Need bulk wedding flowers. Help!

[transplantella]

I am in charge of providing the floral decor for daughter’s wedding on October 30. Approximate size of party is 50 people, so a rather large supply of flowers will be needed.

We are on a shoestring budget.

I went to Pike’s market yesterday and talked to every single flower vendor there, and they all told me that by Oct. 30 they may not have flowers. All the vendors there grow outside and not a one of them has a greenhouse.

So now I need to find a more commercial vendor locally who can supply these flowers at a price I can afford.

Any leads? Ideas? Know of flower wholesalers who will take on such an order? Help me please.

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[jwws]

tranplantella,

When my father-in-law passed away we had to buy a bunch of orange gladiolas at the very last minute and were able to get them through a wholesaler. Try Pacific Floral Wholesale on 6th Ave S http://www.pacificfloralwholesale.com, 206.447-2211 or Lake Union Wholesale Florist 206.344.6300. The one caveat is you will most likely need a reseller permit and business license to buy from them (or know someone who does) and they usually sell very early in the a.m. Another option would be to talk to local florists/nurseries for suppliers or consider living arrangements like potted mums or rosemary topiaries that can be used on the tables and then taken home.

Good luck

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[Garden_nymph]

Costco has great deals on flowers.

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[hammy]

When I got married three years ago we ordered our flowers (Roses and Lilies plus the filler) online from a wholesaler who shipped them overnight. They were perfect and less expensive than Costco or the other options I checked. Good quality, nice packaging. Friends of ours made all the centerpieces, lots of corsages, 6 bouquets, and headpiece for a little girl. It came to less than $300 for the flowers and we had lots left over. Everyone thought we hired a professional florist. Our wedding size was about 125 people. The thing is, I can’t remember the name of the online company we purchased from. I think they were recommended in a book called Bridal Bargains. Costco does have an online section (or they used to) for wedding flowers.

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[transplantella]

I looked at the Costco website and actually thought their flowers were about as pricey as average retail.

I’ve also seen the online sellers whose prices were good, but I’m really worried about quality. I cannot have hundreds of flowers shipped in two days before the wedding to find that they are in poor condition; wilted, browning, stale, and funky. There would be no time to find replacements so I’m really not leaning towards online vendors.

I’d much rather do business locally, live and in person.

I had no idea flowers were so expensive….:(

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[JanS]

ask at places like Met Market. I’ve been told they will work within your budget, if you tell them your top dollar amount you can spend.

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[herongrrrl]

–You may get the same answers, but have you checked with vendors at other farmer’s markets besides Pike Place?

–Any chance that any of the other members of the wedding party have some good flowers in their gardens and/or know someone in the business who could help out?

–Or does anyone connected with the wedding party own any property with lots of foliage? Evergreens like evergreen huckleberry, salal, and red cedar make lovely filler; if you can get some of that for free, you can get more bang for your buck with flowers that are nicely offset by the greens.

–Would it be unthinkable to use silk flowers? The higher quality ones are really hard to tell from the real thing without touching them, and might be available to rent or purchase at a lower cost than fresh flowers would be. Check with Display and Costume Supply and other display supply places for possible rentals.

–Also check with the Floral Design Institute (http://www.floraldesigninstitute.com/page001.00.00.htm); they might have leads on cheap sources of flowers and they might even be willing to sell you some of the work from their classes at a good price if the timing works out. I used to work in the same building with them and they frequently brought beautiful arrangements as gifts to nearby offices after their classes were over.

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[pam]

Check craigslist for tall cylinder vases – you could float flowers – or other wedding supplies. I would look for other decorating ideas on places like marthastewart.com or similar. You will get a lot of good economical ideas.

(I looked at craigslist – maybe something like this??? http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/for/1957804089.html )

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[HunterG]

Transplantella…

Call Melody @ Thriftway, she pulled out some amazing stuff for my wedding – and she has an awesome eye and even better heart see how she can help…

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[transplantella]

Melody at Thriftway, check. I like that.

I also may be able to find someone with a business license who can buy from wholesalers.

I love flowers. I had no idea what I was getting myself into here…..

Note to self: avoid committing to wedding flowers in the off-growing season.

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[transplantella]

Hunter G, you rock! Many thanks.

Melody at Thriftway also rocks!

And a big whoo-hoo! to west seattle blog.

I talked to Melody today and she was brilliant. Totally knows her stuff, will work within any kind of budget, and miraculously will purchase all the flowers I need at a pricepoint lower than any other dealer/vendor/wholesaler I’ve talked to in Seattle.

Melody has saved this mother-of-the bride and has guaranteed to make the wedding gorgeous.

I.am.so.happy. :-))

Many thanks.

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[HunterG]

Oh good!! Melody kicks all sorts of butt!

She actually highjacked some brilliant red calla lillies – the SAME COLOR AS MY HAIR, the day of my wedding for my bridal bouquet, she is amazing!

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