Can you hire a florist to arrange the flowers you provide yourself?

That's what I'm doing. Most florists won't do it, but once you find one who will, hire them and get a contract in place.

My florist does. We're not doing it, but she mentioned another bride who purchased all her own flowers and just hired the florist to arrange. She has a really small operation - so she's more flexible, I'm sure. I would look into small 1-2 person shops as they may be more willing.

Unfortunately my uncle and I are not close and I'm surprised he's letting me buy such cheap flowers from him, so I don't want to push it. Thanks for all your advice! I'm hopeful I'll find someone nearby to arrange for me

You'll probably find that most florists will want to use their own flowers that they purchased from a wholesaler they trust, that the florist can prep properly and keep them at proper temps until time to arrange them.

The florist's reputation is on the line. If you provide him/her with flowers that are not of good quality, the florist is the one who takes the rap.

Maybe you can ask the florist to order the flowers through your uncle and take delivery of them? That way, you get the discounted price from your uncle and the florist has control of the flowers to make sure they are kept at correct temps.

You'll probably need to find a small local florist. If not, are any of your BMs, mom or FMIL creative and willing to be tasked with it? Could your uncle do it since flowers are his business?

I had a feeling storage might be an issue.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who would be up to the task of doing all the flowers and manage to do a half decent job. Plus I have control issues and I'm not sure I'd be okay leaving someone inexperienced to do something so important to me. Thankfully the wedding is in 2016 so I have lots of time to figure out a solution!

Would you be willing to share the name of your florist and location? Thanks