Ugh I am still sick which is why you are all getting the news a month late (I told Steve if I am struck done by the H1N1, or whatever I've got, that I fully expect him to find someone else and execute on all of these wedding plans)
While we were in Ohio we visited a bunch of florists. If you are reading this and thinking "gosh that sounds like overkill because all florists are the same" keep reading and then visit twice as many for your wedding. It's true I wasn't sure how much could be accomplished by interviewing different florists, but when I found that a lot of them were using the same stock photos I was really nervous about commiting to anything without a store inspection first. So bright and early Monday morning Mom (who made the drive all by herself on Sunday- which sounds absolutely miserable to me and earns her major points), Patty (who by this time had put up with all of our cranky sleep deprived musings, my bridezilla-like thirst for organization, and a house full of people- cementing my impression that I am about to get the best in laws ever) and I headed off to our first florist.
The Flower Corner (Mogadore)- Off to a rousing start as this institution is neither on a corner, nor very into flowers. We pulled into their gravel lot and Mom was quick to point out the dusty plot of dirt next to their door with wilting flowers still in their black plastic tray. It was like a sad Kmart special. The shop itself was dirty, dusty and had a small collection of $30 brownish daisies. The man at the counter has no idea what we are doing here (at this point neither do I), but does eventually manage to produce a frightened dewy young woman who begins our consultation. The next 45 min pass- her asking me what I want, me insisiting I don't know anything about flowers, and Mom asking her questions she can't answer or gets wrong. This is a sad place and I pity the bride who ends up giving them money.
House of Plants (Akron)- Running late and greatly disheartened by out first encounter, House of Plants is a breath of fresh air. Located in a tiny strip mall, the entire front sidewalk is a riot of interesting plants and trees. Steve (the florist) was kind, energetic, and had great ideas. He kept rushing to another part of the store, picking out more things, and rushing back.
Some of his great ideas include:
*Using Lily grass to make the bouquets more interesting
* wrapping the boutinere stems in either silver ribbon or navy blue ribbon with silver wire
We had a tough time getting anywhere on the pieces for the ceremony. The entire wall we will be standing in front of is windows, so I'm for something that frames us, but doesn't look like a funeral arrangement.
Total Price: $843.48
We so enjoyed our time with Steve that their was no way we were going to make A Bed of Roses on time, which is fine because the woman on the phone was really hard to understand and seemed spacey. Patty called to tell them we weren't coming and we spent the extra time trying to eat lunch and showing Mom the reception sites. (We actually did sit down at Olive Garden before realizing we had to be at Baughman's in 30 min, so we hit the drive through at Swenson's and continued on)
Baughman's Florist and Greenhouse- So, apparently this family has been in business for generations. They were #1 on the Fox list and one of the appointment I was most looking forward to. By this point, Steve had finished golfing and joined us. The place has that generations upon generations feel ( a little like a gypsy caravan-complete with several large cats roaming the area). We were shown into a crowded back sitting room and the woman we met with kept asking the same questions over and over, slurring her speech and dashing off to get something. She then usually returned with nothing or with something completely different than she had gone out for. She was downstairs in another part of the shop when steve quietly asked "Do you think she's drunk?" I'm not sure if the place was bugged or if she just has really really good hearing, but she refrenced that comment for the rest of our visit. All in all the price was really reasonable, but I'm afraid that what we would end up with wouldn't be what we really wanted.
Greenhouse Florist- So, we knew going in that these guys would probably be pricey. The shop was gorgeous and interesting. We met with a very arty/funny young woman, who had great ideas and an interesting spin on wedding flowers. She's the one who suggested Blue Thistle, which we loved right away. Also, they ran out of small chairs and the table, so the two Moms got to sit on tall stools and lean over us. (Total Gargoyle moment, Mom was even making faces-classic and absolutely returned the fun to wedding planning)
Quick aside- how many freaking weddings have you been to where it seems like the bride steamrolled right over the groom? I mean it's supposed to be a celebration of the two becoming a family, but end up an orgy of pink , roses, and taffeta. Gak!
So, this gal totally got the part about it being interesting and adding to the abiance and not just being about me getting as many flowers as possible. (We got their quote about a week after we came back, ouch can't spend a quarter of the budget on the florist, so sorry wonderful gal with great ideas)
Finally, the next day (after our Stan Hywet visit) we saw the last florist of bunch.
Platinum Weddings and Events- Going into this one I was pretty excited. He was one of the few florists to not use stock photos on his site (novel concept displaying his own work), ranked #2 on the Fox list, and we had a wonderful pre-interview conversation. My major con going into this one is that he's a one man show (with the help of his wife), which makes me a little nervous about illness and accidents. I love that he's a special events florist only, so it's about style and he's not going to be distracted by a million tiny orders or his delivery schedule.
Meeting with Rob was amazing! He got our sense of humor, had Mom calm and laughing. He suggested things we hadn't thought of, argued the pros and cons of the flowers we were already thinking of. (quick note: He was also the only one to use a computer, I can't help it, it made me like him more).
Long story and an even longer post short: Rob came back with a very reasonable quote and we've signed the contract, put down a deposit and have ourselves a florist!
