Florist versus Fresh Market

"How much?!"

I'm sure my jaw dropped and my eye's must have gotten really big when the florist said the bouquets, boutonnieres, and arrangements would cost $1200 - $1500, because she went into great detail regarding how that price was figured. I don't think I heard much more of her persuasive speech, because in my mind I was still screaming the number and hearing it echo about in my cranium. I had always known flowers were not cheap, but I guess I was naïve to the fact that they cost that much, especially for what I had proposed, which was fairly minimal. I had proposed 4 bridesmaid's bouquets, plus my wedding bouquet, 3 corsages, 8 boutonnieres, and 8 arrangements for the tables. I know that sounds like a lot, and I'll agree that the boutonnieres, corsages, and bouquets were probably the majority of the proposed cost, but I couldn't wrap my head around why the arrangements would cost so much... All I knew was that the amount of said arrangements and flowers was not going to work with my budget.

Well, I'll admit, I left the florist a bit disappointed, resigning myself to the likelihood that I would probably not use a florist for what I wanted to do for the wedding. That realization also squashed the probability of me being able to get any of the flowers that I had originally wanted, namely peonies. If you are unfamiliar with what peonies looks like, click the following link to Pinterest to a picture of one http://www.pinterest.com/pin/543668986239143279/. Unfortunately, peonies bloom early in the South, usually around Memorial Day and would be here and gone by my wedding date in late June. My only glimmer of hope had been to have them ordered, which didn't seem very likely now. Instead, I resigned myself to the notion of using seasonal flowers and my second favorite flower, the iris, which would be in bloom throughout May, June, and July.

Bouquet wrap from
Michael's

So what does someone do when they are on a budget like me? I turned to my favorite person to console my sudden misery and pull my dashed little dreams out of the deep chasms of despair in which they had fallen, my fiancé, Johnny. (Okay, so I exaggerated for dramatic effect.) One of the things I love about Johnny is his creative mind and ability to think outside the box. He's great at pointing you in a direction of potential resource, which is my opinion of the Fresh Market. Can I take a moment and rave about the Fresh Market? That store is so cool! I can't believe I haven't been in this store before now! I was even more excited to find out that they have fresh flowers all year long. Granted, their seasonal flowers change throughout the year, but they have roses all year long. So I can say the colors, red, pink, and white are pretty much a guarantee to be able to accessorize with around the décor at the wedding. The Fresh Market also has affordable ready made bouquets or the option of having one arranged from the stock on the floor for the cost of the flowers (which were not expensively priced) and a $5 labor fee. So I'm thinking five of the ready made bouquets, some ribbon around each of the bouquet's stems, and a bouquet wrap from Michael's and my bridesmaids and I have our flowers for a $100-150 dollars. The flowers for the centerpiece arrangements will cost about the same if the Fresh Market arranges them or less if my wedding party puts them together. I'm pretty confident that my wedding party would be able to arrange the flowers for the centerpieces. I don't think what I have in mind will be too complicated. I'll just need to determine if it would be worth our time to do it versus paying the Fresh Market to have them arranged. I'll decide that later. The lady at the Fresh Market said she only needed two weeks notice.

Doilies from Michael's, frames from Hobby Lobby
and Garden Ridge for $10 and the a sampling of the milk
 glasses vases I purchased at the antique stores.

Inspiration picture pinned to Pinterest
 by Madison House Designs

Each centerpiece on the tables will consist of four items: a paper doily, a milk glass bud vase, an ornate picture frame, and a small candle. If you are unfamiliar with what a milk glass vase looks like (you've probably seen them, just didn't know what they were called) I have posted a picture. Milk glass comes in all different styles and sizes. Older vases have very tiny mouths and can only hold one or two flowers. The newer vases actually are a bit wider at the top and can comfortably hold 3 or 4 flowers and some small sprigs of greenery or babies breath. It is the later vases that I had in mind. The paper doilies can be found at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. I bought mine from Hobby Lobby and got 6 for $2.99. I'm still trying to locate a small candle for the centerpieces. I think some silver glass would be really pretty with the white and black. I located enough of the milk glass vases yesterday. I found several vendors on Etsy with bulk listings for milk glass, but unfortunately, glass is heavy and fragile, so it costs a lot for the shipping. Instead of purchasing them off of Etsy I decided to put some money back into my local economy and shopped around at several of the antique stores around the Chattanooga area. After visiting three shops I found a total of eighteen vases of various patterns and sizes and paid only $87.36. The math works out to $4.85 for each vase which turned out to be a far better deal than Etsy. My inspiration for the centerpieces actually comes from multiple pictures on Pinterest, but this picture posted by Madison House Designs best illustrates the design I have in mind (the color scheme will just be slightly different and I'll be using more bud vases.) Now you can probably understand why my jaw dropped when the florist gave me her price. There wouldn't be a lot of arranging for a bud vase and if I supply the vases, that's another cost I shouldn't have been charged.

Picture from Etsy vendor showing
 that at most, only
 3 or 4 flowers can fit per vase.

In the end, I think it's to my advantage to not use a florist. If the Fresh Market had not been an option, there was always the vendors at the Chattanooga Market during the summer too. The vendors there are also great contacts and would have been able to supply us with flowers the day before since our wedding would be Monday, the next day. I'll admit, there are some advantages to using a florist though, particularly that you can choose the flowers and colors, knowing exactly what you are getting. I'll be playing it by ear with the Fresh Market. Sure, they have a good idea of the seasonal flowers, but we'll be going with what is available. Some people might find this type of arrangement too nerve wrecking. Lucky for me, I'm pretty laid back and can be spontaneous. It's also a good thing that white and black go with everything! (Yep, I knew that would be helpful later!)

Probably the best part of our trip to the Fresh Market was hearing that sometimes in June, they get a shipment of peonies, but it depends on late frosts and the weather affecting their crops. So I have my fingers crossed that the crop doesn't get frosted and I end up with my peonies after all! Wouldn't that be awesome!