Flowers

I've seen on here out of all vendors florists seem to be the biggest jerks. do you have a big yard maybe you can plant some lavender? or maybe check on etsy usually can find some bouquets on there made of dried lavender

You are asking for about 30+ arrangements. It obviously depends on how elaborate you want your bouquets and centerpieces, but bridal bouquets can easily run several hundred dollars. Arch florals also add up pretty quick and it can take more than you would think depending on the vision you have and fullness you want. While boutonnieres may be simple, they have to be made last minute since they have no water source, and the same with corsages which are a bit more time consuming. Are the BM bouquets going in vases on the dining tables? Will they match the other centerpieces? We’re using our bouquets on the cake, food, and guestbook tables because they wouldn’t match our other centerpieces. You said florals are your only decor, but are you envisioning something simple with just a few flowers or big arrangements?

We’re doing our flowers ourselves because I have experience and a tight budget. When I worked in a flower shop we charged about $25 per boutonniere, $45+ per corsage, $80+ for small bouquets(8 blooms), $120+ for medium bouquets(12 blooms), $240+ for large bouquets. Centerpieces were really dependent on how elaborate. This was also like 10 years ago and I worked for a family owned and operated shop!

Type of flowers plays a big part in costs, but it’s still a lot of work and can’t be done very far in advance or it won’t look perfect on the day. Delivery fees can also be steep too, make sure you get quotes with that included because it might not be part of the initial quote some florists give. Good luck!

Our budget is $2000 so we planned on getting our flowers from Sams Club. It’ll only cost $200 for ours! I would check Sams Club or Cosco if you have one near you. Then just go somewhere else for your bouquet.

Please be careful using something like lavender and make sure people do not have allergies. I cant even be in a room with lavender and I would hate to travel to a wedding to have to leave. It’s more common for people to have that allergy than you would think.

Did she itemize each cost? That is how a florist should do it so you can see what each item costs. This way you can tweak the list to remove or add items and compare to other florists' quotes. Just to give you an idea, this was the itemization of the personal flowers for me, wedding party, and VIPs:

BRIDAL BOUQUET: Hand tied, seasonal flowers, shades of red, blush, white,
Peonies, assorted greens……………………………………………………………………$125.00
BRIDESMAIDES BOUQUETS: Hand tied to compliment the bridal
bouquet…………………………………………............................ (3)@$60 ea……….$180.00
BOUTONNIERES:………………………………………………………. (3)@ $15ea………$45.00
Corsage: Wristlet style, all white………………………………………………..………$25.00
Bridal Flower Crown:…………………………………………...................................$60.00
Flower Girl Crown: (3)@ $35ea…………………………………………………………….$105.00

We used garlands for the centerpieces so I don't have a comparison for you on that since garlands are priced by the foot. Our total cost for everything came out to around $2400.

It looks like your biggest cost will be your arch/chuppa because it is usually pretty expensive to decorate those. I initially wanted an arch with very simple flowers/greenery and was quoted $500 just for that. Also, you have 15 centerpieces which is a lot. Those tend to be one of the more expensive items with an average cost anywhere from $50-$100 each depending on complexity - and that doesn't include the rentals, if needed. For instance, a lot of centerpieces use candelabras or vases that are priced in addition to the floral part of the centerpiece. Candles may be added and, if so, are an additional cost.

However, don't stop with just one quote. I was lucky because my wedding planner made a powerpoint of my wedding vision/floral inspiration and we sent it out to about 10-15 florists before selecting the one we did. My quotes ranged all over the place. The initial quotes I got were in the $4000 range but I didn't want to pay more than $2,500. But as we kept getting quotes, I finally got one that was under $2,500 and I loved her work.

We are spending about $2500 for 9 centerpieces, my bridal bouquet, one MOB bouquet, 2 corsages, 6 boutonnieres, one arrangement for the entry table, rose petals for 2 flower girls, flowers for the cake and I’ll probably add a greenery runner for the sweetheart table. The florist owns her business does great work! 💐

You can get some pretty pre made things on Etsy.

Here are some samples I found.

You want fesh lavender or dried? You can order dried lavender online. Here's a place that sells dried lavender http://hammelmans.com/index.php/shop-products/dried-flowers/lavender-natural.html

That's alot! But it also could be due to the amount of arrangements your requesting. Were doing lavender (or lavender substitute depending on how this season went) and baby's breath. I have a medium bouquet, bridesmaids have small bouquets. Guys have boutonnieres, moms and grandmas have corsages. We have an arrangement on our arch, simple centerpieces, and flowers in Mason jars going down the aisle. We paid around $1600. This was half the price we were quoted from the florist across town, so definitely get another quote. 4k is alot for flowers, but that also depends on your budget (not shaming anyone who spent that much, ive splurged elsewhere). However we're also using the natural beauty of our venue instead of more flowers. Sometimes simple is better.

I live in San Antonio and Austin prices run a little high. try nearby cities or order online. Are you doing real or artificial?

Meet with multiple florist, don’t take the first quote!
ALSO- you live in Texas! Check out HEB Blooms. They have full blown design studios around the state and blew my mind with their professionalism and designs at the bridal expo in Houston. If I was getting married locally, I would probably be using them.

Our venue includes basic floral centerpieces with the option to upgrade. We went through the same florist the venue uses for the bouquets and bouts, corsages, and different flower centerpieces for our sweet heart table. The total of all that was $400. That included the 2 bridesmaids and maid of honor and matron of honor. $35 each. My bouquet starts at 65$. The hours were between 12-16$ and I needed 6. The corsage was 26$ and the flowers for our table was 90$. My moms been paying for most of the stuff so what the florist did was she wrote it up and since we have so much time, once my mom pays if off and I go to confirm everything I’m probably going to add a few things and make my bouquet bigger and what not and I will just pay her the difference in the upgrade but after my mom pays the 400$ it should be more then 200$ out of my pocket for upgrades and extra stuff. My venue in total came to close to 7000 but it includes linens, the centerpieces, top shelf open bar, catering, ceremony and cocktail hour, a free honeymoon suite and 5 free rooms for guests and a discount for any rooms after the 5 free. It also includes space for getting ready, a day of coordinator, set up, clean up, ushers and waiters and all that. So given all that... I cannot imagine that someone can’t do flowers under 4 grand. That’s a lot of money!

We’re getting all of this plus 50 white roses for $830. We’re ordering our flowers from Sam’s Club.

We were trying to stay around $3000 as well but ended up around $4000 because of how many flowers we wanted. Our florist was on the cheaper end too, comparatively. We had a lot more flowers than you’re describing. She was a smaller time florist and our was probably the biggest wedding she had ever done. I’d totally recommend her except I’m in Ca. We had a purple wedding and I wanted lavender as well. The problem is it is a really delecate flower and doesn’t do well once cut, even in water. You basically have to use dry lavender. We thought we’d try drying it ourselves but it just all turned grey and blah no matter what type we used. I’m pretty sure my mom found some on amazon that you could buy dried. If you want to try to do it yourself we were told that you could sort the flowers with some stuff that made them more purple. We ended up not using much lavender so we didn’t end up buying any ourselves. Hope that helps!

Here are some pics (not professional) from my recent wedding. The florist really went above and beyond, especially for how much it all cost. I hope you’re able to figure out something that you love! Flowers are expensive :/

Wow!! All of y’all have been super helpful!! I have so many more ideas on where to look for flowers and what to look at in terms of prices!! Thank you sooo much!! 🤗🤗

I’d suggest checking Bloominous! They have a DIY or Full Service experience and will help you customize their collections.
I'm using them for my upcoming October wedding and am saving A TON of money on florals with the DIY option, but their Full Service is comparable to local florists.

Definitely shop around florists... Get prices and really focus on what matters most to you.

The florist I went to one day as a walk in I had my two kids with me and basically just went in to get prices and ended up sitting down with the owner and discussing what I was wanting I mentioned I didn't have a budget because my mom was offering to pay for flowers but I did know I wanted "simple but beautiful". She had flowers displayed for a wedding that evening and the client had lavender (which is my favorite) the lady said since I'm getting married in September that lavender would be expensive but if I went with dried lavender it would be way cheaper. Anyways long story cut short shop around florist vendors and get free consultations and see what they bring to the table for what you're wanting and get prices and also lots of greenery supposedly cuts down costs

I live in Houston and using HEB Blooms. If there is an HEB in Austin, you should definitely check them out. Soooo affordable!!!