Floral budget..save or splurge?

Our florist gave us the price for what we had discussed and a price for a lesser expensive option. If you don't want to spend that much on flowers, it should be ok to ask the florist if you can simplify something in specific items to bring the cost down a little. Certain flowers are more costly, so just removing that one type could reduce the cost a lot. I wouldn't try to negotiate though.

Since you can afford it though, if you feel you want to splurge, go for it.

Eta: did you give the florist a budget before you met? If so, did she stay within that budget?

If you can afford it go for it. If you want to save money, use less expensive flowers, or you can DIY flowers by ordering them online.

I love flowers, but there are many ways to have a pro do your flowers in many different price points. Maybe short/tall centerpieces, less costly flowers. I'd ask for sure. None of us think you're rude if you're open to suggestions on cutting costs. What's rude is, "I want that but for less."

As for the budget aspect? There will be a lot of things that crop up in the next year, so being conservative with your budget is always a good idea.

My florist was willing to negotiate a couple things when she saw I had a really detailed list of exactly what I wanted and a "hard price" we'd budgeted. She ended up discounting a couple things.

My flowers were a splurge and I don't regret it! They were stunning!

I think it's totally fine to say something like "This is great but we were hoping to cut the budget by $X. What's your recommendation on how to scale back the proposal while keeping the same feel for our day?"

I say splurge but flowers are so important to me. Either way I'm sure it will be lovely

I'm splurging! But at the same time we have added some other decor such as candelabras so we didn't go so overboard on the price.

I met with a florist today who was unwilling to work with my budget and unwilling to negotiate. it was disappointing. I say if its in your budget, splurge!

It doesn't hurt to ask what she can do to make the price a little less! I'm sure she will have suggestions and if not at least you asked.

We're splurging! It's in your budget go for it!

It's very rude to "negotiate" the price. That suggests that the florist should give you something for nothing, or that the florist is overpriced for what they quoted you (and what they quoted you was likely based on photos that inspired you). It's okay to ask for a lower price by asking the florist what you can change or cut to reduce the price. It's when you ask for a lower price but expect no changes, that is NOT okay.

It's perfectly acceptable, however, to tell the florist what your budget actually is (and actually, please always do this up front) and what does s/he suggest to work within that budget?

I have a budget-conscious wedding coming up in three weeks, and she is inspired by a wedding from the movie Twilight. Can she afford for me to make her centerpieces look like the tables in the movie? Absolutely no way. But, I can make smaller, modest centerpieces that evoke that woodland, green foliage with white flowers feel.

My best advice to all of you, with 28 years of experience as a wedding floral designer - is to always be honest about your budget or budget range, so that you don't waste your time or the florist's time. You can say, my budget is $2,000-$3,000, but I'm most comfortable closer to $2k. Be prepared to tell them how many of what you want.

Know that popular and very skilled florists likely have a minimum amount you have to buy to hire them. For many florists, that threshold might be $1,500. So - they may not even provide a quote if you can't/don't meet that minimum. Remember, this is their business. They may not be able to afford to do your $500 wedding flowers and turn down a $10,000 for that date. If they can't accommodate you, just go ahead and move on, if you can't./don't want to meet their minimum. There are other floral designers out there that will be happy to create for you, as long as you are reasonable for what you want within your budget.

And - wink, wink - don't expect that foliage garlands, or baby's breath, is inexpensive. It is NOT. It is expensive for us to purchase from our vendors, as well.

Totally agree with Lauren H. Phrasing it that way won't demean her work but also help you feel more comfortable with the price.

I'm not a big flower person so I'm saving. My FH's aunt does amazing floral decorations.

I would at least call and ask her are the options more budget friendly. But it comes down to what you want. Would you even be happy with the less expensive options? Give her the chance to work with the budget before you make a definite decision, whatever you do.

I gave our florist our budget and told her which flowers I like and that I didn't mind greenery fillers to save cost. She fit everything into our TIGHT budget. She also gave us a discount for paying with cash. I don't think it's rude at all, it's your day and your paying for their services. They are there to customize and make your day beautiful.

I absolutely splurged on my flowers as they were super important to me. So, yep, if it's in the budget...splurge!

My florist knew I was on a budget and went as far as telling me how much each individual flower I liked cost. Garden roses are apparently like 12$ each!!! If you can compromise on things like that, you might still be able to get the same look for a lower price. Also, we are doing non floral centerpieces and are not decorating the ceremony venue as it is in a garden, to cut costs. Use your settings to your advantage!

My first quote from the florist was about $250 more than I planned to spend, and I simply said, "We were hoping to be closer to X amount, what would need to be done to get to that price point?"

She had really simple suggestions, and we made a very small cut to something that was more tedious on her end, but would hardly be noticed in the grand scheme of things. Flowers are not my top priority, but I want still want nice decor.

You may be surprised by their answer, but if the cuts are more than you want, than splurge away!

I would just say "my budget is XYZ..how can we make this work " and more than likely they'll accommodate u or make suggestions on what to change