Do I really need a florist?

You don't need a florist, but that means that there is another "thing" that you need to take care of the day of your wedding. It adds to the stress, but saves you money. I freelance as a florist and I am still hiring somebody to do my flowers because I don't want the stress.

Initially, I was going to do a florist until I saw the prices for what I wanted. For the last 5 months (we've been engaged for 7) the plan was DIY, first fake, then real from Sam's club. Last Saturday FH convinced me to price out a florist because I'm not going to have time to do the bouquets- I'm getting a new job and can only take 3 days off. So, we got a quote for under $600, and we are going with it! It is one less thing I have to worry about the day before.

Check out Sam's Club, Costco, and fiftyflowers.com for bulk flowers. A lot of people on the forums have used these places for their DIY flowers.

I bought all of our real flowers wholesale and just found someone to do the arrangements

I'm wondering about this myself. I looked at fiftyflowers.com and the prices seem really reasonable

ie. $600 for 500 roses. Only thing is that some of them have thorns/foliage that would need to be removed. Costco also has a lot of great options and even have packages of centerpieces and bouquets, etc. that are already done. My sister-in-law got bulk from a florist friend and the day before the bridesmaids helped put them together. She also did the bouquets and boutonnieres.

Personally, I'm leaning toward a mix of using Costco (maybe for the bouqets, etc.) and bulk flowers of orchids - not nearly as much prep work to get them ready.

All that being said FH still wants me to see how much it would all cost at a florist.

I would say if this is something you are good at go for it. It will be something you have to do that morning. I am not crafty but I am having a family member put things together and buying flowers in bulk. So having someone help may be the best option.

If you do them yourself consider which type of flowers you use. Calla Lilies seem to come together pretty easily. There was also a post not too long ago from a bride who used Sam's Club flowers and they were beautiful and seemed reasonably priced.

No one

needs a florist, but I think they're great if you can afford it. It just depends on what aspects of your wedding take top priority. I love big floral arrangements, so a good florist was important to me when I picked out my vendors. If you think you can DIY centerpieces and bouquets without too much stress (I'd personally go insane), then I think you should go for it!

Also, I don't think you should rule out going with a florist until you've gotten quotes from them. Come up with a maximum amount that you're willing to spend on flowers, go to a few florists with that number, and see what they can come up with. You might be able to find someone that can execute your vision for nearly the same cost as if you had done it yourself.

Flowers are definitely towards the bottom of my list. However, the venue that we are leaning towards is beautiful but a blank canvas so I feel like I might need a few more flowers than I would have originally cared for (I was thinking small bouquets for my 3 bridesmaids and myself and just incorporate a flower here and there in the centerpieces). I looked at fiftyflowers and the combo pack I like is within the price I would be want to spend on flowers, under $200 (I know, I know that's crazy). I'll have to look into Sam's Club and Costco. Thanks, everyone!

Nope, you need wire and ribbon and flowers. done and done. whole foods and wholesale florists are your best bet, whole foods because they carry crazy unique flowers, and wholesalers because you can buy a box of 100 roses for 100 bucks( the retail price being 20$ for a dozen, usually). And dont forget Costco!!

No one needs a florist. I was going to do my own centerpieces, but when it came down to it I realized it was going to mean more work and stress the day before and the day of the wedding. I was able to do a mock up myself of flowers and then found a florist who would do the arrangements within the realm of my mock up. Now I don't have to worry about it.

We didn't use a florist. H used to work in a flower shop and he assured me that arranging flowers wasn't difficult. I will say that it was tedious. I was so concerned because we used white roses and I thought they'd get brown if we arranged them the day before. It wasn't really an option for us to do them the day of because we had a 10:00 am ceremony. So, we had a flower arranging party before the rehearsal dinner the day before the wedding and it turned out the flowers lasted very well just in our regular refrigerator (I know with the research I was doing I saw that some people were saying you need a special floral cooler--not true.) We picked up the flowers the Wednesday before the wedding, cut them under warm water as soon as we got them home, then put them in a 5 gallon bucket in the fridge, making sure all the leaves were cut so that none of them touched the water (I forget why, I think because leaves collect pesticides and that turns the flowers faster or something). In the end, it saved us about $800 (in the Pittsburgh market) to buy wholesale and arrange them ourselves. You can totally do it, but it is tedious and I recommend making sure you have someone helping you especially if you have small hands.

I am all for the do-it-yourself-er, but when it comes to fresh flowers, you should at least consider hiring a professional. Here's why: Many brides do not want the hassle of dealing with this the day before their wedding. Cold Storage, hydration, and extending the life of the bloom may become an issue; especially if you are having to do several bouquets, and centerpieces at once. The other issue is the chance you take that the flowers may brown or die before the actual wedding depending on how old they are, and when you arrange them, and the type of flowers you use. Not to mention the help and sheer time that is involved in getting everything not only made, but in its proper place. Finally, do you really want to wait till the night before to find out that you should have hired a florist to begin with, because your bouquets and centerpieces look nothing like the effect you were going for? Florists actually buy their flowers wholesale, while you purchase retail. They know what's in season, and which blooms need certain extra care. Just my two cents.

Costco or SAMs club all the way!

I love the idea of Sam's club or Costco but they don't have any flowers that match my colors, so I have to go another route. Florists are expensive so I struggled for a bit, but I went to a grocery store the other day (Fred Meyer/Kroger) and they will do things for cheap. Bridal bouquet for $50 and bridesmaids for $25 in the exact flowers I want.