Cley - Re: Colonial Flowers (long)

We are going to see them on June 16th (wanted May 26th, but they`re booked) - just starting our florist search. I had a nice conversation with Claudio the owner and I`ve heard good things about them. I know you plan to book them this weekend even though they`re 'pricey'...what made you choose them over someone less pricey? Can I ask how many other florists you visited and where Colonial`s prices fit in compared to the others? So far we plan to meet with Colonial, Mockawetch (we always get beautiful personal arrangements from them) and Wick`s (they`re the house florist at Coral House). Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!!

Kathi - Re: Colonial Flowers (very long)

As for the florists we saw: We went to Pedestals in Howard Beach and they seemed to have good quality but seemed to create some ridiculous price off the top of her head after she did an entire write up- for what we wanted it was $4500. Then we went to Blossom Heath in Oceanside (I have used them to send my FI flowers) and they came up with a price of $3500 and seemed to be able to justify the price. However my friend used them for their wedding and I was not impressed. We then went to the Pedestals in Mineola (my sister used them three years ago for her wedding) and they gave us a price of about $4000 (they were not aware that their same store gave us a higher price) but I was not impressed with the service I received. Then we went to Colonial- (my cousins used them about 15 years ago). Claudio is a nice guy, loves to talk so plan to stay a while but I believe most of what he says- Our first visit was a two hour consultation, we told him what we thought we wanted and he told us what he liked. Three weeks later we had another appointment where he showed us what our sample centerpiece would look like- we absolutely hated it- my FI was going to cry- it was nothing like we pictured- I thought it was a mistake- Anyway, to make this long story shorter, Claudio sat with us for an hour and put together the most beautiful centerpiece we had both ever seen, wrote all the flowers down that he used, took a picture and gave us a copy- We have to finalize things tomorrow. What I liked was that you get to see your centerpiece before you even book him, he is reputable and seemed to passionate about his work. His price was about $3800 for what we wanted. The only thing I do not like is that his contract is not as formal or concise as the others I dealt with. Hopefully this info helps-

Cley - Re: Colonial Flowers

If you don't mind me asking... How much did you pay at Colonial and what did you get - flower types, how many bouts, etc...? Thanks!

Cley - thanks for the detailed response!

I really appreciate it! My budget is half of yours - yikes! I`m hoping you need more centerpieces than me (I need 10-12) and you got LOTS of Church arrangements. LOL! Our cocktail hour flowers and chuppah flowers + 2 aisle baskets are included at our hall so I don`t need any for the ceremony/cocktail hour. Anyway, we`ll see what Claudio comes up with for us! By the way, did you give him a budget to work with or did he just come up w/ that number based on what you wanted? Thanks again!

Cley - thanks for the detailed response!

Kathi, we actually booked Colonial this weekend. Claudio was great to deal with, up front and honest (leave plenty of time because he is a talker). Also he appears truly honest and provides the personal service I have dealt with throughout the plannning for the wedding. As for our wedding, we plan to 22 tables and some pieces for the church not to mention a huge bridal party so do not go by our overall price. As for a budget, he will work within any budget. My advice would be to focus on the price of the centerpieces because that is where most of your bill will go towards. Good luck-