I have a florist!

Do not underestimate the power of Craigslist. Sure, there are a ton of people on there who aren't what they claim to be and all they do is offer scam after scam. But do not let that deter you from finding something in your price range.


While randomly browsing Craigslist a while ago I found a post about a florist who works from home. Figuring it would be cheaper than any store, I emailed her what I was interested in and what my budget was.


Brittany emailed me back right away and told me of course she could work in that budget. It wasn't a problem at all. And yes, I could even have the flowers I wanted. So, we agreed that since she lives close to the winery, when FI and I made the trip up there we would visit her to look at everything.


Then came the great budget cut. My $600 flower budget was now $300. I needed my bouquet, 5 bridesmaid bouquets, a bout for FI, corsages for our moms and centerpiece flowers. So, I emailed Brittany again and she responded that it wasn't a problem. Obviously, I wasn't going to have the most expensive flowers, but my wedding would still have flowers and look nice.


I ended up finding the exact centerpieces I wanted on the Trash to Treasure board of theknot. So, I bought them. $87 and flowers were included because they were true touch silk ones. Woo Hoo!


Today FI and I met with Brittany. I was kind of hesistant because I have really expensive flower taste. I like calla lilies, orchids, and pretty much any other expensive flower. We sat down and went through everything.


Now here is the shocker:


My bouquet - mini calla liles in white with purple filler flowers, approx. 8 inches. $50
Bridesmaids - 5 bouquets of 5 lavendar roses with babies breath or other filler flower. $10 EACH
FI Bout - white calla lily $10
Mom's Corsages - carnations or roses, able to be pinned or worn on wrist, $10 EACH
Cake Flowers - approx 5 lavendar roses to put on cake. $10
Delivery and Tax: $46

Total Cost: $186.

I damn near fell over. Seriously, I dont even think the grocery store can give you that kind of price!

And since my bouquet is kind of small, depending on where we save money elsewhere, she told me that I can upgrade it to a bigger one up until a week before the wedding. So, the more I think about it, I might as well see what another $20 will get me size wise on the bouquet. I mean, I don't want it huge since I'm short, but I want it noticeable too.

Oh and another awesome thing - she asked if we had a photographer yet. I told her no and she said "I'm not trying to sell myself, but since you are on a budget and its hard to find a photographer on a budget, I do photography too. Its nothing super fancy, I can edit the pictures if you want, but I'll stay the entire night and take a ton of pictures for $300." So, thats another thing we can think about. She said she would email me the pictures of the wedding shes taking in Oct.