Flowers... DIY or Buy?

[FFC]

Hey ya'll. I booked my florist the other day - I gave her a $50 deposit and signed a contract - which I am going to review when I get home and see what I got myself into.

I signed a contract for $389 for a tiny package. She said I'd get about 4 sunflowers per BM's bouquet, and mine will be a bit more elaborate. Then I have 11 bouts and 3 corsages. That's all.

So now I'm looking at Costco where I can get 150 sunflowers for $130, or 80 flowers for $90, or Sams Club which has pretty good deals too.

Now I REALLY want a lot of flowers... daisys and sunflowers. My daisys are not included in the quote from the florist, so I have to order those regardless.

Should I try to get out of the contract and just do my own sunflowers? Now that I dont' want anything real fancy schmancy for our bouquets? I'm concerned with the bouts and corsages though.

My mom says my aunt used to work for a flower shop-I'm gonna ask her if she could manage some bouts and corsages...

If I were to DIY my flowers, it'd run me about $225 in flowers, and I'd get probably ten times the amount of flowers that I'd get than if I used my florist.

I need some insight/ideas/help :purplex:

[uptowngirl]

That is an interesting dilemma! On one hand you will be saving money, and getting way more flowers, but on the other that means a lot more work to do the morning of the wedding...

Since your aunt can help that will make things easier - but putting together bouquets, bouts and corsages will take a lot of time out of your day. Can you swing it so that your florist does that part, and you just pick up extra flowers for decor?

[FFC]

I haven't had a chance to talk to my Aunt to see if she can even pull off the bouts and corsages. My florist quoted me originally well over $1800 for my package, then narrowed it down to $740 making everything simpler. Their biggest thing is time - that's what they're charging the most for. The time to put everything together. I will find out how much more it'd be to get extra flowers through them since it's not costing them any time.

[uptowngirl]

I think that is a good idea to get extra flowers if you are worried about not getting enough in the florist package - if nothing else you guys can run to Costco the day before the wedding and pick up sunflowers and daises to put in vases, etc since that stuff shouldn't take too long to do.

I am going to DIY for my flowers, but my aunt (hehe aunts are handy things to have!) is a floral designer and she will be putting everything together the night before. Also I am only having two bouquets (me and my one MOH) and two bouts (groom and BM). We aren't doing bouts or corsages for parents or anything like that...

[FFC]

Thank you... I really want to do extra flowers, that's why I like the idea of DIYing it cuz I will have extra flowers. I gotta call my florist.. :urgh:

[Kfancii]

Justina-

What flowers are you planning to use for your bouts and corsages? DIY will be much less expensive and making your girls bouquets won't be tough at all since you just want a hand tied bouquet with lemon leaf and sunflowers, but I will caution you on the time it takes to put together the bouts and corsages. These pieces are very labor intensive and that is why the florist charges so much for them.

Let me know what flowers are you planning to use and I will give you some suggestions on what you can do to save time in the DIY arena. I have been thinking of trying to put together a corsage tutorial for the board anyway and this would give me a good reason to get it done!

[Jacobs_Girl]

thats wat im doing for my flowers on my cake, the day before im going to a grocery store or something and buy them.

[FFC]

Justina-

What flowers are you planning to use for your bouts and corsages? DIY will be much less expensive and making your girls bouquets won't be tough at all since you just want a hand tied bouquet with lemon leaf and sunflowers, but I will caution you on the time it takes to put together the bouts and corsages. These pieces are very labor intensive and that is why the florist charges so much for them.

Let me know what flowers are you planning to use and I will give you some suggestions on what you can do to save time in the DIY arena. I have been thinking of trying to put together a corsage tutorial for the board anyway and this would give me a good reason to get it done!


I'm thinkin about doing daisies (white with yellow center) for the bouts - that way we keep the same flowers in the reception and ceremony. Sunflowers for bouquets maybe even a sunflower in each centerpiece surrounded by daisies, I don't know. But I do know I want Sunflowers and Lemon leaves for the bouquets. The Sunflowers won't work for bouts or corsages I'm pretty sure.. too big. What do you suggest Kelly?

[Kfancii]

The daisies will work great for the bouts and corsages, and I can do a pictorial "how to" for you to put them together and post it here. You wire daisies much differently than you do carnations, so I will do step by step instructions for you over the next few days. I would recommend adding mini carnations and some type of filler for them as well so they are easier to put together and look fuller. The filler could be babies breath or anything else you like.

Another thought if you wanted to save some time would be to use silk flowers (daisies and mini carns) for the corsages and boutineers for everyone other than the wedding party and do them up ahead of time, then you only have to do the bouts for the guys and the bouquets for the girls. Bouts are much easier than corsages because they are smaller and don't require as many flowers or ribbons.

I agree that sunflowers are too big for any of the bouts or corsages. Good call on that one! :flower:

ETA - the daisies and mini carns would be fine to do up 2 days before the wedding if you will keep them misted, in a plastic bag and in the refrigerator without any fruit in it. That might help with your timeline as well.

[FFC]

Thank you!! I might consider carnations for the bouts and corsages as filler, but then again, if I'm going to use white daisies with yellow centers, I've a mind to use that yellow stuff that looks like yellow babies breath .... I forget what it's called but it's listed on my sunflower thread - that way it draws the yellow from the daisy. OR Carnation buds (green) for the filler. I'unno! LOL.

[Angie_Sweetheart]

I think DIY flowers is the best option, you can have a lot more flowers for the wedding. A good friend of mine got a DIY wedding combo with about 280 stems of different flowers for less than $400, greens were included. She used Fiftyflowers and I am doing the same. Flowers are amazing!! and great prices!!

[Rami]

I totally saw that DIY combo at Fiftyflowers.com! I thought it was great! Good to know that they have great flowers. Thanks for the info.