Post # 32
Member
321 posts
Helper bee
Unless your Future Mother-In-Law is paying for the florist, she can say all she wants but you don’t have to listen. My bridesmaids and I diy’d all our flowers the night before the wedding. However, we only had to make 3 bouquets, and 8 jelly jar arrangements that were small. If you are having tons of arrangements it might be better to pay someone to do it for you, because you have to have a cool place to store them until you put them out on display.
Bouquets are easy, all you need is an extra set of hands, florist tape, maybe florist wire just in case, florist pins, and something pretty to go around the stems. You can get everything from a craft store or a flower shop. You can get excellent prices on bulk flowers from fiftyflowers.com, and to my surprise, local supermarkets especially Wegmans and Giant (PA area). Try farmers markets too, but you’ll be limited to what’s in season where you are. Good luck!
Post # 33
Member
1765 posts
Buzzing bee
I only paid $70.00 for 7 dozen dahlias from a dahlia farm here in Oregon for my daughter’s wedding last year. When my mom got married, she forgot to get flowers for the altar of the Catholic church for her Labor Day wedding. My grandfather got some armfuls of white gladiolas that morning at a roadside stand in New England -(I grew up in Massachusetts, and usually in small towns in New England in summertime there are lots of roadside flower stands) where people sell their garden flowers. However, if you don’t want to worry (in a panic) like my mother likely did or you have a particular kind of flower that you want- you can order online flowers from places like Fiftyflowers.com I already had florist tape and wire from dollartree and bought wide-wire ribbon to decorate the arbor at the vineyard they got married at, and they had gotten some tubes for flowers for them-so my aunt (a florist ) who was attending the wedding from out of state and helping to set up the wedding site offered to make simple bouquets, which my daughter accepted. Years ago, when my daughter was going to a dance, I had the grocery store make her a wrist corsage. I remember it was very reasonable. Perhaps you could check prices for bouts and corsages at a grocery store if you need them, but make the rest yourselves? 🙂
Post # 34
Member
1765 posts
Buzzing bee
Oh, and in season flowers cost less. Some bees have said that blooms by the box delivers free in the NE FYI, florists have a lot of overhead, and they need to get quality flowers to keep them fresh. Good luck with your decisions! 🙂
Post # 35
Member
522 posts
Busy bee
I didn’t realize florists charge so much for wedding flowers. My bridal party flowers are about $475 (my bouquet, 3 bridesmaids’ bouquets, 5 boutonnieres, 4 corsages). With everything else added, I am paying my florist just over $900. I’m really impressed with the bees who DIY their flowers. They look great!
Post # 36
Member
209 posts
Helper bee
Wow thanks everyone!!! I’m still going to consider doing them myself, but after looking around I called her back and had her break everything down. Some things were unneccesary and somehow we were able to bring the price down to $350! Although it’s WAY more than the DIY- I’ve saved so much on other things that it might be nice to treat myself to this. For our reception and ceremony flowers I’m going to buy the flowers wholesale and keep it very simple.
Thanks again Bees!! 🙂
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