We have flowers!

Today I booked the florist! We are using Ixia flowers in Evanston; the owner, Barbara Bellamy, was really nice, seems to do good work, and had what I consider reasonable prices (of course, wedding prices are always fairly ridiculous, but they were lower than a lot of their competitors).

I really liked her ideas for our arrangements, and also appreciated her giving me direct price quotes based on the flower choices (so that I can know various prices for bridesmaid bouquets, centerpieces, etc.). It will come in handy as we make tough decisons regarding what to keep and what to cut from our wedding (for budgetary reasons). Weddings are always a delicate dance between preference and practicality; it helps to be fully informed about what you're getting yourself into, though!

One of my major wedding pet peeves is that vendors are often *so* reluctant to give price estimates, but if you don't have a general feel for how much things cost, it is really hard to figure out how you are going to work out your budget!!! I understand that it can be impossible to give an exact quote on... say... centerpieces, when you don't know what a person wants, but you could give a range. how hard would it be to have this dialogue:

"Hi! I really like your work! What are your rates for centerpieces?"
"Centerpieces start at around $35, but our average centerpiece costs $70"
"What would a $35 centerpiece typically include? What would a typical flower arrangement consist of?"
"A $35 centerpiece might be small vase of daisies at each table. A typical centerpiece would consist of a fairly tight bunch of roses, lilies, gerber daisies, etc. in an 8" round bowl. If you want to get very creative or large, the price goes up."

I really can't see how that would be a turn-off to a bride; knowing up front what you are getting into is important, and I would imagine (especially in this economy) that going in for a full consultation with a too-expensive florist would just waste everyone's time!!!