Did your florist provide you with mockups or specific quotes?

Mine gave me a very informal quote in an email, but we had discussed types of flowers in depth when we first met.

She listed the types of flowers that would be used and then detailed # of bouquets and price of everything. At my initial meeting, she made suggestions on what flowers might work with the floral arrangement pictures I brought based on season and price. She had flip books of flower varieties (some in the store, some weren't) but asked the kinds I liked so she could consider that when making up the quote.

I feel like you should ask for more information before booking with this florist.

My florist gave me a detailed list of what flowers would be in what (my bouquet, centerpieces, etc) and then the break down of the specific price including delivery and tax. She showed me past examples of her work that's similar to what I want and that's enough for me. I would be a little worried if there are no flower names or details listed...

Mine was extremely specific. She included inspiration pictures and was very detailed, down to the type and NUMBER of stems per type of flower.

Our florist showed us examples of her past work for any of the substitutions she suggested. Then she emailed us a quote detailing the flowers, colours, type of bouquet, etc.

This is an example of her "quote":

"$175-250.00 Bridal Bouquet with succulents (purple if we can get them), See the photos provided, but we won’t use garden roses or peonies to keep the cost down."

The photos are the inspiration pictures I sent her, not something that she has made.

And: "$40-135.00 2-3 Corsages $20-45.00 each From a simple single blossom to rhinestone wristlet"

I went to 2 florists. The 1st one is very popular in the area. The lady hand wrote a list and gave me a bunch of prices, then she told me they're not final and she wouldn't get the final price until I booked.

The 2nd florist ( the one I chose) asked me to wait a week untill he spoke with his wholesaler to confirm prices. He later sent me this detailed list and we schedule a meeting where he'll show me the samples. I can't wait to see them!

She needs to outline specific flowers. I saw non specific samples of what size arrangements I wanted. But when it came to creating the quote, they spelled out types of flowers to be included. It needs to be priced specific to the flowers. I also went in the week of my wedding to see the initial arrangements to make sure they were on track or needed to be changed. Everything turned out beautifully. What if you hate the flowers this florist decides to sub? I wouldn't take that risk.

This was my bouquet. Loved it! I was able to plant the succulents and dry the rest.

We just got general quotes with a couple flowers, but that also might be because I don't care about the type, just the colors. Once I booked them, we had one in-person meeting to go into more depth about each aspect and at that time they provided a mock up of my centerpiece.

I have quoted several florists and they have all provided fairly detailed breakdowns of an exact cost for each item, the flowers they plan to use, and a couple even included mock up or inspiration arrangements.

The price range thing would make me worry.

Your quote has way too much of a range and I would want to know specifically what she would substitute. And how does she not know if she can get the flowers you want?? I would keep looking honestly...

Ours said it was hard to come up with an exact quote because we wanted to use local flowers/fruits/greens as much as possible. Therefore we'll have to wait until about late August/early September to make final decisions based upon what is available. We're not picky about type of flower and wanted it to look as "organic" as possible; like I walked through a field and gathered stuff myself with some bigger blooms here and there lol. We also are not sure how many centerpieces she'll need to fill yet as we're still kind of deciding on the table scape. I gave her a budget and she said she'd stay under it so I wasn't worried about specifics yet. Once we get closer, yes I expect a breakdown of each individual table/bouquet etc. But just for a consult? There's no way to know the exact cost of everything because flowers are priced by season/availability, they fluctuate.

Thank you for the tips! I found it weird that she didn't include any names of flowers so I have no idea what is included in the low range versus the high range.

Did you all sign a contract with your florist?

This is what I ended up getting from the florist we're going with for my bouquet (we're ordering succulent bouquets/bouts for the BP from San Diego and having them shipped right before the wedding). I would definitely go back and ask her more about what types of flowers she plans to use. And yes, we have a contract.

I had a quoted price list and I believe a month before the wedding I will go in to see mock ups of everything so I can make changes if I want. They are doing all out center pieces so I need to see them

Specific quote - yes.

Mockup - no.

I know exactly what I'll be paying

Here's an example of the level of detail I got from a florist recently & what I would expect from most florists. You definitely need to have them get you more detailed info.

Our florists sent a detailed list similar to GoneFishes- it listed the prices, sizes and flowers to be used. The contract also stated delivery & set up charges. Early summer, she will either mock up my bouquet or a centerpiece - our choice.

All 3 of the florists we met with pretty much gave the same detail.

Before signing our contract, my florist provided a detailed breakdown. I told her types of flowers were less important to me than the color and design style. My contract includes inspiration pictures as well of some of her own work with subtitles like "bridal bouquet style" and "centerpiece colors". Then I have all my wedding flowers listed with style (like garden-style bouquet) and colors plus an exact price I will be charged for it.

@Carly- Were are you getting your succulent bouquets from?

I will definitely go back and ask more questions. I have a feeling she doesn't want to put in the work of making a detailed list without a commitment from me.

The florist we booked sat down with us and we talked for about an hour. She looked up pictures of all the flowers on the internet to show us exactly what flower and color she will be using. She got really creative with us so some of our floral arrangements will not be things that she has close pictures to, but some of the stuff she showed us some of her work that was similar to what we are getting. She then sat down and made a detailed list of all arrangements. I have a price for each item and a description so for example my bouquet says "bridal bouquet of such and such flowers with such and such, hand tied with XYZ $X." She is putting together our centerpieces so we also have complete descriptions of the centerpieces, what is being rented from her non floral wise, etc. Three weeks out we give a final count for everything based on if our grandparents will be able to make it. We are also notifying her of the dress colors for MOB and MOG so she can make sure everything looks good. We did not sign a contract, we had email correspondence both of us kept and I placed a deposit to hold the spot, essentially her detailed list and my email acceptance along with the deposit was enough for her, and us.

ETAhe came HIGHLY recommended by my venue along with a couple other vendors, had we not known anyone who worked with her I may have requested an actual contract.