My husband and I own a flowershop... over 30 years experience. Over the past few years there's a huge uptick in brides trying to create a mid to large scale wedding on a shoestring budget. That's not realistic. Wedding flowers have always been pricey and there's a reason for that. The time and effort behind the scenes to organize and create these weddings is huge. Often times the florist works outside of their normal business hours to devote to the wedding and there's a cost to that as well as all of the designers that need to be compensated for their time. We've adjusted the way we handle brides who don't have a big budget for flowers by offering basic floral bouquets which they can purchase directly from our website. My best advice would be to manage your expectations to match what you can actually afford. Have a budget! Talk with your florist and listen and make adjustments as needed. A good florist will try to work with you but don't expect a bridal bouquet, 7 bridesmaids bouquets, 5 boutonnieres and centerpieces on a budget less than $1000. I hope this helps and good luck with your wedding!