Budget+Research= Wedding Flowers
When we first got engaged, all I thought about was $$$ and how we can get the most bang for our buck. After looking at some sites, they encouraged budget brides to forget about flowers and go for the candle chachke route and I was gung ho~ Fuck flowers, they die and they are a waste of money. Forget that they are colorful, beautiful, traditional, natural, and gives the table a vibrant pop! I know flowers aren't for everyone, but I am not the candle floating in water kind of girl. We looked at our budget and we found some room~. Flowers are a go!
I first started collecting pictures of flowers that were in my color wheel. I saw purple, I ripped it out. Ooh an orange bouquet, cut cut cut. Pretty bouquet with flowers I can't identify? Paste paste paste. I made my mountain of magazines into a neat and tidy binder of ideas and articles. Also, I saw a theme of purple hydrangeas, orange roses, purple whispy flowers (Leminium), and little orange lilies. Any flowers that weren't in the budget friendly summer flowers, I quickly disregarded them, Lilly of the valley? Hell no to the 1 grand per bouquet. Gardenias? Bruises in heat. Goodbye. Dahlias? Temperamental and $$ .
The 2 Month Search for a Florist
1. Lauren Berberian: She is an independent florist and I was excited to see her ideas and price. However, I never heard back from her after our first consult, so it was not meant to be. Bad start in the search, but I persevered.
2. Flowers by the Westwood- Lisa Gelemme Garwood, New Jersey- referred by theKnot magazine
Situated in the Westwood in Garwood, Lisa was very polite and helped me with picking affordable flowers. However, her quote was totally out of my budget. $3200.
3. A&K Flowers- Ajah West Orange, New Jersey- referred by friend
I found her store just around the corner from my venue and I thought, how convenient if there is a floral emergency. I walked in to get a card and make an appointment and I was immediately sat down with a huge binder with some examples and testimonials. We seriously talked for about 2 hours and found out that her parents were members of our church and we had similar backgrounds. I thought she was a shoe-in. $2500
4. Metropolitan Flowers- Yumi Saddlebrook, New Jersey -referred by the girls on theKnot chats
Yumi came highly recommended by the New Jersey board (Great resource.Seriously). There is a store in West Orange, but the Saddlebrook address holds the consulting office and a huge warehouse where you can peruse the flowers . She gave some nice ideas, but I was deterred by the big delivery fee ($180). $2186 and that is not including the mothers' corsages which would've made it around $2200.
5. AW Flowers- Adam Wisniewski Kearny, New Jersey-referred by the girls on theKnot chats
I was on my last straw...driving around in the summer humidity, wishing I didn't like flowers so much, etc. Adam was a breath of fresh air. Professional, funny, and flexible, I was impressed by the pictures of his work and seeing all the material for centerpieces right in front of me. (The store is pretty plain and nondescript) He worked with me about flowers, prices, identified new flowers,and even reminded me of the flower offering to the Blessed Mother (phew). $1937!!! He offered $60 for each centerpiece and knocked off delivery and taxes for paying in cash! $1720! DONE
2. Flowers by the Westwood- Lisa Gelemme Garwood, New Jersey- referred by theKnot magazine
Situated in the Westwood in Garwood, Lisa was very polite and helped me with picking affordable flowers. However, her quote was totally out of my budget. $3200.
3. A&K Flowers- Ajah West Orange, New Jersey- referred by friend
I found her store just around the corner from my venue and I thought, how convenient if there is a floral emergency. I walked in to get a card and make an appointment and I was immediately sat down with a huge binder with some examples and testimonials. We seriously talked for about 2 hours and found out that her parents were members of our church and we had similar backgrounds. I thought she was a shoe-in. $2500
4. Metropolitan Flowers- Yumi Saddlebrook, New Jersey -referred by the girls on theKnot chats
Yumi came highly recommended by the New Jersey board (Great resource.Seriously). There is a store in West Orange, but the Saddlebrook address holds the consulting office and a huge warehouse where you can peruse the flowers . She gave some nice ideas, but I was deterred by the big delivery fee ($180). $2186 and that is not including the mothers' corsages which would've made it around $2200.
5. AW Flowers- Adam Wisniewski Kearny, New Jersey-referred by the girls on theKnot chats
I was on my last straw...driving around in the summer humidity, wishing I didn't like flowers so much, etc. Adam was a breath of fresh air. Professional, funny, and flexible, I was impressed by the pictures of his work and seeing all the material for centerpieces right in front of me. (The store is pretty plain and nondescript) He worked with me about flowers, prices, identified new flowers,and even reminded me of the flower offering to the Blessed Mother (phew). $1937!!! He offered $60 for each centerpiece and knocked off delivery and taxes for paying in cash! $1720! DONE