Wedding Florist (Alexandria, Reston, McLean: purchases, high school, gated)

[Yankeesfan]

You all gave me some good suggestions for wedding cake bakeries, now how about florists? The wedding is in Old Town Alexandria.

[cdmurphy]

I attended a very fancy local wedding not long before my own, and the flowers were lovely. I asked the bride who she used, and she (secretively) told me that they came from Giant in McLean. I worked at a florist when I was in high school, so I know how expensive flowers can be, especially once the "wedding" label is attached. I looked into it and after meeting with the florist at Giant, decided to use them too. My flowers were beautiful, and at a fraction of some of the other places I had considered. The only downside was that they didn't deliver, so I had to pick them up the morning of the wedding (which I did myself because it worked out logistically, but that's something that could be delegated). One reason for the lower cost is that Giant centrally purchases all their flowers, so they get a great price for the volume and that savings is passed on to the customer. Caveat: that was ten years ago, and I don't know if all Giants have such great florists or if the price difference is still comparable, but it's definitely worth investigating because it can free up a lot of money for something else. Who knows, they might even deliver now that Peapod exists! Plus you get to surprise the heck out of anyone who asks you where you got your flowers.

[JfromReston]

I price shopped and was amazed at the huge differences. Reston Floral won my business for great prices and wonderful flowers. They delivered (on time) to my wedding in Bethesda. I was very satisfied with their work.

Reston Floral Design - Reston, VA, 20191 - Delivering Fresh Flowers and Gifts