Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

I hope some of you ladies can help me. I used to do event planning and am used to getting a contract before putting any$$ down, even for a deposit, but I'm finding that this is not always the case in Long Island wedding planning and it's making me a nervous wreck!

The exact situation: we met yesterday with John from Flower Michele and LOVED him and his work, plus he gave us a very reasonable price. So I called him today to tell him we wanted to work with him and asked that he send a contract of what we discussed when we met, so that my fiance and I (who live in DC, btw) could get something signed and send in our 20% deposit. But, apparently, that's not how he works. He wants the $$ upfront, before he sends out anything in writing (which he calls an "outline" not a contract).

I don't know what to do!! He was the best price we got and we really loved what he showed us. We also liked his persona and felt he really understood what we wanted. BUT I am totally nervous about sending in money without anything in writing!!

Is anyone else using -- or even better, has anyone already used -- this florist? How did you rationalize this? What about other florists? Do they do the same thing?

Any/all feedback is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

I used him for my sept. 2001 wedding and he was unbelievable!!! I still am getting raves about my flowers! My brother is getting married next month and they went straight to him without a thought! His work is superb! He was the only florist that we went to, on our first meeting I gave him a deposit and then he sent me an outline of everything we discussed. It was basicly a fresh copy of all his notes he took during our meeting.
Anyway, I wouldn't hesitate or give a second thought to booking him. He was very honest and really good at his work. He was probably one of the better vendors that we dealt with!

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

I just put a deposit down on Friday at Flower Michele. I felt very comfortable dealing with John, and he gave me a copy of all the details we spoke about, along with the price. There were many positive postings on this board about Flower Michele, so I did not even hesitate to put money down.

I hope this helps.

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

Thanks for the prompt feedback...I'm feeling a little better now!

Mind if I ask another questions? Namely,

Did he charge a delivery/setup fee? When we sat down and he outlined everything, there was no such charge, but the other florists we met with had fees of $50-200! ACurt, was this something he discussed with you? Terri, was this something he charged when all was said and done? He does seem very honest, but I just want to make sure that there are no hidden "extras" we find out about later on...

Thanks again!!

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

Alison - in light of the fact that you are in DC, I dont' think it in any way unfair of you to request a contract prior to the deposit. Listen - this is a lot of money, and you are entitled to have an agreed upon contract to put in your wedding planner. I have only heard good things about Michele, and I am sure you will have no problems. But this is the exact reason I chose the florist I did after so much deliberation - I felt more comfortable with somebody who would take the time to write up the details and send it to me. It's only fair for your peace of mind that you know what flowers are going to be used and in what format so you don't need to stress about it. The flowers are the visual element that will help create "the look" of your affair. I am sure they will be wonderful from Michele, but you should be able to have something in writing that you can go on.

We other brides in LI have the chance to see the work first hand - it will be harder for you being out of state. I am sure they will respect your needs if you ask them nicely to send you some kind of contract. Good luck!

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

My only suggestion is to perhaps have a family member/friend who lives on LI pick up the contract for you and leave the deposit. Just let them know exactly what was discussed and should be in the contract according to the outline and meeting you had with them. Hope it all works out.

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

My SIL used him and didn't have any problems and everyone raved about her flowers. We looked at a couple of florists before seeing him and the after about 5 minutes of talking to him, I knew he was our florist. He was so helpful and patient. I wouldn't hesitate to give him a deposit before getting the contract.

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

We left a deposit before seeing the contract and had no problems at all. There were no hidden fees and no additional delivery/set up costs. We actually got a lot more than was was stated on our original contract and ended up with a great deal!

Our flowers were perfect and John was awesome to deal with. I understand your concern but you have nothing to worry about.

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

He did not bring up an set up/delivery costs to me. I will have to confirm with John about that. However, Lisat seemed to answer your question about no additional fees.

Re: Flower Michele/Florist Contract Question

I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you....
There were no hidden fees involved. There was no set up charge that surfaced in the end. He totally worked with me in everyway. I even changed my centerpieces a month before the wedding when we went to see the sample. I ended up adding different flowers and changing the stand to a totally different centerpiece and he totally worked with me on everything!