get in higher quality materials than others. And some put more materials in each piece than others. Which can account for the pricing differences.

Personally, I hate working with baby's breath. So I'd upcharge for it. I'm not sure what going on there, but I'd ask the florist honestly. Just say: I had a couple of questions about your qoute: while many of your prices are in line with other qoutes I've gotten the wreath stands out as being considerably higher priced, is there a way we can reduce the costs without visual impact?

Another thought is... it's great to know what you want, but sometimes looking through a person's portfolio you get an idea for what they are good at doing, and what they are comfortable doing and if you ask for suggestions they have-- you can save quite a bit.

My sweetheart table arrangement was not something I had planned but when I was looking through my florist's portfolio I saw one she had donebefore and asked how much it would cost. It was a lot less expensive than what I had planned, more visually appealing, and not something I had seen before. Done deal.

I would get a couple more qoutes personally. And yes, it is silly that you can't take your own candles. I didn't chose to, but it was a matter of convenience for me. If you can get the candles to the florist in good time, there is no reason you can't bring your own, IMO.

Oh and as for the flowers at each place setting. I love love love the look, but I'd consider silk for those. Might save you a little, plus the venue can do it for you, hopefully free of additional charge.

 

[House Cat]

I think you certainly could make a baby''s breath wreath on your own. Do a trial run, then, let it set out to see how long it will live. From what I know, baby''s breath will live a really long time, so it should be something you can make two days ahead of time.

Better yet (because you can take them home) dried baby''s breath wreaths go for about $45 to $55 apiece, which is less than what you''ve been quoted and they are very beautiful.

One example of many that I found on the net. I would just make sure they are dried true to color. I think that means they''re freeze dried.

 

[doodle]

Granted, I''m in GA and our florist had amazing prices (she discounted the hell out of orchids just because she loved working with them, so we paid the same for those as we would have for roses, which are usually cheaper), but for $1500, we had a curtain of hand threaded orchids hanging from the ceiling where we got married, aisle runners of paper lanterns with hand-strung orchids hanging from the bottom, at least 10 submerged orchid table centerpieces, an orchid mantelpiece, bride''s bouquet, 6 bridesmaids'' bouquets, at least 5 corsages for assorted female relatives, at least 10 bouts, paper lanterns scattered around the rest of the property,9 gazillion candles, and a couple of other assorted items. The prices you listed sound high to me, especially considering that what you''re asking for sounds simple enough to do on your own. I''d figure out a way to DIY and save a buttload!

 

[Ibiddie]

As you said, people regularly spend more than this on flowers. However, it seems like an awful lot of money for a small wedding. I know prices vary based on where you live, but I''d get a few more quotes if possible and see if these are reasonable for your area. As already mentioned, check to see if substitutions would give the same feel for less money. A friend of mine had rose petals at her wedding, and as I recall, a box of just petals was pretty cheap, so you may want to consider just putiting a petal at the place setting rather than a bloom. Good luck!

 

[LilyKat]

The quotes include quite a lot of flowers - which is great if they're really important to you, but you shouldn't feel it's $1000 or nothing at all. We're planning to have just a bridal bouquet (which will be later placed on the cake table), centrepieces for the reception site, and that is it (and we're collecting ourselves the morning of, so no delivery charge). I'm not saying you need to be so minimal, but have you thought about skipping the flowers in the napkins, all those wreaths, etc? I don't tend to notice that sort of thing much at other peoples' weddings, though maybe that's just me.

Just to offer you an alternative!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

We did visit one more florist, but I already nixed them. They weren't very in tune with what I wanted, and were only pushing me to go way over the top and very extravagant. That's all I'll say about that. But their prices were even higher than the two I quoted (granted, probably because everything would have been more extravagant).

I've really been tossing around the DIY idea. My dad says not to do that, because he thinks it's worth the convenience of just paying someone for their time and work, plus they bring it all in, and we don't have to do anything but show up. But Mom is pretty open to us doing everything ourselves, as long as we could get it up there, which I could easily do in my SUV that weekend. Mom is really good at crafty things like this - she does wreaths and all sorts of bows and things around the holidays, and is always making plants look pretty around her house. The one thing we both don't know too much about is flower arrangements and bouquets, but I think we could find enough guidance and advice between PS and the rest of the internet to be able to do it ourselves.

Clairitek - That is a good idea, just to have the bouquet professionally done, and we do the rest. My mom does go to Sam's Club, and I go to BJs. I need to check out the DIY discussions on here and look at some of the websites that deliver flowers to regular consumers.

Gypsy - WOW you got quite the deal on flowers! Yeah this is just little ol' North Carolina. I did specify that I don't want an huge bouquet, and I want it to be on the smaller and tighter side. They both seemed to understand that, but I didn't get a specific dimension.
Yeah I wish there was an easier way to choose between these two - I thought about what you said - how some might just put more materials in a piece than others, or use different materials... but there's no way to know that! Ugh.
I have pretty much given both florists free reign with what they think would look best in the arrangements, because I don't know flowers well and am not particular about the types used. I just wanted them to have the soft look like the photo above, and they both offered many suggestions for blooms they'd use. The baby's breath was just a very soft and wintery look. Neither florist seemed phased by it, but I guess they're not going to tell me what they'd use instead, if anything, unless I ask.
Thank you for the advice!! I'm going to look into silk single blooms. Haha as if I don't have enough looking to do already!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

House Cat - I did think about doing a trial one on my own. I just don''t want to keep stringing along the florist like this - she keeps asking me if I want her to put me on her January schedule! Argh - is there a nice way to say I''m not ready to make that decision yet?
I can''t believe that wreath you posted is that inexpensive - it''s basically the same size as the ones the florists quoted!!

doodle - Yeah I''m in NC - I never figured they''d be this much, especially for such a small area. I really do want to DIY, just gotta make that leap I guess! It''s more the fear of what if whatever I do turns out horribly... haha maybe my backup plan should be to drive down to the local florist the day before if that happens and get a few ready-made arrangements, and just be ok with it.

I think I could do that.

Ibiddie - Hmm I never thought about petals instead of arrangements on the table... that''s an idea! Would definitely still bring in the colors that way. Thanks!

LilyKat - See, it really doesn''t seem like much flowers to me. The only flowers there are the bouquet, the bout, and the small vases for the bistro tables/dinner table. The rest is baby''s breath, which I''m still having a hard time understanding how it''s so expensive. Anyway... I have thought about downsizing. Or just supplementing the things we don''t want to pay for with something we could do ourselves. I certainly don''t need the napkin blooms - it was just a way to bring color to each setting, since there are so few of them. And I do like the idea of scattering a few petals or something on the table, instead of having the centerpieces, because they''re certainly not needed either. Neither are the wreaths for the gate. The only reason we thought about the large wreath was to be the primary ceremony decoration (well, the only one, really, besides candles). I just have a tough time visualizing these things, because I never really take much notice of this at other people''s weddings either. I guess I need to do some thinking...

... then just make a darn decision and go with it, haha!

 

[Gypsy]

I didn''t go for the least expensive florist, but I certainly didn''t go for the most expensive (which would have been double what I paid for the same thing I got!!) florist either. Flowers were top five in importance to me though so I did get a LOT of qoutes. Which helped me ballpark what I should be paying.

I don''t think you have a lot of flowers, but for 13 people, you have a nice amount. I love the wreath idea for the primary ceremony piece and frankly your pictures are going to be nearly all you have to show for the day afterward so you might as well dress them up as much as you can.

I do pay attention to flowers at a wedding, since I love them, and on my wedding day my flowers gave a real punch of joy every time I looked at them. Spend your money where your interest and attention will be and you''ll be happy.

Regarding your florists... have either of them done weddings in your space before? If so ask them to see the pics from those weddings and then ask them if it were their space and their budget was 700-800 (without compromising on the bouquet) what would they do for maximum visual impact, and what would they skip and how would they maximize value? Also, some florists have minimums for the weddings they will do, and may upcharge you to get you to that number. If their minimum is 1000 that might be way you are paying a bit more than your order seems to warrant.

As for candles. There are all sorts of ways to dress up candles. Vase gems (little colored glass beads) and flower petals are lovely (especially with a silk bloom at each place setting) ways to dress the candles. But if you want flower centerpieces and can afford them-- get them!

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Thank you for the advice Gypsy - we''ve done a lot of thinking on this, and we''re making our final decision today. There really is a lot of unnecessary stuff in there that we may be changing. I think what we''re leaning towards is booking the lady that''s willing to work with us more, and then I''ll ask her for some more advice about the space, like you said. She has worked down there in that space many times before and is very familiar with it and the venue staff as well.

 

[luvthemstrawberries]

Well guys, pdate... I went with the first lady that''s more willing to work with us. Still waiting on her email confirmation. I told her we''d get back with her on the specifics of the package. We still may just end up going with some very basic stuff with her, or try to make or find some other items ourselves.