No floral sample.. Is this normal?

I'm not receiving a sample for any of my flowers, so I'm curious to see what others experienced...

ETA - I only have the quote with colors/types of flowers also

I didn't see a sample. While I think it would have been nice, I trust my florist.

ETA: Oh yeah, like WWKatie, I do know colors and flower types. My florist actually took me to her flower distributor and I got to personally pick out the flower types, but I would have been happy with pictures.

If you wanted her to do a mock-up of your bouquet prior to the wedding, I'm sure you could request that...but I wouldn't expect it to be free or included with your day-of floral order. Are you doing a bridal photo shoot before your wedding? That might be a good time to order a mock-up so you can see it, request any changes for the big day and have a bouquet for your photo shoot. That's what I plan to do, but I had to specifically ask for it and am being charged for it.

I'm not seeing an exact sample, but during our first meeting, she showed me some photos. She also used flowers they had lying around to show me different colour combinations.

Apparently my florist has every bride come in the day before the wedding and give the "ok" to all the flowers. If the bride doesn't like something or wants it changed, they make the change (within reason).

Bridal bouquets are pretty costly so I wouldn't most places throw one in for free. I would just set up a meeting with her with pictures and colors of what you want and go back over her initial description. As long as you're clear on what you do and do not want, all that's left to her is the arranging.

I did a mock up of the centerpieces and my bridal bouquet. I had to pay extra for them, but I'm glad I did. I instantly saw what I wanted changed. I think it's worth it.

We will get to see sample of all the centerpieces in a few months in case our visions are not matching up, and then the day before the wedding I can go see my bouquet and the BM bouquets to make any last minute changes.

ETA: if my florist didn't include it that is probably something I would be willing to pay extra for.

Not getting a sample is normal, unless you are doing a bridal portrait. When your florist orders your flowers, they do it in bulk like three weeks out. Its not like she could order 4 flowers of different kinds just for samples. Hope that helps?

I asked about this on here when I was earlier in my planning, and it seemed that samples were very rare. Pretty much only if you were having a Martha Stewart/David Tutera type wedding lol. If you wanted to, you could probably pay for a sample bouquet or a sample centerpiece but I don't think its worth that cost. I will not be seeing any of my flowers before the day of my wedding.

I went on SEVEN different floral quotes and didn't receive any samples.

Also... change your avatar!!!

When my florist suggested flowers that I was not too keen on, I had her switch it out to a flower of similar color.

Its IMPORTANT that you LIKE all of the flowers!

I didn't have a sample bouquet but I met with my florist at his shop, and he was able to show me colors and combinations based off what he had in stock at the time, so it wasn't exactly what I ended up having in my bouquets but he knew what colors I wanted and the general look.

My florist is going to show us a sample of our high and low centerpieces- not the bouquets, though. She didn't do this for our consultation with her before booking, only after we signed our contract.

Another no vote here. If you're really curious, ask if they'll do one for a fee. I would be shocked if someone did it for free.

I didn't have a true sample, but when I met with the florist to go over what I wanted he put together a mock-up as we were talking. Mine ended up looking similar only with my colors and actually tied together.

When I went to meet with the florist that we had been talking with to sign the contract and go over details she had a mock up of the centerpiece ready for the meeting. It was not something I expected, but it was a great touch since it gave us a chance to talk about flowers I liked and didn't like and gave me an impression of her overall style.

Thanks everyone! I have met with her and showed her pictures and then sent her a picture of the bridesmaid dresses and the two bouquets that I liked that I had shown her previously. I trust her but the only thing that makes me nervous is that on the quote she mentioned some colors that are definitely not my wedding colors that are way off from what I asked for... I did tell her colors and flowers that I would like to see in the bouquets but I just want to make sure before hand that she understands what exactly Im looking for. Maybe I'm being too much of a control freak/bridezilla but I think its weird to not see the flowers until the day of the wedding.

Wow, I guess the deal I'm getting with my florist is even better than I thought. I do get a free bridal bouquet that is the same flowers/size as my day-of bouquet. I can request it anytime in the 3 months before the wedding.

I just explained to mine what I wanted, she made some suggestions and we did a walk-through at a flower market. I dont know exactly what mine will look like but I cant wait to see it. I would think they would make you one for the cost of your bridal bouquet, I have never heard of them making samples before. It seems like a good idea but I dont think I would pay extra for it, especially if you trust your florist!