Florist Proposals

Keep searching ... research research research.. I've been quoted 3500 to 4k for mist then I got a quote for 1500 .. because he doesnt up charge x10 .. only charges what he does hourly or something. . His reviews are outstanding and his Facebook is covered with his work .. but it took me a long time

Are you giving the florists your budget when you get the proposals made? If you tell them you have $1500 or whatever, they should only give you proposals at or under that price, even if that means cutting some things. Pretty much any florist can work with pretty much any budget, but you won't get tall centerpieces for 20 tables and a giant arch for $1500.

View Quoted Comment I've found one where prices are online for each of the categories and they seem to be well priced. Based on that one, I was thinking we would be around 1,000-1,500. I would love to stay within that budget. Then I just got quoted for 2,500-4,000 from two others and I am still shocked! One of their pricing looked good, then I realized they didn't include any corsages or the rest of the boutonnieres for family members that I needed, ugh.
The search is on!!!!

View Quoted Comment I have provided 99% of the florists I've spoken with my budget (about 1,000-1,500). The one I have been speaking with the most quoted me at well over 2k with great options, but once I pick which centerpieces I'd like I'm almost positive the price will be over 3k.
Another florist quoted me at 2k with delivery and a 3.5% admin fee (not sure what this is?). I thought it wasn't too bad but she left out corsages and the remainder of my boutonniere numbers I needed for family. I'm definitely stressing! Lol

View Quoted Comment Are you in the Philadelphia area or South jersey ? He may even do Delaware. If so I can reccomend my florist .. I'm getting 10 tall centerpieces I am providing my own vases . Big bridal . 5 small bridesmaids , 3 mother's roses , 7 bouts , a corsage , baby breath crown, 3 lbs of rose petals 14 mums, 48 votives in glass and an arch wrapped in tulle and big bows

I interviewed 6 florists until found the one for me. My issue wasn't budget as much as vision though.
Are you requesting certain flowers? If so, tell the florist you're open to less expensive types of flowers that still fit the vision you are trying to accomplish. They might just be going off inspo pics and including flowers that are more expensive.

View Quoted Comment I'm in New Hampshire unfortunately, so quite a ways away. The price for all of that sounds amazing! You definitely are getting a great deal.

View Quoted Comment I've provided a few florists whom I've spoken with the number of items I need and what I was looking for. Majority of them have asked what my favorite flowers are, and one asked for pictures for inspiration. Thankfully I've been given recommendations on alternatives to flowers I like because they are either out of season or pricey. I guess I just need to keep looking and maybe speak with the florists further about trying to bring prices down to meet my budget.

Has anyone DIYed flower girl headpieces? Maybe if I can cut those from my list that can bring some pricing down.

My venue includes the florist, it includes our table decor and arch decor but not the flowers for me and the girls and the boys boutonnières.

i went to one florist through the venue who wanted to charge me 700.
then another who wanted to charge me 350. I obviously will go with the cheaper one lol. They’re quoting me for the exact same items as well.

I'm paying $800 for delivery, 6 corsages, 12 boutonnières, 6 BM bouquets with just one rose and baby's breath, 2 MOH bouquets that are smaller versions of mine, and my bouquet. My coordinator uses artificial high quality flowers mixed with real and that is running me about $1000 for 11 centerpieces (long tables), our sweetheart table, and our large arch display. I'm not in a city though, so that can impact price. I didn't shop around for different people because I was happy with the florist and coordinator and their prices.

I keep putting off florists... it’s like a murky pond I don’t know how to navigate!

Yes good luck.. I’ll be doing artificial flowers because they’re gonna be a waste at the end of the night and I can’t see myself spending all of that money for flowers

One suggestion for getting most of what you want is to size down. Low centerpieces with fewer flowers, more greenery. I’m doing 1 bride, 2 BM, 4 corsages, 5 boutonnière, 8 pee swags of greenery to be reused on head table, cake table, etc, two altar arrangements, and 12 tables eith a mix of wreaths, low arrangements, and 3 pc bud vases collections. $2100 including vase rentals in Dallas Texas metro area.

When sitting down with the florist they usually ask for your wish list first unless you specifically state your budget up front. With planning both of my daughters wedding plus my own I have found that most florist want to try to get your wish list and then cut from there. Hopefully you can tell them your budget and they will give you specific things to cut the cost. We used our outside decorations for table decor inside to cut costs. Also, research, research, research....look at the vendor tab and look at prices. You will find florists in the 10's of thousands and ones in the low 1000's.

I would like to chime in with eyes on both sides. I decided I wanted to do my own florals for my wedding, because that’s my idea of fun. So much so, that I’ve also decided to see if I can do floral design as a side business. I’ve done extensive research on what industry standards are, what a rose of a certain grade costs in comparison to a higher grade, how much goes into a centerpiece of a certain size, etc.


Flowers are expensive; that part we can’t get away from. The good news is a good florist should be able to work with your budget, as long as you’re willing to figure out what you don’t need to have. Treat your proposals as a conversation in learning what things cost, and your florist as your guide in navigating that. They are working off your inspiration photos to guess what you want - most things that make it on Pinterest include some luxury blooms! Tell them you don’t need garden roses, and standard hybrid roses (which are still absolutely gorgeous when they are florist quality) are fine. Avoid flowers like blushing bride protea, cafe au lait dahlias, or peonies. These flowers cost 3x to 8x some other flowers! Tell them you aren’t averse to having some carnations in there to help carry the color - carnations now come in really unique and beautiful colors and are super economical but lots of brides think they can’t look modern or classy! Ask for airier designs that are more minimalist and use fewer stems. Be upfront about your budget so they can put on their creative cap on how to get the same overall effect with less flowers. Simple and small bridesmaids bouquets can absolutely still have a big impact. The other unexpectedly expensive thing is containers. Your florist does not want to disappoint you, but she may be budgeting for some really nice containers. Tell them you are good with glass cylinders, or plastic compotes that look like they are glass or metal. They mostly won’t be noticed compared to the flowers they are holding.
Some florists won’t take business below a certain dollar amount because they often can’t do multiple weddings in one day and don’t want to turn down higher earning business for that day, but that is completely different from a florist who is willing to work with you and has just been pricing based on what inspiration you’ve sent her, without the back and forth that will help them help you. People have a hesitation to share their budget like its showing their cards, but you are basically telling the florist how many flowers you want to buy.
I’ve been building a budgeting tool for my hopeful future clients precisely because I don’t think it needs to be as murky as it currently is. Message me if you want me to send you a copy.

View Quoted Comment Amanda, I would love his name! Thanks!