Vendor Reviews Round Three: Invites & Flowers

Today I review my invites and my florist.


Invites: Raspberry Creations
Rating: 4 out of 5

We received tons of compliments on our invites, made by Tennessee’s Raspberry Creations. I found Raspberry Creations on Etsy.com and I completely recommend you check that site out if you’re looking for something a little different when it comes to stationary. Personally I found the whole process of proofing and buying the invites on Etsy to be excellent.

The only hitch we ran into was with our first round of RSVP cards. During the proofing stage I had asked for meal options to be added in and RC did mock up a version that had exactly what I wanted. However, the version I received had the meal options missing.

When I told Raspberry Creations about this they were very apologetic and quickly sent me out the correct cards, at no extra charge. In the end, this mistake turned out to be a great thing because I was able to use the first batch of RSVP cards alongside the invites to our out-West reception.

In addition to being great to work with, Raspberry Creations was also very reasonably priced. It cost us $3.25 US for an invite, coloured envelope and RSVP card.


Flowers: Flowergirls
Rating: 4 out of 5

I really wanted to give Flowergirls and its owner, Jenn, five out of five because Jenn herself was great to work with. She was able to put together some amazing ideas despite our miniscule floral budget and she really wowed me by getting the lilies I really wanted at no extra charge.

Unfortunately, as I would later learn, Jenn was up North at another wedding on my wedding day so her staff looked after my flowers. And while things did look good, my cake topper was missing and the orchids in my bouquet were mostly closed buds (I was hoping they would open as the day progressed but nope).

I think that had Jenn been there, things would have looked a bit better. On the plus side, when I pointed out the missing cake flowers, she immediately offered a refund.

I also found Flowergirls’ paperwork to be a little messy. Our initial contract was great and clearly spelled out what was due and when. But subsequent versions were missing that info (to be fair, we needed other versions because we kept changing the number of corsages and boutonnières we needed).

I would recommend Flowergirls but if you’re dealing with a good size flower budget or are really fussy about your flowers, make sure that Jenn will be on site to make sure everything gets done just right.

Preserving Your Wedding Bouquet

So my attempts at preserving my wedding bouquet failed. I was able to preserve a little bit of it but sadly, most of it had to get tossed because it became moldy.

If you really want to make sure your bouquet gets fully preserved, you should get it professionally done. Your florist can generally recommend someone or maybe even do it for you. But be warned, this process isn’t cheap. You’re looking at least $100, probably more, and depending on what process is used, it can take as long as 10 weeks. And for best results, your flowers should be dropped off at the florist as soon as possible, so this becomes yet another task for your post-wedding to-do list.

However, on the plus side, you will have a beautifully preserved bouquet and if you want, you can even have it turned into something you can hang on your wall (some people will have a sort of “wedding college” made that includes a copy of the invite and some pictures).

If you’d rather take the DIY route, there are two methods that are generally used and you can read more about them over here. The first is the basic way that I sort of did. It involves hanging your bouquet upside down to dry and then, once everything is dried, spraying the flowers with a dried flower spray or hairspray.

With this method you’re supposed to take the bouquet apart and hang the individual flowers to dry and I didn’t totally do this and as a result I don’t think my flowers were totally dry (hence the mold).

Also, my bouquet contained a lot of orchids and apparently it’s hard to preserve those yourself (though oddly enough they looked better than the lilies did). Roses though are quite easy to preserve so if your bouquet is quite rose-heavy, you might want to consider the hang-drying method.

The second method, which involves placing the flowers in silica gel, is more complicated though generally has better results.

Write Down The Details

I’m sure you’ve already been told dozens of times by now to get all the key details – start times, end times, deposit deals, etc. – in writing. And while I certainly add my voice to that chorus, I want to also take a moment to encourage you to also get all the little details in writing too.

Now, people say “don’t sweat the small stuff” but on your wedding day, someone will be sweating the small stuff. If you’re a super-carefree, go-with-the-flow kind of person, you might not be the sweater, but someone, your mom, your maid of honour, your venue contact, will at some point be staring at something and wondering if it’s looking the way it should. And that’s where having the small details documented comes in.


How these details are organized is up to you, the point is that you and those associated with you have a printed reference to everything from your timeline to your flowers to your cake. This way everyone’s on the same page, people are better organized (and therefor ideally calmer) and issues can be spotted and dealt with earlier.

Another reason for documenting the little details is that having all that stuff written down makes it a lot easier to get a refund, should things not work out. This seems to be a situation that pops up the most with florists and decorating, maybe because there’s so much “imagining” and “visioning” going on. Also, many decorators and florists sell packages that then get modified and well, if those modifications aren’t written down, you can see how things can easily go to a disappointing place.

The point is, it’s much easier to get money back if you can say, “Hey, there’s the email where you promise that for this price, I’ll get package A but with roses instead of lilies and no underlighting on the head table,” than to say, “Hey, I know the contact says that I’m paying for package A but don’t you remember how we talking about changing some stuff?”

A few details that you’ll want to get written down:

• All flower types and colours being used as well as approximate quantities; ribbons, bouquet jewellery and other related items should be detailed out


• Such vase/container/centrepiece details as size, shape, colour, quantities


• Such cake stand details as size, shape, material, any extras/enhancements


• Drapping details would include colours, fabric types, sizes and placement. This is an area where ideally you have a photo of what the drapping should look like, as well as a photo of what fabric(s) is being used


• Chair cover details would include colour, fabric type and any extras/enhancements. This is another area where a photo is ideal


• Your caterer should provide you with a detailed list of what exactly is being served and while you don’t need to know how many baby potatoes each person is getting, you will want numbers for your hors d’oeuvres and possibly even your midnight snack


• Bar details should touch on both alcoholic and non-alcoholic offerings and could even look at what types of glasses and garnishes will be available (though even I’ll admit that might be too detailed for some)

Spent Vs. Saved

So as promised in yesterday’s entries, here are five areas where we’re glad we spent the cash and five areas where we’re glad we saved.

Spent

The venue – As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Berkeley Church isn’t cheap but it was exactly what Shawn and I wanted and we received tons of compliments on the venue as well as the food. The staff was always friendly and while we had some communication snags with our initial planner, the planner who replaced her, Kathy, was quite helpful.

Open bar – No question, an open bar was the way to go. It certainly helped to get people up on the dancefloor, speaking of which…

DJ – So my original plan was to go with DJ iPod, an idea that Shawn shot down and I have no problems saying that I’m glad he did. We ended up getting a great DJ who closely followed our playlist while adding in his own touches at just the right moment.

At-home hair & make-up – I think being able to get ready in the comfort of my own home, and not have to worry about rushing to and from somewhere, really helped to make the wedding day more relaxing.

Hotel room – This is one of those areas that I initially thought was a waste of money but the truth is, being able to head to a hotel after the wedding was a nice treat, as was the swim we got to take the following morning. We stayed at the Thompson Hotel and its lovely rooftop pool totally made up for the alarm clock that went off at 6 in the morning and the scent-heavy detergent used on the bedding (and no, I’m not one of those anti-scent people).


Saved

The dress – Technically this is an area where my parents saved but whatever. My dress, which I quite liked (I’ll post a picture at some point) was quite reasonable for a wedding dress of its style. All in, including alternations, the veil, fancy dress bag and taxes, the dress cost under $1,500 which while not cheap, is a good deal considering its size and the amount of detailing it had.

The wine – Our wine was $11.95 a bottle and personally, I thought it tasted just fine, as did many other people. As any wine expert will tell you, the cost of a bottle of wine has nothing to do with its quality so don’t feel like you need to spend big bucks on your dinner wine.

Décor – We cheaped out big time here. All our décor, including our centrepieces and the few flowers we used for the head table/ceremony and the escort card table came to maybe $500. And some of that we’re getting back because I’m selling what I can on the bridal boards (actually, I should probably post that stuff on here too). While we certainly could have spent more here, I don’t think we really had to. The inside of the Berkeley is quite pretty with its stain glass and fireplaces. Plus it helps that the Berkeley includes coloured up-lighting and dozens of tea lights all over the place.

The flowers – The flowers we got were beautiful; Picasso lilies are now my new favourite; but we didn’t have a lot of them and in the end, I think that was fine. Our cake was actually supposed to be decorated with fresh flowers but for whatever reason the florist forgot to bring those so the cake went flowerless. At first I was a bit annoyed but then, as I thought about it, I was OK with what had happened because I realized that I no longer had to pay $35 for something that would be used for a few hours and then thrown out.

Transportation – We didn’t pay for any special transportation and while fitting my big dress in the back of our SUV was a bit awkward, it was certainly preferable to paying some obscene amount for some tacky vehicle.

Quick Wedding Update

So we’re less than three weeks until the wedding day and things are getting pretty busy even though all the big stuff is booked (I have no idea how those couples of Wedding S.O.S. pull it off; even if they do have three wishes).

I’m hoping to get some time on Saturday to write up a few entries, including one on how our final meeting with the Berkeley went (it’s tonight).

We got a lot done over the weekend but despite that fact, I actually was a bit frustrated with the whole wedding process. Our RSVP deadline was Friday and with that came news that some of my friends who I was really hoping would be there won’t be. They all have valid reasons for not being able to make it but still…

On Monday though I was able to talk to one friend and found out that she actually might be able to make, it just depends on work (she lives down in the States) so that’s good.

And in other good news, it looks like I’ll be able to get the flower that I really wanted. When I first met with our florist, Jenn from FlowerGirls, I told her the one flower I liked was Picasso lilies. She then broke it to me that those flowers are fairly pricey so I dropped the idea.

But yesterday I got an email from her, telling me that she’s come across some of these flowers at the same price that I was quoted for orchids so now we’re going to go with some of those instead.
Orchids are quite nice but I just love the look of these lilies and they fit with our colours perfectly.

My Florist Now Has A Website

Jenn, my florist, now has website! You can check it out at: http://www.flowergirlsdesign.com/.

The best part about the site is the blog section. It showcases some of the arrangements that Jenn has put together and provides a bit of background on them. While there’s not a ton there now since the site is quite new, it looks like it’ll shape up to be a great source of inspiration for brides.

Ideas From Martha

Martha Stewart: love her or hate her, you need to admit that she does come up with some great ideas. A few weeks ago my sister sent me a link to this article over on Martha’s wedding site where she (her staff?) highlights “15 years of good things for weddings”.

Some of the stuff listed is super-simple and super-sweet. Below are three of my favourite ideas.

Typewriter Guestbook

Terra-cotta Pot Place Card





Wedding Bouquet with Fortune-toting ribbons

7 Pretty Wedding Bouquets

Let’s continue with the topic of flowers with some images of a few bouquets that caught my eye while I was browsing through the hundreds of images over on TheKnot.com (remember, to see stuff on TheKnot.com you usually have to sign into the site).

I love this combination of orchids but I bet it's quite pricey

This is a pretty purple combo though it's a bit too light for my wedding.

Here's a delicate pink combo, perfect for anyone who loves roses.

I quite like the contrast between the dark calla lillies and the little green berries; they really brighten this bouquet up.









If white was one of my wedding colours, I would seriously look into having this bouquet (even though I know it's on the pricey end).










This one is just so colourful and eye-catching!











And this one's quite dramatic. I think it's using quail feathers or something like that.

Wedding Flower Links (Including My Toronto Florists Shortlist)

Here are a handful of flower-related links that you might find useful:

• Big Wedding Tiny Budget: The DIY-section of this site is must-read if you’re thinking of saving some cash by doing your flowers self (end verdict: you’ll save money but you might also drive yourself insane so keep it simple)
• Bride.ca: See what flowers are available in which season and then read a ton of other articles
• Bronze Budget Brides: Lots of useful posts on how to keep your flower costs down; includes links to online flowers shop and even a few how-to videos
• The Knot’s Flower Guide: OK, so it’s a bit overwhelming but there are a lot of good ideas on here and you can search by colour
• Sierra Flower Finder: It's like a dictionary for flowers

And here are links for a few Toronto florists who I thought looked interesting:

• Cool, Green and Shady: Located on Queen East; has been featured on Rich Bride, Poor Bride
• King West Flowers: Located at King and Bathurst; offers tons of choices and bouquets start at just $40
• Pink Twig: Located on College near Crawford; offers lots of fresh, contemporary designs
• Jackie O: Located on College near Bathurst; has a standard package for $950 that includes 10 centrepieces
• Costco: Several locations; Costco is must-checkout if you’re doing the flowers yourself. Most shops also offers simple arrangements

Our First Consultation With a Florist

The one aspect of wedding planning that had me the most worried was the flowers. I know nothing about flowers, we have a tiny budget for flowers, florists’ websites are generally vague when it comes to useful info, florists themselves always want to arrange a face-to-face consultation before they give you any numbers/ideas, etc., etc.

I had started making a shortlist of possible florists back in January but then stopped when I found out that our venue, the Berkeley, now had a preferred florist and not using her would result in us incurring extra fees. Shawn pointed out that since our original contract says we can hire whoever we want, we shouldn’t have to incur those fees if we go with an outside person but I said I was fine with this new arrangement and am actually quite happy that the Berkeley now has a preferred florist. I really wasn’t looking forward to trying to get some kind of comparable quotes out of florists and really, unless you’re DingIY or have some kind of inside connection, all florists are expensive.

We met with Jenn, the preferred florist last night and things went pretty smooth. She’s been working with flowers for a few years now, loves doing weddings and her website is currently under construction. She was quite friendly, great with my psycho dog and not at all offended that I know nothing about flowers and that we weren’t spending a ton of money of them.

She came prepared with a bunch of magazines and her own portfolio though we only ever looked at the portfolio. I had a few clippings that we looked at and she gently broke the news that the only flower I really liked, something called a Picasso lily, is really expensive. So we talked about a few other options such as callas lilies as well as great bang-for-your-buck flowers such as hydrangeas.

While I had an idea for our escort card table (which I’m now re-thinking), Shawn and I were wide open to suggestions for everything else and Jenn came up with a great one that involves two giant water-filled vases that can do double-duty for the ceremony and the head table.

Jenn is now preparing a quote for us though I think I’ll email her this weekend with some ideas that I now have. I spent most of our meeting being really vague and saying useful things like, “Whatever you think works best” and “We’re open to whatever” but as soon as she left I started picturing what I wanted.

Here are a few basic bits of info you should know before you meet with any florists.

1. Colour scheme and how much you care about it


2. Date
   
3. Venue location
   
4. Theme/feeling/ambience


5. What you’re going to need flowers for, complete with numbers (so number of centrepieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, etc.)
   
6. Any flower preferences


7. Any flower dislikes


8. Any “shape” preferences


9. Any venue restrictions (no open flames or no water for example)


10. And most importantly, budget

Over the weekend I’ll get a post up with some links to some useful flower-related sites along with my original florist shortlist.