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Steph
Expert June 2022 Ontario

Floral budget

Steph, on October 15, 2019 at 09:18 Posted in Plan a wedding 0 24
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Hey again!

I'm back with a half rant/half question about florals and budgeting....specifically floral budgeting lol

(Warning, longgg post with lots of numbers and 'maybe's....sorry for another novel-length post! Even if you only have thoughts on the first bit I appreciate it Smiley smile )
So we just got a quote from our florist and it's like 1000 over the budget we had initially given him. In all fairness, we met with him at the end of May and there has been so much going on (in his world and in ours) that we weren't really in touch very much since then. So when I reached out to get our quote and saw the breakdown and grand total, I was speechless for an hour. Our initial budget we gave him was 1700, planning for 2000 knowing he might need more wiggle room in the budget for what we're looking for...but our total was almost 2700!! He was super nice to give us a number of discounts and threw in some extras because we were so patient in dealing with him through busy season and family emergencies, so I really am grateful and appreciative that he did that. But 2700 is still A LOT for flowers and we weren't prepared for that.
He's great to work with and I know he'll listen and work with me to bring it down as close to 2000 as possible, so I'm trying to have some thoughts before meeting with him. So, where can I feasibly cut back and still have my vision?
Flower girls: - 2 flower crowns @45 ea. Maybe a mini corsage/bracelet instead? And I'll make their hairpieces myself with wire and rhinestones.
Aisle:- 2 sets of lavender rose petals to scatter @35 ea...so $70 for about 40 mins of petals that get adorably scattered, gracefully trampled, and then swept away and forgotten. Maybe lavender carnation petals to a) match the carnations on the aisle markers and b) hopefully bring down the cost quite a bit.
Aisle markers:-8 small bouquets at 27 ea (possible vase rental included for when they're brought indoors for the reception, but not sure). Only 2 kinds of flowers in it, neither are overly exotic. I'm thinking just the vase maybe we can change if that's where most of the cost is coming from.
Other than that everything seems pretty reasonable, just a lot of roses involved in almost every piece. We only wanted a handful of white roses in my bouquet to match the single white rose for my fiancé's bout. so we'll ask to change the rest of the roses to something still beautiful but more affordable.
We're also struggling because our main colour theme is a plum-sangria-eggplant shade...not purple, not burgundy, somewhere in the middle...so we're struggling to think of flowers that will look elegant (not country) but also come in our colour and also not break the bank 🤦‍♀️
Ok I promise this is done now! If you made it through the whole thing, thank you!! (And sorry lol)
Let me know your thoughts if you have any ❤

24 Comments

Latest activity by Steph, on November 6, 2019 at 02:13
  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Hey Bianca! We haven't signed anything yet. We did meet with him again and he was great to help us try to bring our quote back down to meet the budget. He had done a mock up of our centerpiece and it was beautiful, but for the dome it'll be in there's no way to give it any air so it fogged up the whole dome. Kinda pretty but defeated the purpose lol. So we might have to look into silks for the centerpieces anyway. That'll be a first step closer to our budget! lol
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  • Bianca
    Master August 2019 Ontario
    Bianca ·
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    Steph, I completely understand what you mean. Did you already sign a contract with this person? If not, you could remove a couple of the things that are not a "must-have" to bring things closer to your budget. That's totally what I did since I knew what our budget was and I wasn't prepared to go past a certain number.

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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Definitely real petals for the ceremony since it is outdoors, we're fortunate they don't have a cleanup fee! It's about 100-120 people (kids included) so everyone will be close enough to see pretty much all of the flowers. It's a big reason for why I opted for real ones. But absolutely, anything you can do at Michael's, do it! Especially with those coupons. Best things ever!
    I'm glad to know our numbers are pretty much on par, the only articles I could find with pricing for comparison were American articles. The good news is, we were saving before before and after converting to USD 😂
    Can't wait to see photos of what you're creating!
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  • A
    Super September 2020 Ontario
    Amelia ·
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    If you're getting married outside, I wouldn't go with artificial petals since - as you said - if it's windy they could get blown everywhere and some venues have restrictions on what you can use outdoors. Mine actually has a cleanup fee if we use petals outside.

    But I wouldn't rule out the artificial florals for other options. Basically anything that our guests won't be super up close and personal with (ceremony arch, signage florals, etc.) I'm making my own with flowers from Michaels. I've been going in everyday and slowly stocking up using their 40-50% off coupons. So instead of paying the $40 per sign that our florist quoted, I'm cutting it in half and they look awesome! And definitely check out garland rentals! We're renting a eucalyptus garland for about $45 from our florist for our king table. I couldn't justify paying hundreds of dollars for just greenery. Other than that, the numbers look pretty on par from what I've seen but definitely ask your florist how you can get them down to your budget.

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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    I love Costco flowers but I would be afraid to hire somewhere that would only set up flowers being brought in, not the arrangements and such. Unless they do arrangements too and I'm totally out of the loop! Which is possible! lol In all fairness we're looking at very full florals with not a lot of greenery, so it would definitely add up a little more
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    I will definitely share photos after! I hope you will too! Your decorations sound amazing, especially the candles 😍 I love candles but we aren't doing many of them because we're expecting a lot of kids to be there and we don't want anyone worrying about them with the candles. Great work with your savings! We've done really well saving on our services so far as well we're picking and choosing which elements are most important to us and thank goodness our vendors have been amazing to work with! Can't wait to see your wedding photos!! ❤
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    That was a great thing to check with them! We're lucky our venue is totally fine with real petals pretty much anywhere, so the florist and I are working together on what colour we can dye the roses without any colour transfering onto the table clothes. Thanks for thinking of it!
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Hi Liga, those silk flowers are beautiful in the photo! I've been pretty open to silk flowers for the day, haven't seen much that I love to be honest. I probably didn't look enough but there's something about the real flowers that just gives me a warm feeling. But if your company does both I would definitely be interested! The company we're looking at has a good reputation and they're a preferred vendor at our venue so they vouch for the quality, but I'm still open options Smiley smile
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Yeah I'm definitely gonna talk and see how he can help us get back within budget. Your bouquet is beautifulllll 😍 and I love how the arch is almost reaching down to the couple ❤ thanks for sharing! Xox
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  • Ashley
    VIP August 2020 Ontario
    Ashley ·
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    Check costco. i would shop around that seems expensive to me. there are a ton of great florals for way cheaper. my girls normally spend around 1000

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  • Liga
    Devoted June 2021 Quebec
    Liga ·
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    I hope you will share some wadding picture after with this beautiful flowers. Since I will not have real flowers at all, in my wedding, I will make atmosphere by smell of my favorite candles and we will have plenty of candles on tables and a lot of silk flowers and silk rose petals. We will have a lot of decoration on tables...I will have Christmas lights used in some places inside.

    So I really want to see how looks wedding with so much beautiful real flowers. The more I read weddingwier. I guess...I am very good money saver. So far I am not spending close to what people are spending for flowers, videographer, DJ or photographer.

    I guess only place we dont count money at our wedding is our wedding place...Where there is no really price...you pay for food and drinks...but there is rules what should be the minimal amount...we are going with maximum...food..drinks open bar all day and all night. And other expense will be hotel room for all the guests. So I guess, what I have save on one some things, we have spend on other things.

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  • Liga
    Devoted June 2021 Quebec
    Liga ·
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    Steph...Check with your event vendor place , we are not allowed to use real rose petals...not on tables and also not on carpet what I am renting. So we will have only silk rose petals.

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  • Liga
    Devoted June 2021 Quebec
    Liga ·
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    Steph...WOW...great amount on flowers! Why don't you use silk flowers. Which you can rent! Especially for ceremony arch and things which are more important for picture. I will have nice silk flowers and a lot of curtains with full installation...all arch done...I think for 400+tax and delivery...but they are delivering more things...I am renting from them decorative table plates, central piece flowers with flower pots, carpet for my ceremony.

    I even order beautiful butaniers and hand flowers from china. I love them. And I will give them to all my guests. Nice thing...when you have artificial flowers...you will be more in control...

    I have bad experience with real flowers...for our engagement party...we payed a big money...and flowers looked bad in next morning and went to trash. Just need to have good quality rental place...and I found amazing rental place for decors, flowers.The place where I am renting...they also give service of real flower, so you can use both.

    Silk flowersFloral budget 1



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  • Kelly
    Expert September 2019 Manitoba
    Kelly ·
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    I would be honest and say "Hey our budget is only $1,700, $2,00 MAX. What would you suggest on cutting back on to make this work?"

    The wish list exceeds your budget, so you're right to re-think some of the items.

    We walked in wanting a huge greenery garland for our ceremony, but it wended up being pretty much the whole budget. Our florist was able to give us a bunch of suggestions that were similar, but WAY more budget friendly.

    Some of the things we had to adjust to make the numbers work were:

    - We had a small wedding party. This is HUGE in terms of cutting costs. But I get that you probably have asked people and this may not be an option, which brings me to the next cut:

    - No boutonnieres for the groomsmen!! Guess what. guys dont give a crap if they have flower on their lapel. Pocket squares for the win! Only my husband had a boutonniere, and by the end of the night, it was totally squashed form all the hugs. lol!

    - No family corsages and boutonnieres. They add up.

    -Smaller bouquets. They still looked incredible. Definitely worth asking if the bouquets can be scaled back to save some $$

    - We just did stems of greenery down the lengths of the tables instead of floral arrangements. It was understated, yet still beautiful!

    - Instead of lots of little decor for the ceremony, consider a larger focal point that can be re purposed in the reception! We had this floral arch for the ceremony, which we re-hung above the head table in the ceremony. Serving double duty = more bang for your buck!!


    I'm confident that working with your florist to come up with a plan that meets your wish list and budget is totally doable!! I see so often people just wanting to go with the cheapest option, when they could work with the florist they love, and still make the floral dreams come true, within budget!! Good luck!!

    my bouquetFloral budget 2

    not my arch, but similarFloral budget 3




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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Everyone could use some happy flowers 🤗❤
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  • Vinod
    Top August 2017 Ontario
    Vinod ·
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    That will be nice too. Your generosity is great to give to the home to brighten their day. They will love you for it.

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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    I'm glad you like the idea of the bracelets! I might just make a little hairpiece instead so there isn't any irritation on the skin, but I think they'll have more fun with the sparkles than with flowers. They're little dancers and total divas so they loveee sparkle❤


    We definitely thought about doing silk flowers instead, but there's something about real flowers that just makes the room feel so happy and full of love. We decided we're going to take all left over flowers the next day to the seniors home where my great grandma used to live. Then they can enjoy them for a while and I'll feel like she was there with me Smiley smile
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  • Vinod
    Top August 2017 Ontario
    Vinod ·
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    I like the idea of bracelets made from wire and rhinestones with some gem stones too. This would cut costs and make it a gift for the flower girls. I know real is what you want to do which the cost is on the higher end your looking at.

    Have you considered going artificial so that you don't pay as much for the ceremony flowers transferred to your centerpieces so you don't have to waste them after the day. Same as your petals as the price seems high to get real. The only real flowers to get are the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres.

    Your ceremony will still be beautiful yet less expensive.

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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Everything is definitely fair, it's just that it's way over our budget and I wish he had been in touch to let us know how much more it was gonna be.


    Here's the full breakdown:-200 for my bouquet (includes a decoy for tossing)-180 for 2 bridesmaids bouquets-70 for 2 baskets of rose petals (flower girls)-90 for 2 flower crowns (flower girls)-60 for 2 corsages (my mom and nan)-108 for 9 boutonnieres (groom, groomsmen, ushers, ring bearer and 'bridal security' lol)-500 for 2×10ft floral garland (over arch for ceremony to over head table for reception) -370 for 2 arrangements (start of aisles for ceremony to beside head table for reception)-216 for 8 small bouquets as aisle markers (moved inside to decorate cruiser tables for reception)-375 for 15 mini floral arrangements to go inside our centerpiece domes -15 sets of rose petals for scattering on guest tables around centerpieces plus a set for head table plus a set for the cake table (complimentary)-150 for delivery and setup-300 in taxes
    So it's closer to 2600 all in, but there are some stands, pillars and vases that I think are being rented but not sure they're included in the cost.
    Everything is very fair for the price he gave us and I'm grateful it isn't more, we just wish we had known before the shock of seeing the numbers without chatting.
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    Don't be sorry, you're very helpful! I appreciate your feedback and thoughts! It's good to know that our quote is in a normal price bracket for wedding florals. Thank you!!! ❤
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  • Bianca
    Master August 2019 Ontario
    Bianca ·
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    What else are you getting for $2700?
    From the looks of the breakdown so far, it seems pretty reasonably priced for each item.
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  • Kelsie
    Master July 2021 Ontario
    Kelsie ·
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    The only other advice I can give is talk to your florist and see what they can do for you price wise.


    I was happy with what I paid for florals because I was expecting to pay way way more so I don’t really have any other advice on how to save!! I’m sorry I couldn’t help more!
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  • Steph
    Expert June 2022 Ontario
    Steph ·
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    More?! Omg I almost cried when it passed 2500 lol
    Our ceremony is outdoors so I'm hesitant to do false petals in case it's a little windy, but that would definitely have saved some money. Other than that, all florals will be brought inside for the reception after. So we're lucky for double use. The ceremony space is beautiful and doesn't need much at all, but since we're trying to use the florals instead of a decorator inside we figured we may as well use them in both areas.

    It does include the centerpiece florals, but we paid another 700 for the domes, feathers and mini lights that create the actual centerpiece. So our centerpieces are about 75 each all in.
    For the little ones I didn't really want a floral crown, more of a hair clip or comb. But for that much I'd still rather make little sparkly hairpieces and do a little corsage or something else.
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  • Kelsie
    Master July 2021 Ontario
    Kelsie ·
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    I paid more than that for my flowers (and only for the reception venue) so I actually think you’re getting a good deal.


    Does the price include your centrepieces and stuff as well?
    I would ditch the flower crowns - you can make ones at Michael’s I’m sure for pretty cheap. The corsages I’ve ordered for my ladies I think are $15-$20. So whether you do that instead, it’s a little savings but I don’t really think you need the flower girls to wear actual flowers - but that’s just me.
    Can you do fake lavender rose petals instead of real? That may also save some money.
    I’m not sure whether your ceremony is outside but your venue looks gorgeous on its own. I don’t know how many flowers you’d need at all if your ceremony is outside. If you really want to stick to budget, I might just get rid of the ceremony flowers altogether? The venue looks stunning!
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