Heidi and I walk into the local florist (there is only one).
No one is in sight.
We notice that the place smells like animals.
A cat tears across the lobby floor.
A couple of minutes pass.
We walk around the lobby, looking at floral arrangements.
Suddenly, a woman from that back says, "Oh, Hello!" as though she did not see us until then. "May I help you?"
Me: "yes. I am getting married down the street in a few months and would like to talk with someone about bouquet options and prices."
Attendant (curtly): "you need to speak with Jane Smith . . ." writing down number on a piece of paper, "at this number." She hands us a sheet of paper and starts toward the back room.
Heidi: "Is it possible to order gerber daisies in bulk and what would that rate be?"
Attendant (annoyed): "They are $3.75 each, but you need to speak with Jane, okay?"
Heidi and I: "Thank you for your help."
We leave and called the church to see which florists they use. It couldn't possibly be the same place! But it was. Apparently, the other florist in town went out of business. Whatever happened to healthy competition?
I have two appointments with out-of-area-florists next week and will hopefully find a talented, polite florist between them. We plan to cut back by arranging the centerpieces ourselves and using the professional florist for bouquets and boutonnieres. It's frustrating that the prices for everything are significantly higher if they are for a wedding (hair, food, hall, flowers, etc.) even though you are getting the exact same thing. I'm crossing my fingers and pulling out those rusty negotiating skills. :)
2 comments:
I just heard on the John Tesch radio show that you should dress more casual or wear a sweat shirt even, if you want to get better deals for making wedding plans. If you dress really nice, they assume you have a lot of money, and they will charge more. Apparently, this must have worked for some people. I agree that it doesn't really seem fair. No wonder weddings are so expensive lately. One nice touch I've seen at some weddings is placing a few dove chocolates in a piece of netting and tying it with a ribbon, and setting one at each place setting. Kids love it, as well as the adults.
Thanks for the tips, Aunt Mary Ann! I can't help but feel like wedding vendors take advantage of people. Luckily, we have a bunch of friends who have offered to help with things like flowers, music, and decorating.
The average cost of a wedding in Arlington is $40,000. One of my colleague's daughters recently spent $4,000 on their wedding flowers. I was aghast - who has that kind of money for flowers? They could have done so many things with 4K!
Oh well . . . the search continues! :)
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