To think £4500 is ridiculous for wedding flowers?

[KnightlyMyMan]

Got our quote through from the florist yesterday and almost fainted! I kid you not £4500 for

• 3 bouquets- mid size and a mix of flower/foliage (they sell these in MnS for £15- I could just tie a ribbon around them)

• 4 small button holes (1 flower and a bit of spray)

• 4 standing plyth/urn decorations (not the largest - about hip height)
• 6 table flowers in vases (medium size- again could buy these for £35 each in MnS)
• Foliage garland for the top table
• Some candles 😂🙈 (about 8 in glass jars- both of which I can get at Asda for £20 all in)

I got the quote as DM thinks a florist is very important and MIL agrees. I had expected about £1500 as know they’ll add a charge to be there for the day...etc. I understand they need to make a living and add a premium but it seems EXTORTIONATE.

Everything I’d read online suggested a budget of £1000-£2000 should be apple for what I wanted!

Is this just a randomly crazy high quote or is this normal???

I was happy to do the flowers myself and at least now DP is on board with that idea!!

Blimey!

That’s..... twice the amount I spent on my whole wedding! For flowers! That’ll die!

I did my own the day before for the tables but I did get a bouquet done for about £50.

That’s a crazy quote! Definitely shop around or DIY it

Sounds a shocking amount.

I'm having a flower wall at our wedding so I'm expecting the flowers to cost a bomb (but having reception at home so can afford to spend more on decorations), but £4.5k for that little sounds ridiculous. My parents did their own and they looked wonderful, my DM and aunt went on a flower arranging course a few weeks before and went to flower markets at 5am to minimise cost. I'd be looking to do the same, and you could sell it to your MIL and DM as DIY being a fun bonding thing perhaps?

That's a crazy amount for flowers
Don't do it!

Why not just do it yourself? Or at least some of it? You can easily do buttonholes and candles in jars at the very least.

We did our own flowers for my wedding. Went to a flower wholesale place a few days before and then quite a few femalw relatives helped to put them together into bouquets. It was actually a really fun pre-wedding activity. You could include bridesmaids if you have them. I think it cost a few hundred quid.

Do what you want, not what your mum and MIL deem important.

Wow thats extortionate!

We are paying just over £1,000 for:
1 x Bride Bouquet, 4 x Bridesmaids Bouquet, 1 x Flower Girl Wand, 12 x buttonholes/corsages for parents/groomsmen etc, 1 x arrangement for the church, 1 x top table arrangement (about 2ft in size), 6 x pew ends (only small ones) and a couple of wreaths for the venue (December wedding). That's an estimated quote but we have budgeted about £1500 for flowers anyway... We were quoted nearly £2500 for the same by a "specialist wedding florist".

That's around what we spent on our entire wedding.

I agree with silk pjs

Or go to a local florist and ask them? Just don't tell them it's for a wedding!

I think even £1000-£2000 is crazy just for some flowers. I’m just aghast that some people can afford to think that spending so much money on flowers is normal.

£1500 on flowers is coming up to a 6th of what my entire wedding cost

However.... YANBU. £4000 for flowers is bloody ridiculous. They’re flowers!!

I’m glad you’ve got your DP on board.....it’s funny how £££ signs can alter people’s perceptions

Congratulations on your engagement and I hope you have a lovely wedding!!

I think it is a lot but you do need to consider if your flowers are in season (out of season cost more), time for assembly, transport (is your venue out of the way), etc etc?
And of course, if you don't want to spend that then I'm sure there are ways you can save. :)

It is a lot! Your guests won’t even remember the flowers bit will more important things like the venue, food, drink

Thing is as soon as you mention a wedding the price suddenly shoots up

That's insane unless you are ridiculously minted.

Do your DM and MIL still think a florist is very important? Are they offering to pay?

I couldn't help but look at that sort of money as 'I could pay £4500 to the florist or I could do the flowers from M&S or wherever for £500 and spend the other £4k on an amazing honeymoon instead'.

Ridiculous

Oh wowzer!! I am also planning a wedding - I am quickly learning that if you mention ''wedding'' anyone and everyone will massively inflate their prices!!
@silkpyjamasallday - Oh my, you are making me want a flower wall now, haha. It will be gorgeous

My friend who got married last year (admittedly in the U.S) went to a ''flower farm'' - apparently it's an experience over there where you pay a minimal amount, pick the flowers yourself and then make the bouquets yourself. We did it together (all the bridesmaids along with the bride) a couple of days before the wedding as part of her hen do.
Now I hated that(!) as I am the least creative person EVER but it was perfect for my friend, perhaps there is something similar in the U.K, of course, assuming you are based in the U.K

I think tbf, you must’ve realised they were a high end florist? I got married 12 years ago so prices where different but got a huge quote from an amazing society florist which I took to a local place and got for about £800.

I did my own flowers - 10 table arrangements, two bouquets and about 4 corsages. £450.

That quotation is fucking ridiculous.

I had waayyyy more than that and it was just under 2k. I think you're being ripped off.

My whole wedding cost that. Do most of what you can yourself, check e-bay for 2nd hand bits as loads are only used once.

That does sound quite extreme.
Flowers are expensive, and I think cost more than many people imagine, but even so, that sounds excessive for what you’re getting. Definitely shop around!

That is INSANE!! I would do them yourself OP! Honestly it’s not that hard. I bought two bouquets and split them. Cut and trimmed the ends and wrapped them in ribbon and lace!! That was for me and two bridesmaids. Buttonholes my mil did with flowers from her garden and used a bit of lace too. The hotel did the tables incl in price.

Yanbu. I'm not sure how much we paid for our wedding flowers as the same lady did the flowers and cake. It was a tiny fraction of that though for my big bouquet, 4 bridesmaids bouquets, 1 centrepiece on the top table and 2 big arrangements on stands in the church. I think she did the bows on the ends of the pews too.

My husband runs flower shops , this quote is way over the top.
Shop around ..we're in the South if you're interested

I did my own flowers, all bought direct from wholesale. Cost about £380 and they were beautiful. Bridal bouquet, 4 bridesmaids, buttonholes x 5, 2 large urns for church and reception place.

I think you've purposely been given a ridiculous quote. Lots of different trades people will do this if they don't want the job, for a variety of reasons. Builders, and gardeners do it a lot!