Sourcing Wholesale Flowers For Your Wedding
Flowers and weddings -- It's like peanut butter and jelly or spaghetti and meatballs. They just go together. But flowers can be expensive, especially if you're not watching what's in season. Some florists even charge extra when they find out the order is for a wedding (as do many other vendors who feel as if they can get away with pricing items higher for weddings).
But there is a way to buy a lot of flowers for a lot less money: Buy them wholesale. You can buy flowers wholesale - or at least at deeply discounted prices - from a flower market that's intended to sell to florists and other businesses.
Many flower markets have hours during which they're open to the public, so if you don't have a friend or family member with a reseller's license, you can still buy cheap flowers.
Timing is important when visiting a wholesale flower market. The day of the week you go is important because you don't want to go too early - the flowers will die before the big day. You also don't want to go too late - Often the buds are sold closed, so you need to give them a few days in order to open up.
The time of day is also of concern. Many flower markets open early - we're talking before the sun even comes up, and the good flowers can go quickly. So set your alarm and brew some coffee!
As mentioned before, if you know someone who has access to wholesale prices with a reseller's badge and is willing to work as a buyer for you (you might have to bribe them with breakfast), you're going to be able to get even more of a discount. But even if you go during public hours, you're going to get a smaller total bill than if you went through a florist.
When you show up at the market, don't buy the first thing you see. Check out all the vendors to get an idea of who charges the best prices and which one has the best quality flowers. Once you've narrowed down your options, scrutinize the flowers more closely.
Don't buy from a vendor who has brown or withered flowers in their booth. Look for freshly cut stems and firm buds. Don't be concerned if the buds aren't open yet. If you timed your visit right, the flowers will be open in all their beautiful glory at your wedding.
Once you've found the flowers for you, you can negotiate. If you're buying from multiple vendors, your negotiation probably won't be as successful as if you buy from just one. Loyalty usually pays, after all.
There is now also the option of buying flowers for wholesale prices online. While this definitely guarantees the lowest rates - which is a good thing because you're not going to be able to negotiate with a computer - there are definite risks.
First, you have to rely on the postal system to get the flowers to your home in time for you to create arrangements before the wedding. You also don't get to select the flowers yourself so you don't get to check out the quality.
If flowers show up brown and withered, then you have very little recourse other than complaining to the company, who might or might not send you new flowers, which might or might not get to you in time. While buying online is a legitimate path to use, just be aware of the risks before you put in your credit card information.
When you've purchased your flowers, place the flowers in several inches of cold water until you're ready to create the arrangements. Have your bridesmaids over, open up a bottle of wine and get creating those beautiful bouquets!
Looking for more information about planning your wedding? Gail recommends the following site for all your wedding planning needs:
http://www.budgetweddings4u.com
