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Rachel
Super June 2022

Wedding florist debacle

Rachel, on September 22, 2020 at 4:40 PM Posted in Planning 0 15
Hi, ladies....


I am asking the dreaded question... how long do you give vendors to respond to emails, etc?
I am asking because even though I mentioned that we had found a great florist, I have to admit that the phone consultation I had with her last week didn’t blow me away. To start, she did not really seem all that enthusiastic about my wedding. I understand that it’s a ways away, but I found myself doing most of the talking and asking the questions. She didn’t even bother to ask what my wedding colors are (I had to tell her)! She told me that she would compose a rough proposal to get to me within the next few days. That phone call was last Wednesday, and it’s almost been a week and I haven’t heard a thing. I understand that vendors are busy and judging by their Instagram activity, etc., they definitely are. But it would be nice to get a reply back especially as I sent a follow-up email this morning and still haven’t heard back.
I was wanting to go with this florist since their flowers are so beautiful and unique and we could just rent an arch straight from them for the ceremony. With that being said, I don’t want something like the flowers to be stressing me out! The flowers (to me) aren’t as exciting as the cake and the dress. If I went with another florist, it would likely mean that we’d have to rent an archway from a separate company since I haven’t been lucky enough to find another flower company that has both flowers and arches all in one place.
The last step will be to give a call back, but I don’t want to seem pushy. What would you do?

15 Comments

Latest activity by Rachel, on September 22, 2020 at 9:36 PM
  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    I think it’s still early, maybe they aren’t fully staffed because of Covid? I would give it at least another couple of days.
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  • Rachel
    Super June 2022
    Rachel ·
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    Yes, you could be right. I’ll wait until the end of this week and see if I hear anything 👍🏼
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    Yes! Now if it takes longer than that I would be worried that this may be normal.
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  • Rachel
    Super June 2022
    Rachel ·
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    I do remember their website saying that it could take 1-3 business days to get a response, so we’ll see what happens this week
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  • Kimistar
    Dedicated March 2021
    Kimistar ·
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    I spoke with 2 different florists and both took a bit to get back to me. Both told me they’d send a proposal in a week. One did and the other took a a week and half (that I actually thought she forgot about me). So it seems to be standard to take that long, especially during covid times.
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  • Katie
    Expert January 2021
    Katie ·
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    Don't be afraid to be pushy. Just send a friendly follow-up, you're the customer.

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  • Kimberly
    Super March 2021
    Kimberly ·
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    Honestly she is probably very busy with weddings and events right now so you 2022 wedding isn’t a top priority. I’d also bet that she may not think you are truly going to make a decision this early (because it is very early) and therefore hasn’t put it at the top of her list. It is fine to give her a follow up call to reiterate your interest in her company and wanting them to do the flowers for your wedding. But I’d give her at least until the end of this week and then follow up on Monday if you don’t hear back.
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    I hope they respond soon!
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  • Rachel
    Super June 2022
    Rachel ·
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    I do, too! But if not, I have some other options to consider. Just mildly annoying, lol!
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    Trust me I get it lol
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  • M
    VIP January 2019
    Maggie ·
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    I agree with all of this.

    I also feel like this is a good example of why there's a so-called "wedding tax". Calling a slightly delayed initial proposal, which was requested nearly 2 years before the event, a debacle, is a pretty good indication of the level of service the vendor is going to need to provide over the next 2 years. That ends up being a lot of work and should be fairly compensated.

    A corporate event, family reunion, or other non-wedding event just doesn't elicit these kind of feelings and that's why rates for those events can often be lower.

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  • Margaret
    Master October 2020
    Margaret ·
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    72hrs - up to a week seems to be the standard via covid.
    Our originally picked florist was the same way. Honestly I ultimately gave up on them and went with silk flowers.
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  • Natalie
    Super November 2020
    Natalie ·
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    I am guessing the fact that your wedding is still a few years away may be influencing the time it takes to get back to you. Trends change and the cost of flowers change, so what you have in mind and the approximate cost to carry it out will likely change and evolve many times before your wedding. While this is exciting for you on the planning and wedding envisioning side, it ultimately means more work for them.
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  • Kia
    Devoted September 2021
    Kia ·
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    I give people a week to respond to my email. I don’t bother with follow ups, I just move on...kind of harsh sounding I guess lol. But I would say don’t hire her. I understand she was busy, but it doesn’t take much effort to fake kindness or interest and it sounds like she missed her mark. I come from the hospitality industry so maybe that’s why I’m harsh. We have a short period of time to make a big impact on customers/clients/guests and employees from the service industry who don’t understand that concept aren’t worth anyone’s time. Move on, you’ll get people that are actually interested in being kind and retaining customers.
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  • Rachel
    Super June 2022
    Rachel ·
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    Thank you for understanding where I’m coming from! A lot of people think it’s about the time frame of my wedding, that’s not the case. It’s a small factor, but I wasn’t really blown away by her customer service. It just seemed like I wasn’t a priority and she was just going through the motions of a phone call. And I have still not received an email back from her! Tomorrow will be a week since our phone call and nothing... I feel really let down as I was hoping they would be awesome and they were on the list of recommended vendors from my venue. Oh well, at least I have plenty of time for a plan B!
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