Florist nightmares!

This is one of the many reasons we're doing fake flowers and doing them ourselves. No hastle, less money, less waste. That's just my opinion though.

Hey there!
As a former Owner of a Florist, I'd say ask to see pictures of their previous weddings.

Look in the cooler at their everyday work. Is it creative or cookie cutter?
Most florists love creative brides! Bring pictures of what you like, tell them your vision, but allow room for creative license on their part to some extreme.

It will all break down to trust. If you like their everyday work, you'll love your wedding!
Don't worry! It will be fine❤😘

If your vision is most important, then pick that florist who you feel “gets it” and pay their fee. Otherwise you’ll pay less and gamble, which you probably don’t want. But don’t lose sleep over it.

What is your vision and the flowers you want?

Check out local farms in your area. A lot of times the flowers are cheaper and they do a beautiful job.

I agree with Anna- ask for a portfolio or look on their website. That’s how I narrowed down florists before setting up a consultation.

We took inspiration photos and it and it turned out our florist did something similar. She showed us pictures and it was like my vision came to life in someone else’s wedding haha.

And look at their workspace if you can. The florist we didn’t choose had browning and wilted flowers intended for a wedding the following weekend. That was a big nope for me.

They could make samples first for you and then you can adjust it til it's right in your vision

I didn’t have a lot to choose from in my little town. But the florist I went with sat with me, and my Pinterest board, until we had exactly what I wanted planned for my bouquet and my 2 BM’s bouquets. Granted, my experience was easier since I’m not doing bouts, corsages or flower centerpieces.
Everything in the shop looked fresh, pretty and well done.

We got out flowers on Etsy.

There's no way I can spend $1000+ on flowers for my wedding. I know I can't afford a florist, so a diy is what I'm going to do. I want a wildflower theme for my flowers, and unfortunately there aren't many places were I live that sell wildflowers. I found a website online where you can buy bulk flowers, wildflowers or not. You buy them buy the bundle, most bundles are like 8 stems for $15. This way I can choose exactly what flowers I want and can create the bouquets, centerpieces, etc depending on my budget.

https://flowermoxie.com/collections/all-flowers

If you don't want to pick out your own flowers and do this, I found another website where you can pick your flower design/color scheme and pick which bundle you want. Once you pick which design you want, you can choose how many bouquets/centerpieces/boutonniers you need. This was also much more reasonable than a local florist I found.

https://www.kukkaflowers.com/pages/diy-wedding-flowers

OMG, this was my hardest part as well in planning. Just hold on and don't settle until you are comfortable! I was getting crazy prices as well until literally last week I found a florist that was reasonable and patient we sat for a bit and she totally got what I need (which isn't much)

Good Luck!

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Yep, us too. This exactly!

Hey Andrea! Were you able to find a florist within budget yet?

My mom was a florist for years so naturally she is doing our flowers. We're saving a ton but the stress level is still there. She lives on the other side of the country so I gave her my Pinterest info so she can get an idea of what I want and she'll do mock ups of the bouquet and centerpieces to show. That's a suggestion-if you're afraid your florist isn't going to get your vision, then try showing her with mock ups on your own. Or sit down with her and go over all your photos until you're confident she gets your vision.

This was the very last vendor I booked and I just booked this last month. It was hard because everyone was telling me they could totally do the flowers I was envisioning but they sent in sane prices. I finally agreed to meet with a small local florist, and her arrangements were beautiful and she was so sweet, plus her costs was reasonable so we went with her. Its hard to trust others with what your vision is, but you kind of have to chose and trust Good Luck!

Update!!! I found the BEST florist!!! She felt more like a friend when talking to her. She is the only one who kept in contact with me throughout the proposal process.