Florist wants 800 minimum in LABOR costs!

I don't want to do my own flowers but I have gotten 2- $2000 quotes. I'm in So Cal.... who are you all using for a florist?

I'd really encourage you to get quotes from other florists for the same order. If you keep finding the same, then you'll know it's an industry deal in your area & can make other arrangements. I went to a regular florist, ordered one bouquet that I'll pick up the day before the wedding & $75 later that item is checked off my list.

Mine are being done the local grocery store.

We're using an upscale grocery store to do ours. $771 for 2 bouquets, 2 Boutonnieres, 1 corsage, and 10 small centerpieces. I thought about doing my own, and the stress of getting it done the day before the wedding was ridiculous, and personally, I don't like fake flowers. Keep shopping.

Continue shopping around. I was quoted a minimum of $2,000 or so a while back. I didn't even want that many flowers. We eventually found a florist and I payed $600 for everything I wanted.

Thank you ...thank you...thank you ^_^ I appreciate all the advice ^_^

I will get a couple more quotes (this was my 3rd) and also check out grocery stores (we have some fancy ones that might do it up here) ...and go from there.

I can't wait to see what everyones flowers look like.

Hi Jessica--I'm in Portland. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good florist either. My mom agreed to pay for and DIY the flowers for me. Before she agreed to do that, I was going to go with Fred Meyer. I got a quote for $200 for 4 BM bouquets and 1 bride bouquet. Definitely look at grocery stores! I bet Whole Foods or New Seasons would do them too.

Go online and you can get them premaid and delivered to you. Also for that price they better do a lot more then just be pretty lol. ( HA I was thinking of another saying but thought better lol)

DisneyEngagement ... YAY for another Portland bride ^_^ There are a couple of us here...we should totally go get cocktails =)

Thank you for the Fred Meyer tip. I was going to talk to New Seasons (since I live like a block from them) ... but yeah, not happy with florists here at all.

Randee...you crack me up! and you are right.... I will also look online. =)

I'm just seeing this and I have to LOL. Love the... geez it's just flowers, not like it's a re- plumbing job for my kitchen. I've been doing flowers for over 20 years on the side and yes, i'm a lot cheaper than a florist because i have no overhead. However, there is a lot that goes into doing flowers and it' s not just a wham bam-throw them together. There's a lot of time involved that most people never think of. First you meet with the bride to determine what they want. This can take 1-3 hours depending how prepared your bride is (knows somewhat what she is looking for... colors, design styles, etc). Sometimes there's some back and forth for days/ weeks while they make changes/additions etc. Then you have to call and verify prices with the wholesaler because prices change weekly/seasonally/etc. Then you have to put the quote together and send to the bride. Once they agree to it, you need to order all the flowers and supplies with the wholesaler, Pick up the flowers, prep the flowers, then finally put them together. This takes a lot of time. Then its delivery time, so you have to pack all this up and deliver to the site, unload and set-up. Just something to think about when you meet with your florist. So let's just say their cost was $700 in supplies/flowers and their profit was around $300 (40%). Divide that by how much time they spent with you before the wedding, the time they spent prepping, designing and delivering... its a lot less $ in their pocket than you think. Don't be fooled by cheap prices either... many times you get what you pay for. Ask for recommendations or you might end up with flowers that looked nothing like you envisioned for your special day.

Well said! While saving money where you can is not a bad thing, you do get what you pay for. There are many posts where brides say they did not get what they asked for.