Is it important to find a florist that's close to the venue?

Not really. A professional florist will understand what needs to happen in transportation of their flowers no matter the distance to the venue. I would check with the florist that's further away though to see if she charges additional mileage with your venue being an hour away. That'd be my only concern.

Ask what the delivery fee is and/or if they charge per mile. Some places may have a free delivery if the drop off is within a certain radius of the florist. Some also charge delivery AND per mile if the drop off is outside of a radius as well.

Nah. Our florist charges us 10% of the total of the cost so he's getting far more money than just for gas.

Not really. I've traveled with flowers to a venue an hour away. I would say that the farther they travel, the higher the delivery fee will likely be, but since the farther one has slightly better prices, it might even out. Just go with whichever one you like best.

Only if the delivery fee depends on it, like Maltese said. Some just charge a minimum for the order, while others charge mileage and delivery/set-up. Just ask.

Of course they're charging more than just for gas! There's usually a team of 2-4 people delivering, so you have to factor in that they're probably getting paid per hour. The florist has to pay them somehow. Also, for larger setups, there can often be a lot more labor involved than you'd think. Still, 10% does seem steep.

Thanks! Actually, the delivery fees aren't too different for the two florists even though one is so much closer...I suppose she included "set up" as part of the delivery fee too.

Like everyone else said, just check on delivery fees. also, if your venue has a preferred vendors list, i would correspond with them because they may offer discounts on fees for your venue. my florist had no delivery fee and gave me a discount on other fees because of what venue we were getting married at.

We are taking that into consideration. The churches we are considering gave a list of florists they use. It makes it easier because they know what the church will and will not allow.

The city (chicago) florist the quoted me charged $100 more for delivery but she charged 1k for reception setup which the 2 suburban florist did not charge.

Ours is about 45mins from our venue

I was hoping the distance thing could solve my problem of deciding which florist to use...now I'm just puzzled!!

HOLY COW!! A $1000?? Unless you're spending like $20,000 on your flowers, or having some crazy elaborate arrangement(s) done, I would get rid of the $1000-setup florist!

Not really! just find out how much they charge for delivery!

Joyce, is one of your florists blush floral in bel air?

No it's not, Janeen. The Bel Air Florist I'm in touch with is Sheila Smith.

By the way, I end up booking Ethan as my videographer! Thanks for the recommendation

Awesome. Try Blush for a quote. They're very close to your venue and they were very easy to work with for me. They're my florist too.

Thanks Janeen. Just emailed them!

I don't know that it matters long as they can get the flowers to you on the day of or if you have travel issues to see the flowers or do consults.