Weddingbee Blog

Oy…flowers. The one downside of planning a wedding in a different city is trying to figure out where to go for flowers. There are so many florists in Vancouver that it is so daunting to try and narrow things down. I really wanted to set up consultations while we were in Vancouver in the fall, so I tried two plans of attack for finding a florist.

Image by Next Exit Photography / Amber Events / via Style Me Pretty

Posting a question in online forums:

A few different florists were recommended to me via a query I posed in a few Vancouver-specific online wedding forums. I then scoped out their websites; however, the florist with the most glowing reviews didn’t have much of a website to speak of. No portfolio online at all. I did email her to ask about setting up a consultation, but then I didn’t hear back. Finally, two weeks later I got a bounce-back email from her Blackberry saying that the message hadn’t been delivered. Given the lack of pictures and the difficulty in getting a hold of her, I didn’t attempt to contact her again about a consultation.

The Google map:

Yup, I plotted up different florists in Vancouver on a Google map and then started scoping out their websites. I nixed anyone who mostly had standard Teleflora bouquets and arrangements posted on their sites, as I was looking for something a little different. I then contacted two different florists. One asked me right away what my budget was and if could I please send him my inspiration photos so he could be prepared for the consultation. Two days later he emailed me back a full quote on bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, arrangements for the church (?), and more things that I hadn’t actually asked for. Then he told me that if I paid in cash he’d save me money and not charge me tax. Sounded pretty sketchy to me, so I declined to meet with him in person.

Image by East Main Photography via Weddingbee

Despite these two not so great experiences, I did wind up having two really great consultations, so stay tuned for the results of those!

Did you have any interesting experiences while trying to arrange consultations with vendors?