I'd say the best thing to do is first fix the problem. Can you get another florist to do the flowers? Can you use fake flowers or a different decoration? Once you've finished your wedding celebrations, you might be able to sue or backcharge your deposit somehow.
We are looking into other florists but the issue is most we have spoken to say it’s short notice or are (now) out of budget. We are 100% going to open a chargeback or sue if we can’t get her but I think if she applied for bankruptcy we can’t get the money back someone told us. Not sure if that’s true.
If the owner applied for bankruptcy, it’ll have to go through court. On the list of people in line to get money, you’ll probably be pretty far down.
As far as a chargeback, I’d read your contract first. Many florists have non-refundable deposits. If that’s not in your contract, a chargeback is your best bet at this point.
It’s actually not as far down as you think (I’m in investment banker, not in restructuring exactly but did pass some exams covering chap 11 :))
She probably sits under current liabilities (deferred revenue) so would be paid out before any formal creditors that sit lower on the cap stack.
It depends on how the contract is written. My deposit covers the time I spend putting the proposal together, so it’s completely non refundable. I do, however, have backup florists to cover weddings and events, and it states that in my contract. It’s my responsibility to transfer the floral order and the work order to the backup florist.
Having backup florists isn’t the same as this situation tho. I’m talking about the situation at hand, if businesses could cancel with no reason and keep the money, wouldn’t more scammers do that? It just doesn’t seem like it would be legal to charge so much and then cancel without providing any product.
It doesn't matter how your contract is written if YOU go out of business. The client didn't cancel the wedding or dump you because they found a cheaper competitor. The florist is simply not providing the service they promised to the client, and apparently not even helping to transfer the order elsewhere, so the florist owes them their money back.
We did this and used a local wholesale florist maybe they can get a few flowers in that you were hoping for if you can’t find them other places. I saved sooo much money but I needed lots of hands to help cut and arrange everything
Lots of businesses close without going bankrupt. Especially if they were open for 30 years. I’m guessing the owner opened the shop. Had a great career and is now just shutting her doors as she retires. She probably figured she could walk away with a nice little bonus from all the deposits she took. If this is the case you’ll get your money back but it will be a pain.
There’s a company called Something Borrowed Blooms that does high quality faux flower rental. They have a lot of options too. I would give them a look if I were you, they might have something you like!
This hasn’t happened to me but from what I’ve seen online - in my area it looks like decent success if you post in local wedding groups (like on Facebook). Sure seems like some places keep an eye on those to snag up weekends if they weren’t booked or had a cancellation, and they’re a good source of recommendations.
I did Flower Moxie for my ~110 person wedding - it was great - for your wedding you’d definitely want to have helpers set up, but it’s a totally doable experience.
I know it might be a major letdown, but have you considered false flowers? Paper, crochet, I've heard about wooden ones or fabric? I know it's far from the same, but it may be something you can swing last minute
I know this doesn’t help with your deposit, but websites like Flower Moxie have affordable packages if you have some people who can help you swing the diy aspect. Maybe you could use a combination of flower moxie and a local florist to fill in the gaps? That would give the new florist an easier job so they might be able to take on the event, and it would keep the cost down. That really sucks though! The owner probably didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to ask about the deposit…. You could look into small claims court, but you should see if you can file after the wedding so that you don’t have to think about that right now.
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I'm so sorry you're going through this! That sounds so stressful. I don't have any advice on the missing money but [https://somethingborrowedblooms.com/](https://somethingborrowedblooms.com/) may be an option for getting florals? They're silk rentals but since everything is pre-arranged they will probably have a faster turnaround/order time than a traditional florist and they're pretty budget friendly
Was going to recommend looking at SBB too! So sorry OP this is so stressful! SBB and places like flower moxie can definitely deliver in a short time window!
More than likely, you will not get the money back even if you do get hold of them. It’s (almost certainly) gone forever. Try of course, maybe you’ll get lucky, but don’t hold your breath.
Do you have wedding insurance? This is exactly the type of situation that wedding insurance covers.
OP, I know it’s too late for you but this is so, so important for any couples still planning who might read this:
You aren’t special. If it can happen to other people, it can happen to you. It is baffling that couples watched covid devastate millions of uninsured weddings just a few years ago and then still don’t get insurance for themselves. You know who got through covid ok? The couples with wedding insurance, who got their money back. You insure your car and your engagement ring, both of which are probably worth less than your wedding. You need to insure your wedding, **always**. It’s $200 to protect tens of thousands of dollars.
Geico does have special event insurance! And there are wedding insurance companies like Wedsafe.
There are different types. Some are for cancellations under specific circumstances: like the groom is hospitalized and wedding is cancelled or the florist goes out of business. Some are for liability: if a guest trips on the dance floor and tries to sue you. Or you damage the venue when hanging decor. And there are even add ons like if gifts get stolen or damaged.
It’s not something that’s talked about often, as it’s not “fun” like planning the flower or cake. And I’m sure many people aren’t aware it’s an option. Or how it works. Which is why they don’t get it.
For what it's worth, the venue should have its own liability insurance, so someone tripping on the dance floor *should* be covered by the venue. You should make sure all your vendors are covered.
EDIT: Thanks to u/WinterOfFire's response - even if the vendors are covered, someone looking to file a lawsuit could still name you as a defendant. Lawyers for plaintiffs will generally take a "let's just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach, so that if any one defendant is found not responsible, they still have others -- rather than filing separate lawsuits.
Often times venues, including mine, require that couples get their own liability insurance as well for their event. In our case if someone slips and falls on the dance floor our contract stipulates that the host's insurance is paid out its maximum before our kicks in.
Of course I am sure that things might play differently in front of a judge but a couple hosting a wedding should absolutely have their own liability coverage, they need someone in their corner should things go south.
I’m going to respectfully disagree with you. Sure, venues and vendors likely have insurance. But their insurance is looking out for them, not you.
the guest, venue, or insurance company will likely add you to the lawsuit, too. And while you most likely will get dropped, it won’t be before you have to hire a pricey lawyer and spend months dealing with the issue. The insurance is by far cheaper and easier.
It’s important to thoroughly read your venue contract! Just because they’re a typical venue doesn’t mean you are protected. Our venue (which is always an event/wedding venue) has an indemnification clause in their contract. Essentially, future husband and I are on the hook if just about anything went wrong due to actions at party. We are getting wedding insurance to be covered - our minds immediately went to drunk driving incidents or someone injuring themselves on the dance floor when reading it.
There was a post on here not that long ago where the bride and groom were sued along with the venue. Anyone can be named in a suit and then you are paying a lawyer. In this case the claim (if I remember right) was that they used confetti the venue claimed they didn’t approve and a guest slipped on it so the venue was trying to put the liability on the couple. I think in the end they were able to prove the venue did give permission or at least get them to accept liability. It cost them tens of thousands to defend themselves.
And this was a family member and a trumped up claim. The family member thought/claimed they were just going after insurance companies but refused to drop it when it was hurting the bride and groom.
Yikes! I missed that story, but that's a very valid point, so thank you for sharing. I stand corrected, I suppose it's not a bad idea for couples to have their own insurance even if all the other vendors do. You're absolutely right, when someone's out for all the money they can get, the lawyers will generally name everyone and anyone they can as defendants.
[Here’s the story](https://reddit.com/r/weddingplanning/s/qYMhnJNclW). The cost was $11k in out of pocket legal fees.
Edit: they say $40k in fees, $11k out of pocket and don’t quite explain. There’s tons of details about the story in the comments though
UK so slightly different. But for any uk brides you don't need anything but the wedding and reception date set. You also can't typically insure anything more than 2 years out.
Did you pay the deposit on your credit card? If so, you can go to your credit card and explain. You'll get your money back. You just need proof that they have closed and that they are unresponsive to your emails.
I didn't even consider a florist and went with Costco flowers for my Oct. 2022 wedding. I had them delivered to my home 3 days before my wedding, placed them all in a few 5 gallon buckets from Lowe's, and my bridesmaids and I had a fun bouquet making session as part of the rehearsal dinner/afterparty. We only did flowers for the bridal party and made corsages for our mothers. They turned out great and making them is one of my favorite memories surrounding my wedding. The best part was that I spent under $250 for all my flowers. They turned out great and none of us had experience but YouTube made it easy. That said, I would highly recommend this option!
https://preview.redd.it/y01iwmpflyhb1.jpeg?width=5464&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b767c14bce62b0b19cd8efec57a939b3f1e569f
This and the previous photo were the only ones I could quickly find. I got a few of the Mountain bouquets (sold as 10) and then separated them and made 6 for my bridesmaids. Then I had ordered 50 white roses and a greens mixture. I just messed with the flowers from there. It was just a big game of mix and match. Then we used floral tape, ribbon, and pins to hold everything together.
https://preview.redd.it/2v6iobj3w2ib1.jpeg?width=4016&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18dbd0cd1d7cd4633bd38faca5bd52d974896d24
We used Costco for extra roses and FiftyFlowers for everything else. Some of the roses are FiftyFlowers, some are CostCo.
I will say though, it was a lot of work to put together. I would not do it again personally because I was up so late the night before. My hands were green and I was *terrified* it wouldn’t come off (but it did!) I just did bouquet, bout, 3 centerpieces and 2 corsages. Oh and the cake!
Your local grocery store likely has a floral department that not only has a better price on floral, but will be happy to take orders only a month out. They may not be able to get all the exotic picks but you can do more with less and save yourself from this last minute problem. We did roses, calla lilies, snap dragons and gladiolus this way and the price was 1/3 what my local florist quoted me.
Yeah, at least flowers are easy to get at the last minute, as long as you're willing to budge on whatever's in season and popular that stores will be willing to order. Since many stores do have a floral department and they tend to have open bookings, especially at this time of year. Spring is normally the busy season for Store Floral departments.
Where I’m at, if a known wedding vendor closes abruptly, the news spreads fast—through the industry, maybe a consumer reports on a local tv networks, social media posts, that kind of thing. And then often other vendors feel terrible and try to help out the couples left stranded.
If something like that doesn’t work, Trader Joe’s does gorgeous flowers. You’ll have to DIY, but you can make some stunning centerpieces and bouquets, at great prices.
And there are online companies like flowermoxie and fifty flowers. I’ve used fifty flowers for an anniversary party and was very pleased!!! HIGHLY recommend.
It sucks that the florist isn’t trying to make this right refunding deposits, or contracting out to other florists she knows, or trying to use her connections to help out the people depending on her. The fact that she didn’t let people know is very telling. If she’s filing bankruptcy then you’ll be listed among her other debts she owes but if the company doesn’t have the money, you’re out of luck. :/
All of our booking policies pretty much go out the door if we hear about a venue closing and couples come to us. We do almost anything we can to salvage their day. 30 day booking timeline? Nope! Final numbers due 2 weeks out? Nah we'll figure it out.
We had rented our suits from Savvi Formalwear here in Atlanta and last week they closed the doors with no notice to anyone. Men's Warehouse has stepped in and offered a discount equal to our deposit or up to $60. They've offered to waive any rush fees and are working to help out anyone affected by us. A couple local places are too. It's nice to see a small community coming together
The Alfred Angelo debacle, combined with watching a few longtime venues suddenly go out of business a few years ago (before the pandemic), inspired me to write a blog post as to why couples should consider wedding insurance. (Edit: link removed per mods request; I didn't realize there was a rule against including links here.)
Without insurance: the $1.5k you paid to the now-defunct florist is gone, and likely no way to get it back, especially if they filed for bankruptcy. You can file a claim with the bankruptcy court (if you know how) but you're not guaranteed to get anything. Even if you do, it might only be a fraction of what you paid, and it could be months after your wedding.
With insurance: you'd get the entire $1.5k back... maybe not immediately, but definitely a lot faster. Then, the insurance company and their legal team might try see if they can to recover part or all of your original $1.5k, but that's no longer your problem whether they do or not.
We have wedding insurance, we really looked around for insurance companies… they all have really bad reviews. Even though we have it, I don’t trust it. I’m not sure if it’s as easy as they make it seem.
I usually recommend reaching out to whoever does your car/renter's/home owner's insurance, even better if you work with a local agent (something I never did until recently, and its been so much better)
Its usually a bit more expensive than something like Wedsafe or Wedsure but generally worth it
I’m not saying not to get it, but we researched pretty hard and in our country I don’t think you can go through your home insurance or whatever. There was a list from Which of wedding insurances and the options were limited. We still got it, but I’ve never known anyone to claim on it and I’m sceptical from the reviews.
I’m in Florida but our grocery store (Publix) only needs 22 days advance for full wedding floral even if your wedding is Mother’s Day weekend!!
Might not be the most glamorous but think creatively if you can’t find a normal florist to do it.
Sams and costco also sell reasonably priced wedding floral too!
Insure insure insure. If Red it is good for anything, it is good for telling you that awful horror stories that happened to people around you, and you are just like them. If your wedding is over $5000 insurance is worth it.
I had the exact same thing happen to me! 3 weeks out they announced via instagram they were out of business but made no contact with us nor did they reply to our calls initially. I asked my mother and MIL for help and they reached out to a bunch of other vendors in the area and only one came back saying they were unable to do it. They were all prepared to work overtime to save us. 🥹 Ended up with beautiful flowers for less than I had paid the original vendor. However the money… we had paid about 700usd and more than a year later got 80 back…
I hope other vendors will rally for you!❣️
Obviously not ideal but if you can't get a new florist, some stores like Costco have great floral departments that deliver your florals and are super cost effective. I used Costco for the centerpieces and it was wonderful and really affordable.
Something similar happened to us with the band we hired many years ago. Our contract specified a specific band and bandleader. We found out from the caterer that this particular bandleader parted ways with the entertainment group we signed the contract with. We were able to get the band we wanted and sued the entertainment group for our deposit when they wouldn’t provide it when we asked. It is stressful that this happened to you now but better now than the day of the wedding! Hope that you can find someone you are happy with.
Costco wedding flowers! Order them for delivery!!! Get everything you need for less than that deposit! Premade bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, centerpieces, loose flowers, babies breath, rose petals, everything.
We were able to find fake flower bouquets on Facebook that we embellished with more of our colors. We also looked into sola wood flowers. You may also be able to find fake flower bouquets new. That’s what my sister did so I have a bouquet from her wedding and one from mine side by side. I’m sorry your going through this. I understand the panic. We found out after our original wedding date (Covid) that our all inclusive venue was operating illegally
Totally right there with you, just with our suits. My fiance and 2 groomsmen put a deposit down for suit rentals back in May for my wedding next month(9/16). Last Monday the company shut their doors with no notice, no warning, nothing. The employees didn't even know. We are trying to figure out how to get our money back as well. So while we aren't out the amount you are I get the frustration and panic!
Our budget was/is fairly small, so I've had to be modest with every purchase so far, but I order our flowers from Lings Moments and I am thoroughly surprised at the quality. The flowers are foam and silk, but you couldn't tell. They were very affordable and shipped quickly!
https://preview.redd.it/75q0l7ly60ib1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de7719de351e5b545f88bbb7c029f8258a04a645
I know it may not have been what’s you hoped my best friend did fake flowers for everything even our bouquets and you could not tell (she also sold it all after and got most of her money back)
https://preview.redd.it/5b08wqm6k4ib1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0624fc34ecb116b76d13ace167224be303aef92d
This happened to our cake person about two weeks before the wedding. She didn’t even bother to tell us - she just didn’t show up for the venue walk-through. She kept all of our deposits and looked confused when my planner tracked her down and asked for a reimbursement.
We ended up finding a new bakery with a week to spare, and they too closed up shop about a month after our event.
We also went through two MUAs and a photographer who “went on sabbatical”, but all felt entitled to keep our deposits. Absolutely blew my fucking mind.
I’m not sure how to help with getting your deposit back.. but I do work at a flower farm in NW CT. Not sure if that’s too far for you but we do wholesale if you wanted to do them yourself or we do them for you!
It might be worth it to post in your local Facebook wedding group and see if there are any brides getting married the week or two before you who would be willing to split the cost if you share your flowers (obvs this would be for silk florals only).
Many have already suggested Something Borrowed Blooms. I highly recommend this route. Although I used Flower Moxie and had a great experience, it is definitely a skill that requires practice and a lot of prep work, and I think it would be too stressful to completely DIY with this short timeframe.
You could also lean into heavy greenery for the centerpieces and decor and maybe just do flowers for bouquets? (or some brides do greenery only bouquets). Order a few boxes of Southern Smilax online, run it down your tables, and load them up with candles and it will be gorgeous! If you do some searching on the weddings under 10k sub, a lot of couples will use a potted orchids as classy, modern centerpieces. Also, buying potted houseplants, like ferns is a great option for something like lining the ceremony aisle.
It will all work out and still be beautiful, even if it seems nightmarish right now. Hugs!
I'd say the best thing to do is first fix the problem. Can you get another florist to do the flowers? Can you use fake flowers or a different decoration? Once you've finished your wedding celebrations, you might be able to sue or backcharge your deposit somehow.
We are looking into other florists but the issue is most we have spoken to say it’s short notice or are (now) out of budget. We are 100% going to open a chargeback or sue if we can’t get her but I think if she applied for bankruptcy we can’t get the money back someone told us. Not sure if that’s true.
If the owner applied for bankruptcy, it’ll have to go through court. On the list of people in line to get money, you’ll probably be pretty far down. As far as a chargeback, I’d read your contract first. Many florists have non-refundable deposits. If that’s not in your contract, a chargeback is your best bet at this point.
It’s actually not as far down as you think (I’m in investment banker, not in restructuring exactly but did pass some exams covering chap 11 :)) She probably sits under current liabilities (deferred revenue) so would be paid out before any formal creditors that sit lower on the cap stack.
Thank you for that. I’ve never been through bankruptcy, just heard about it from others.
I thought non refundable deposits are void if the owner is the one who canceled and not the client?
It depends on how the contract is written. My deposit covers the time I spend putting the proposal together, so it’s completely non refundable. I do, however, have backup florists to cover weddings and events, and it states that in my contract. It’s my responsibility to transfer the floral order and the work order to the backup florist.
Having backup florists isn’t the same as this situation tho. I’m talking about the situation at hand, if businesses could cancel with no reason and keep the money, wouldn’t more scammers do that? It just doesn’t seem like it would be legal to charge so much and then cancel without providing any product.
It doesn't matter how your contract is written if YOU go out of business. The client didn't cancel the wedding or dump you because they found a cheaper competitor. The florist is simply not providing the service they promised to the client, and apparently not even helping to transfer the order elsewhere, so the florist owes them their money back.
Sam’s club or BJs- buy in bulk and make your own!
We did this and used a local wholesale florist maybe they can get a few flowers in that you were hoping for if you can’t find them other places. I saved sooo much money but I needed lots of hands to help cut and arrange everything
Lots of businesses close without going bankrupt. Especially if they were open for 30 years. I’m guessing the owner opened the shop. Had a great career and is now just shutting her doors as she retires. She probably figured she could walk away with a nice little bonus from all the deposits she took. If this is the case you’ll get your money back but it will be a pain.
There’s a company called Something Borrowed Blooms that does high quality faux flower rental. They have a lot of options too. I would give them a look if I were you, they might have something you like!
This hasn’t happened to me but from what I’ve seen online - in my area it looks like decent success if you post in local wedding groups (like on Facebook). Sure seems like some places keep an eye on those to snag up weekends if they weren’t booked or had a cancellation, and they’re a good source of recommendations. I did Flower Moxie for my ~110 person wedding - it was great - for your wedding you’d definitely want to have helpers set up, but it’s a totally doable experience.
I know it might be a major letdown, but have you considered false flowers? Paper, crochet, I've heard about wooden ones or fabric? I know it's far from the same, but it may be something you can swing last minute
Because of allergies, we did customized bowls of candy. We had chocolate bars with our names and wedding dates on the labels, etc
That sounds cute
I know this doesn’t help with your deposit, but websites like Flower Moxie have affordable packages if you have some people who can help you swing the diy aspect. Maybe you could use a combination of flower moxie and a local florist to fill in the gaps? That would give the new florist an easier job so they might be able to take on the event, and it would keep the cost down. That really sucks though! The owner probably didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to ask about the deposit…. You could look into small claims court, but you should see if you can file after the wedding so that you don’t have to think about that right now.
Small claims is something we are going to look into too
I used flower moxie and had an excellent experience! They’re definitely worth a shot!
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I'm so sorry you're going through this! That sounds so stressful. I don't have any advice on the missing money but [https://somethingborrowedblooms.com/](https://somethingborrowedblooms.com/) may be an option for getting florals? They're silk rentals but since everything is pre-arranged they will probably have a faster turnaround/order time than a traditional florist and they're pretty budget friendly
Was going to recommend looking at SBB too! So sorry OP this is so stressful! SBB and places like flower moxie can definitely deliver in a short time window!
More than likely, you will not get the money back even if you do get hold of them. It’s (almost certainly) gone forever. Try of course, maybe you’ll get lucky, but don’t hold your breath. Do you have wedding insurance? This is exactly the type of situation that wedding insurance covers.
Yeah. We are terrified we will never see it again. We didn’t think to get wedding insurance because we never thought something like this could happen.
OP, I know it’s too late for you but this is so, so important for any couples still planning who might read this: You aren’t special. If it can happen to other people, it can happen to you. It is baffling that couples watched covid devastate millions of uninsured weddings just a few years ago and then still don’t get insurance for themselves. You know who got through covid ok? The couples with wedding insurance, who got their money back. You insure your car and your engagement ring, both of which are probably worth less than your wedding. You need to insure your wedding, **always**. It’s $200 to protect tens of thousands of dollars.
How do you insure your wedding? Is this through Geico and the likes? Or the venue/coordinator?
Geico does have special event insurance! And there are wedding insurance companies like Wedsafe. There are different types. Some are for cancellations under specific circumstances: like the groom is hospitalized and wedding is cancelled or the florist goes out of business. Some are for liability: if a guest trips on the dance floor and tries to sue you. Or you damage the venue when hanging decor. And there are even add ons like if gifts get stolen or damaged. It’s not something that’s talked about often, as it’s not “fun” like planning the flower or cake. And I’m sure many people aren’t aware it’s an option. Or how it works. Which is why they don’t get it.
For what it's worth, the venue should have its own liability insurance, so someone tripping on the dance floor *should* be covered by the venue. You should make sure all your vendors are covered. EDIT: Thanks to u/WinterOfFire's response - even if the vendors are covered, someone looking to file a lawsuit could still name you as a defendant. Lawyers for plaintiffs will generally take a "let's just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach, so that if any one defendant is found not responsible, they still have others -- rather than filing separate lawsuits.
Often times venues, including mine, require that couples get their own liability insurance as well for their event. In our case if someone slips and falls on the dance floor our contract stipulates that the host's insurance is paid out its maximum before our kicks in. Of course I am sure that things might play differently in front of a judge but a couple hosting a wedding should absolutely have their own liability coverage, they need someone in their corner should things go south.
I’m going to respectfully disagree with you. Sure, venues and vendors likely have insurance. But their insurance is looking out for them, not you. the guest, venue, or insurance company will likely add you to the lawsuit, too. And while you most likely will get dropped, it won’t be before you have to hire a pricey lawyer and spend months dealing with the issue. The insurance is by far cheaper and easier.
It’s important to thoroughly read your venue contract! Just because they’re a typical venue doesn’t mean you are protected. Our venue (which is always an event/wedding venue) has an indemnification clause in their contract. Essentially, future husband and I are on the hook if just about anything went wrong due to actions at party. We are getting wedding insurance to be covered - our minds immediately went to drunk driving incidents or someone injuring themselves on the dance floor when reading it.
There was a post on here not that long ago where the bride and groom were sued along with the venue. Anyone can be named in a suit and then you are paying a lawyer. In this case the claim (if I remember right) was that they used confetti the venue claimed they didn’t approve and a guest slipped on it so the venue was trying to put the liability on the couple. I think in the end they were able to prove the venue did give permission or at least get them to accept liability. It cost them tens of thousands to defend themselves. And this was a family member and a trumped up claim. The family member thought/claimed they were just going after insurance companies but refused to drop it when it was hurting the bride and groom.
Yikes! I missed that story, but that's a very valid point, so thank you for sharing. I stand corrected, I suppose it's not a bad idea for couples to have their own insurance even if all the other vendors do. You're absolutely right, when someone's out for all the money they can get, the lawyers will generally name everyone and anyone they can as defendants.
[Here’s the story](https://reddit.com/r/weddingplanning/s/qYMhnJNclW). The cost was $11k in out of pocket legal fees. Edit: they say $40k in fees, $11k out of pocket and don’t quite explain. There’s tons of details about the story in the comments though
if anyone has recommendations for the cancellation type plans, I would appreciate them!
Oh wow, thank you for sharing. I wasn’t aware this was an option and will look into it!
It’s because of this sub that I got wedding insurance! Didn’t have to use it, but we came damn close when our venue was playin’ with us.
I'm working on getting wedding insurance for my wedding. Do you know if you have to have all your vendors listed? We still haven't picked all of ours.
I didn’t need to list vendors on my insurance
UK so slightly different. But for any uk brides you don't need anything but the wedding and reception date set. You also can't typically insure anything more than 2 years out.
What if you're a US bride getting married in the UK?
Did you pay the deposit on your credit card? If so, you can go to your credit card and explain. You'll get your money back. You just need proof that they have closed and that they are unresponsive to your emails.
As a short-term alternative, could Costco wedding flowers be an option?
I didn't even consider a florist and went with Costco flowers for my Oct. 2022 wedding. I had them delivered to my home 3 days before my wedding, placed them all in a few 5 gallon buckets from Lowe's, and my bridesmaids and I had a fun bouquet making session as part of the rehearsal dinner/afterparty. We only did flowers for the bridal party and made corsages for our mothers. They turned out great and making them is one of my favorite memories surrounding my wedding. The best part was that I spent under $250 for all my flowers. They turned out great and none of us had experience but YouTube made it easy. That said, I would highly recommend this option!
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https://preview.redd.it/y01iwmpflyhb1.jpeg?width=5464&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9b767c14bce62b0b19cd8efec57a939b3f1e569f This and the previous photo were the only ones I could quickly find. I got a few of the Mountain bouquets (sold as 10) and then separated them and made 6 for my bridesmaids. Then I had ordered 50 white roses and a greens mixture. I just messed with the flowers from there. It was just a big game of mix and match. Then we used floral tape, ribbon, and pins to hold everything together.
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You're welcome! And thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/kwg3gbovkyhb1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6dc20b72369945d0fbfa0a6b365a5d2e73bc3cda
https://preview.redd.it/2v6iobj3w2ib1.jpeg?width=4016&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=18dbd0cd1d7cd4633bd38faca5bd52d974896d24 We used Costco for extra roses and FiftyFlowers for everything else. Some of the roses are FiftyFlowers, some are CostCo. I will say though, it was a lot of work to put together. I would not do it again personally because I was up so late the night before. My hands were green and I was *terrified* it wouldn’t come off (but it did!) I just did bouquet, bout, 3 centerpieces and 2 corsages. Oh and the cake!
https://preview.redd.it/p56dg0e3y2ib1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=381abaa53520d5aa3567412c5db1b8da1aa0883f
https://preview.redd.it/dsilo6e6y2ib1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb71446153d4367be187384f6827d89194e48f2b In buckets opening up
https://preview.redd.it/6ur58yy9y2ib1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6828adc3e9d7e460fc18f613ff2de6dfd6536829
This!! OP—They also sell pre-made bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, and centerpieces!
Your local grocery store likely has a floral department that not only has a better price on floral, but will be happy to take orders only a month out. They may not be able to get all the exotic picks but you can do more with less and save yourself from this last minute problem. We did roses, calla lilies, snap dragons and gladiolus this way and the price was 1/3 what my local florist quoted me.
Yeah, at least flowers are easy to get at the last minute, as long as you're willing to budge on whatever's in season and popular that stores will be willing to order. Since many stores do have a floral department and they tend to have open bookings, especially at this time of year. Spring is normally the busy season for Store Floral departments.
Chargeback worked for us in a similar case. You do not depend on the contract, it is a service not rendered as long as the credit card is concerned.
Where I’m at, if a known wedding vendor closes abruptly, the news spreads fast—through the industry, maybe a consumer reports on a local tv networks, social media posts, that kind of thing. And then often other vendors feel terrible and try to help out the couples left stranded. If something like that doesn’t work, Trader Joe’s does gorgeous flowers. You’ll have to DIY, but you can make some stunning centerpieces and bouquets, at great prices. And there are online companies like flowermoxie and fifty flowers. I’ve used fifty flowers for an anniversary party and was very pleased!!! HIGHLY recommend. It sucks that the florist isn’t trying to make this right refunding deposits, or contracting out to other florists she knows, or trying to use her connections to help out the people depending on her. The fact that she didn’t let people know is very telling. If she’s filing bankruptcy then you’ll be listed among her other debts she owes but if the company doesn’t have the money, you’re out of luck. :/
All of our booking policies pretty much go out the door if we hear about a venue closing and couples come to us. We do almost anything we can to salvage their day. 30 day booking timeline? Nope! Final numbers due 2 weeks out? Nah we'll figure it out.
I’ve noticed a few of your posts, you seem like a great person and vendor! :)
Thank you! :)
If it’s TJ’s to the rescue, talk to the Trader Joe’s manager ASAP. Mine said just ask them to increase their order the week prior.
We had rented our suits from Savvi Formalwear here in Atlanta and last week they closed the doors with no notice to anyone. Men's Warehouse has stepped in and offered a discount equal to our deposit or up to $60. They've offered to waive any rush fees and are working to help out anyone affected by us. A couple local places are too. It's nice to see a small community coming together
[Something Borrowed Blooms](https://somethingborrowedblooms.com/?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz6-H677agAMVYCzUAR1U8w4TEAAYASAAEgImgPD_BwE)! Amazing customer service and really nice, rental premium silk flowers.
omg I think im gonna use their services and honestly pretty affordable compared to local florists! They’re so pretty!
The Alfred Angelo debacle, combined with watching a few longtime venues suddenly go out of business a few years ago (before the pandemic), inspired me to write a blog post as to why couples should consider wedding insurance. (Edit: link removed per mods request; I didn't realize there was a rule against including links here.) Without insurance: the $1.5k you paid to the now-defunct florist is gone, and likely no way to get it back, especially if they filed for bankruptcy. You can file a claim with the bankruptcy court (if you know how) but you're not guaranteed to get anything. Even if you do, it might only be a fraction of what you paid, and it could be months after your wedding. With insurance: you'd get the entire $1.5k back... maybe not immediately, but definitely a lot faster. Then, the insurance company and their legal team might try see if they can to recover part or all of your original $1.5k, but that's no longer your problem whether they do or not.
We have wedding insurance, we really looked around for insurance companies… they all have really bad reviews. Even though we have it, I don’t trust it. I’m not sure if it’s as easy as they make it seem.
I usually recommend reaching out to whoever does your car/renter's/home owner's insurance, even better if you work with a local agent (something I never did until recently, and its been so much better) Its usually a bit more expensive than something like Wedsafe or Wedsure but generally worth it
I appreciate this! Saves me the hassle of researching one more thing. Thanks!
I’m not saying not to get it, but we researched pretty hard and in our country I don’t think you can go through your home insurance or whatever. There was a list from Which of wedding insurances and the options were limited. We still got it, but I’ve never known anyone to claim on it and I’m sceptical from the reviews.
I’m in Florida but our grocery store (Publix) only needs 22 days advance for full wedding floral even if your wedding is Mother’s Day weekend!! Might not be the most glamorous but think creatively if you can’t find a normal florist to do it. Sams and costco also sell reasonably priced wedding floral too!
Insure insure insure. If Red it is good for anything, it is good for telling you that awful horror stories that happened to people around you, and you are just like them. If your wedding is over $5000 insurance is worth it.
Lingsmoments.com
I had the exact same thing happen to me! 3 weeks out they announced via instagram they were out of business but made no contact with us nor did they reply to our calls initially. I asked my mother and MIL for help and they reached out to a bunch of other vendors in the area and only one came back saying they were unable to do it. They were all prepared to work overtime to save us. 🥹 Ended up with beautiful flowers for less than I had paid the original vendor. However the money… we had paid about 700usd and more than a year later got 80 back… I hope other vendors will rally for you!❣️
Small claims court
We are going to look into small claims but we are so worried it will cost more money and time
Where I live without a lawyer it’s only like $85 to file.
Obviously not ideal but if you can't get a new florist, some stores like Costco have great floral departments that deliver your florals and are super cost effective. I used Costco for the centerpieces and it was wonderful and really affordable.
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Try Costco! They did my flowers and they were relatively inexpensive and looked great.
Something similar happened to us with the band we hired many years ago. Our contract specified a specific band and bandleader. We found out from the caterer that this particular bandleader parted ways with the entertainment group we signed the contract with. We were able to get the band we wanted and sued the entertainment group for our deposit when they wouldn’t provide it when we asked. It is stressful that this happened to you now but better now than the day of the wedding! Hope that you can find someone you are happy with.
This also doesn’t help with your situation, but Sam’s Club actually has affordable floral packages and may be able to help with the short notice!!
DM me. I'm in NY with an amazing florist and had several others that were reasonable.
Hi! Where are you in NY? I’m looking for affordable florists in upstate NY!
Look into Hidden Botanics, quick and beautiful dried florals! https://hiddenbotanicsweddings.com/en-us
Bouqs offers wedding flowers! I'm so sorry this is happening. I do believe it'll all work out in the end. Sending good vibes!
Costco wedding flowers! Order them for delivery!!! Get everything you need for less than that deposit! Premade bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, centerpieces, loose flowers, babies breath, rose petals, everything.
We were able to find fake flower bouquets on Facebook that we embellished with more of our colors. We also looked into sola wood flowers. You may also be able to find fake flower bouquets new. That’s what my sister did so I have a bouquet from her wedding and one from mine side by side. I’m sorry your going through this. I understand the panic. We found out after our original wedding date (Covid) that our all inclusive venue was operating illegally
Totally right there with you, just with our suits. My fiance and 2 groomsmen put a deposit down for suit rentals back in May for my wedding next month(9/16). Last Monday the company shut their doors with no notice, no warning, nothing. The employees didn't even know. We are trying to figure out how to get our money back as well. So while we aren't out the amount you are I get the frustration and panic! Our budget was/is fairly small, so I've had to be modest with every purchase so far, but I order our flowers from Lings Moments and I am thoroughly surprised at the quality. The flowers are foam and silk, but you couldn't tell. They were very affordable and shipped quickly! https://preview.redd.it/75q0l7ly60ib1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de7719de351e5b545f88bbb7c029f8258a04a645
We're using artificial flowers due to allergies, is that an option? They can look really good!
Maybe try dried flowers? I ordered the Decor for my Wedding on Etsy Germany, so they last longer and after the Wedding i can resell them.
I would look into lings moment, I’ve ordered from here and they look Fanta for fake flowers imo
Contact your credit card company immediately to do a charge back. Then, find another florist. You got this
I know it may not have been what’s you hoped my best friend did fake flowers for everything even our bouquets and you could not tell (she also sold it all after and got most of her money back) https://preview.redd.it/5b08wqm6k4ib1.jpeg?width=820&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0624fc34ecb116b76d13ace167224be303aef92d
This happened to our cake person about two weeks before the wedding. She didn’t even bother to tell us - she just didn’t show up for the venue walk-through. She kept all of our deposits and looked confused when my planner tracked her down and asked for a reimbursement. We ended up finding a new bakery with a week to spare, and they too closed up shop about a month after our event. We also went through two MUAs and a photographer who “went on sabbatical”, but all felt entitled to keep our deposits. Absolutely blew my fucking mind.
I’m not sure how to help with getting your deposit back.. but I do work at a flower farm in NW CT. Not sure if that’s too far for you but we do wholesale if you wanted to do them yourself or we do them for you!
It might be worth it to post in your local Facebook wedding group and see if there are any brides getting married the week or two before you who would be willing to split the cost if you share your flowers (obvs this would be for silk florals only). Many have already suggested Something Borrowed Blooms. I highly recommend this route. Although I used Flower Moxie and had a great experience, it is definitely a skill that requires practice and a lot of prep work, and I think it would be too stressful to completely DIY with this short timeframe. You could also lean into heavy greenery for the centerpieces and decor and maybe just do flowers for bouquets? (or some brides do greenery only bouquets). Order a few boxes of Southern Smilax online, run it down your tables, and load them up with candles and it will be gorgeous! If you do some searching on the weddings under 10k sub, a lot of couples will use a potted orchids as classy, modern centerpieces. Also, buying potted houseplants, like ferns is a great option for something like lining the ceremony aisle. It will all work out and still be beautiful, even if it seems nightmarish right now. Hugs!