Floral Budget - Is $500 Unrealistic?

I think it depends on what type of flowers your want. You can maybe cut cost by not getting the boutonnieres and corsages.

I got my bouquet, 6 bouts and 4 corsages $400. It's going to depend on the kind of flowers you want. My BM bouquets consisted of pink roses so I bought them at a grocery store. I got 14 dozen roses for $350.

Be upfront with the florist and tell him/her that $500 is your max budget. A good florist should be able to to make that work and advise you on which flowers are the least expensive in your season. You will have to be flexible about the size of the bouquets and which flowers are used. Good luck!

I got a bridal bouquet, 6 BM bouquets, 8 boutonnieres, and 2 corsages for about $500. BUT I'm in central PA. I'd be willing to bet that prices here are cheaper than in Tampa.

If you are looking for an actual florist to do this, it may be unrealistic. Some florists have minimums for weddings to ensure that they actually make a profit. If they are willing to work with you, accept the fact that you will have to be flexible with the flower choices to ensure that you do not go over budget. With that being said, would you be open to a small amount of DIY? I budgeted $300 for my flowers. Whole Foods is making my bouquet for $60, the girls bouquets are $12 a piece for 4 BMs. You can buy a bouquet of roses and make the petals yourself bu gently separating the bud from the stem. I am hand making the corsages but in my experience, a grocery store (Jewel, Kroger, etc) will do nice ones for about $15-25 a piece. For my bouquet and the BMs bouquets, I just have to wrap them in ribbon myself. I am able to do this for this price because I am not picky about which flowers they use.

I would look into grocery stores for that budget, but I think it's doable. Sam's also provides everything pre-arranged, so while you may need to rehydrate some of the flowers and worry about storage, you're not actually arranging them.

It is doable. I had a little more than that and I spent $580. It al depends on your area also. I went with a small local florist.

I'm not familiar with that area so I'm not sure how it compares but I know it could be done for that here. Stick to in season flowers and be flexible as to type. If you *have* to have certain flowers your price will go way up. If you are flexible then they can be too. It's fine to have a style in mind of course, but you can always get a similar look with more than one type of flower.

I'm getting my bouquet, 3 bridesmaid bouquets, and 6 corsages for $450

It will definitely depend on the type of flowers! Have you considered the real touch? My bouquet was real touch flowers, and you couldn't tell it was fake at all!!

It really depends on the flowers you want. Since I know nothing about flowers, I looked at a few pictures, found one I liked, and emailed it to florist telling them how much I needed but was upfront about my $500 budget and I did not care what flowers were in there, mainly because I wouldn't know the difference! Lol a few got back saying they couldn't do it. Two said they could. I met with one and it took me too long to decide, so I missed out on her. Met with the second, and in glad I did, I extended my budget by $100 and I am getting so much more than originally thought. So I'm happy with that. My best advise is to be completely open with them. Don't think it's unrealistic. They will work with you. I ended up getting bridal bouquet, 2 bridesmaid, 6 boutineers, 5 wristlets or clip on corsages, 6 pew bows with baby's breath and a rose, cake flowers, 2 large alter pieces and one smaller for $630, with tax and delivery. I'll attach a photo of what I showed the florist. Hope it helps! Eta - I'm in ct

I went to a florist and got almost the same number with red roses for a little under $500. You should be good.

We are saving on flowers by dropping all the boutonnieres and corsages etc, would that be an option for you?

I'm working with a small local florist in Fort Lauderdale and my bouquet, five BM bouquets, two corsages, and nine boutonnieres with tax and delivery is coming to $450. It's definitely possible.

@Rachel I could really use the name of that florist!

It will depend on where you are and what you want. I spent 500 on bride bouquet, 6 bridesmaid, 4 corsages.

Try Sam's Club/Costco but you either have their preset color packages [like if you want red, then you get their standard red set. Still very nice but if you want a specific flower won't work] or order bulk flowers and DIY.

I went through a grocery store floral department and they were very nice. I just did red and white roses and cost me $300. I stuck with basic flowers and only had them for bridal party, did non-floral centerpieces

If you deal with a small local florist, you may be able to negotiate discounts for paying cash or putting more than 50% down payment. It doesn't hurt to ask, and don't be discouraged if the first florist you talk to tries to tell you it is unreasonable.

Rachel - Yes, would love that Florist in St. Pete!

Ladies - This all excellent advice (as usual)! Will check into Sam's Club (my parents have a membership I believe) and also Publix, our local grocery store.

Maybe I could DIY the boutonnieres and do non-floral (maybe a starfish with a ribbon in our colors). I'm crafty but I just don't know how much extra time I'll have to work with flowers on my own so something I can make a month ahead of time would be better for me.