5,200 dollars for florist

It's hard to give advice on this because personally flowers were so low on my priority list (we spent total $100 on flowers and it was just my bouquet and bridesmaid bouquets). But that is not to say it's not worth it for you... only YOU know how valuable they are to you. Do you have room for the $5200 in your budget? Can you cut something else to make room for the extra $2200? If you're willing to cut $2200 elsewhere and the flowers are more worth that money to you, I would say go for it if it will make you happy. But if it is going to cause you to go over your total budget then I would say no.

Our florist in Denver is costing around $3,000 and doing a lot. Has your florist shown you a proposal for your budget?

Probably not an option for you but I decided only to have bouquets done. The rest will be candles and lanterns. I couldn't justify the cost.

You know what is important to you. Personally, I could give less than one care about flowers and $5,200 is over the budget for my entire wedding. However, if it's important to you and you can afford it, do it up. Honestly though, it is likely flowers will be more important to you than for any of your guests. I'm with your dad. They'll just die. If you have extra money to spend, spend it on entertainment, food/alcohol. Good luck on your decision.

I guess just for reference we are going with a local florist who works from her house, so no rent for a store. We have my bouquet, 6 bridesmaid bouquets, toss bouquet, 10 boutonnieres, 4 corsages, flower girl crown, 30 small pew aisle flowers, 2 large alter arrangements, 25 centerpieces, 3 small arrangements for guestbook, cake, and gift table and cake flowers. All for about $6,500.

Have you spoken with any other florists, or is this the sole option for some reason? I don't have many local choices, so I found that they would sometimes up-charge due to the lack of competitive alternatives nearby.

Hopefully you can find a way to adjust things without compromising your vision!

Can you get a quote from another florist?

I would try and get a quote from another vendor if no contracts have been signed. That seems like a huge difference so cutting things out to me would mean cutting a lot out. We are doing our whole wedding for 2300.

Before the appointment with our florist I sent them examples of the looks we were going for and the amount we budgeted and asked them what they could provide within that budget. I think they came in a few hundred over. I would reach out and let them know what you were planning to spend and see what they can put together knowing the look you are going for. Never hurts to reach out to a couple more florists and do the same.

I'm guessing, in total, daughter had significantly less floral arrangements than you are looking for, BUT by comparison shopping, she saved $1000 on what she wanted. After the first estimate, which was over budget by about 30%, she kept looking and found an awesome florist who could do everything the first florist had given her an estimate for -- AND MORE -- for $1000 less ($1700 vs $2700). And, she LOVED the second florist SO MUCH. She had a great attitude and was absolutely a "problem solver." So, before I'd agree to a 75% increase in the floral budget, I'd be sure to do some comparison shopping.

I know exactly the pain you're in. I had a quote come back for $12,000 from one of the florists I had a consultation with. I never imagined that florists could be so expensive considering that in all reality flowers are the one thing that won't make it past the evening. I feel like the markup on them is high.

It's tough because flowers definitely add to a wedding but at the same time it's hard justifying spending so much on something that simply won't last past that evening. I think it's best to find a middle ground, see if you could go for smaller centerpieces, maybe mix highs and lows, and etc. Also sometimes using specific flower over another may be more expensive so see if you find any flowers that are more cost effective but still give the right overall feel. I learned a lot about the insane prices of orchids and definitely had to make compromises.