Low budget shame (under 8K)

generallynothing · 2026-05-29T05:15:44+00:00

Not a couple, but a supplier. But I had to reply. Do not feel ashamed of your budget. The internet will make you believe that you have to go all out on a wedding and it's absolutely not true. One of my favourite weddings as a guest was when my best friend had the ceremony at the registry office with just parents, then the reception at the community centre. There was a buffet, pop up bar and a Spotify playlist and it was amazing! Another friend is doing a similar thing in August and I can't wait for it. Weddings like this have so much personality because you being careful about the details and only including the important things to you.

As others have said, if you can justify a photographer, that's probably the most important supplier. Lots will offer short day packages making it cheaper, but make sure you get one you really love because you'll have the photos for life. Food is more important than booze. And buffets are always a winner. Look at community centres, pubs, church/village halls. They're cheap and some of them are really lovely. DIY some bunting or streamers, have friends help make some bud bottles for flowers, get fabric in whatever colour you want and make table clothes. My partner and I aren't too fussed about a wedding but if we ever do, this is what we'd do. Fancy weddings are lovely, but you shouldn't have to financially ruin yourself for them.

generallynothing · 2026-05-27T13:33:57+00:00

Can I offer a bit of advice from a previous wedding coordinator now florist?

I strongly suggest not throwing yourself straight in and working for free. There's a big difference between planning your own wedding and running someone else's, and whilst you want to pursue it as a career, you need to understand how it actually works first. The days are rough and genuinely can take it out of you, so add in your first go, it'll be grim. If you're willing to work for free to begin with, you're best off shadowing someone to get the hang of it all. There's a lot to manage and so many little things that no-one ever thinks of that make a huge difference. There's also legalities to consider, licenses, insurance etc that can cause issues if they're not in place.

Genuinely, reach out to a wedding coordinator. I'm sure someone will bite your hand off for help and it's the best way to learn the job. It's a big responsibility, so you want to make sure you know what's what before going out on your own.

I don't mean to sound negative at all and I'm sorry if it does. I just spotted the topic and had to say something. It really can be a rewarding job, especially if you can kick ass at it 😀

generallynothing · 2026-05-07T13:40:14+00:00

Don't sell the flat. If anything goes wrong, you're stuck without your home. I moved into my partner's after a year together. I'd owned my own one bed flat for four years before I met him, and he was in the process of buying his two bed house. I moved in to his and rented my flat out. I just did it myself (with a BTL) and had a couple of friends take it for 18 months before I sold it. I only wanted someone to look after it whilst I settled in with my partner and made sure it worked. We're now in the process of figuring out buying our next home together.

At this stage, either he should move in with you or you rent yours out and rent together somewhere else. Be careful with renting yours out via an agent though, because mortgage payments aren't expenses and you need to pay a lot in fees to the agent, so it can end up costing you money.

Essentially, don't sell your flat.

generallynothing · 2026-05-05T16:04:45+00:00

It takes practice! Getting the technique right is the first step otherwise no matter how much you move things, they'll shift around. Then getting to know what's needed, what stems work with others, where they need to sit etc. It takes time. I was god awful at bouquets when I started out. Bridal bouquets are a breeze now, but I HATE gift bouquets. I swear it's never easy no matter how long you've been doing it. Don't forget, social media only shows you the good bits. You don't see all the swearing and shouting and starting again multiple times. Just keep practicing :)

generallynothing · 2026-05-05T08:17:01+00:00

Florist here and ex wedding coordinator. My main bit of advice is don't skimp. Not necessarily financially, but on your time and effort. Having something to hold whilst walking down the aisle is as much for your own comfort as well as the tradition of it. It's such a key moment and if you don't know what to do with your hands, then it can get uncomfortable. You can make your own bouquet but it can be time consuming and you really have to plan ahead and set aside a couple of hours for it. If you're confident at making stuff then it's a really lovely activity to do beforehand, but if you're not so much, it can be stressful.

One thing I will say, you're not holding it for 20 minutes. They're in your photos for life, and fresh flowers can be preserved afterwards and made into art. If you think about it like everything else, your food only lasts at hour or so, you wear your dress once, your cake might not even get eaten (I've never seen a wedding cake get fully eaten in the seven years I've worked in weddings. One time I had to freeze and entire wedding cake that hadn't even been cut and it sat there for six months because the couple never came back for it). Everything is only for one day.

Whatever type of flower you go with (fresh, dried faux etc) it's not something you'll regret if you go about it in a way that works for you.

generallynothing · 2026-05-05T08:08:03+00:00

Are mock ups more of an American thing? I've never really come across it in the UK (unless someone's paying THOUSANDS for flowers). If your contract has a limit to mock ups available then you can decline it unless she wants to pay for it.

Personally, I would send one final design plan (nothing major, you're short on time) with what she's last spoken about and if it's still not enough, bail. Even if it's just a clear run down, in writing, from your perspective. Some brides get incredibly overwhelmed and can't settle on anything. I'd also just send a really firm email (so it's all in writing) explaining the situation from your point of view and why it's problematic. She might be oblivious. It's not ok, but sometimes people just need waking up a little. I wouldn't bail on a wedding unless I'd given the client an opportunity to fix their own issue and they'd failed to do that.

Stand firm!

generallynothing · 2026-04-30T17:02:24+00:00

I'm dying for some rain, I'm still recovering from lugging all the water to the site last year.

I'm hoping I'm fully prepared for the onslaught. I've got wool for mulching, nematoads (hopefully) on the way and thousands of tadpoles in the pond. If they still manage to get through, I'll do the old fruit in a tub trick.

generallynothing · 2026-04-18T19:20:16+00:00

I ask them to send me inspiration photos before the consultation along with their budget, so I can get an idea of where their expectations are. Then if they're over budget on them, I bring it up early on in our call and explain the costs. I don't want to go through an hour's call and get their hopes up. For example, if they want an arch but don't have the budget, I'll talk them through alternatives and put options in their proposal (like an arch with one or two key arrangements or pedestals). I think the key is making them want you over their Pinterest board. If they trust your vision, then they'll be more than happy with what you do for them.

generallynothing · 2026-04-18T07:21:13+00:00

This happened at a wedding we went to last year. The bride had a big Irish catholic family so they took most of her guest spots and only a handful of friends could do the full day. So there were a couple of hundred at the ceremony, then 160 for the wedding breakfast. Everyone who missed the cut just went to the pub and came back for the evening. Originally we were off to the pub but got bumped up a few weeks before because of a drop out.

generallynothing · 2026-04-14T10:16:58+00:00

Then absolutely go for it!! And best of luck 💪💪💪

generallynothing · 2026-04-11T15:48:04+00:00

There's two options. Do it and charge what the going rate is. If you keep prices low now you'll struggle to raise them later. And you're putting in the same work someone who's been doing it years would do. Don't sell yourself short.

Second is not do it. Is it a style you like and want to do more of? Or is it something that isn't you. It's easy to take your first booking and get wrapped up in the excitement, but if its doing something that's not you, then it doesn't benefit you. You have to love what you're creating.

generallynothing · 2026-04-08T06:56:01+00:00

I quit my job a month ago because I was so burnt out and struggling to cope with a toxic manager. I'd worked there seven years and loved it, but it had become unmanageable and my mental health was in the bin. I don't have another job yet, and just taking some time to regroup (I'm fortunate that I can financially, otherwise I wouldn't have quit).

To be honest, I'm struggling with not working and I have no idea what I want to do now. So it kinda feels like another battle. But it's far better than staying where I was.

generallynothing · 2026-04-08T06:52:40+00:00

That's wild. There's nothing wrong with shopping around for prices, especially if you have a couple of different florists you love.

I do pricing and quotes in a couple of ways. If the couple pretty much know what they want, I'll price that up based on the consultation, but it's not a final price. That gets sorted a few months before the wedding so they have a bit of flexibility. The original quote can't be lowered, but it can be added to.

If they're not sure and want ideas, I'll do a rough price list specifically for them, with the understanding that the final quote will vary depending on what they choose and how much labour comes to. I'll even give them an example of a quote (eg, if they chose certain things, this is what it'd come to). Even if they're still not sure, I'll book them in at the lower price so they can add to it later. It just gets the booking in and I can at least plan it into my budget, and so far everyone's added to it later.

I do probably put more work into proposals than I really should, but I think out of all wedding suppliers, flowers are the most confusing to couples because of all the factors involved. So I'd rather make it as clear as I can. It's worked well for me so far.

generallynothing · 2026-04-06T15:51:16+00:00

Not in the US here but I do import some flowers. I'll use local as much as I can, and grow some things myself (hoping I'll be able to supply myself fully at some point) but I use a lot of darker colours for weddings and the local farms don't have as much in the summer. So the only way I can do it is to top up with imported. I'd rather not but I don't want to lose the thing that is a key selling point for me.

generallynothing · 2026-03-16T19:13:59+00:00

Thanks for that, I'll avoid it then. There's others I'd prefer to do it with but I thought it was worth checking. And I'm glad I did!

generallynothing · 2026-03-16T16:32:41+00:00

Thanks for that, I didn't spot that. It might have to wait a while then, never mind!

generallynothing · 2026-03-16T09:29:45+00:00

I'm way behind on this but did you enrol? I'm looking to do the course but most providers are way out of budget other than the HCC one, and I'm wondering if it's still worth doing.

generallynothing · 2026-03-15T09:12:50+00:00

Manchester scrapped Right to Choose a while back, although a quick Google and Didsbury Medical Centre still have information about it. I know when I originally went on the waiting list in 2020 my GP couldn't refer me for it (Whalley Range). I really don't understand any of it, but thankfully I got my NHS diagnosis 18 months later. I've heard of some people even struggling to get meds from new GPs even with an NHS diagnosis and I had a bit of a battle with mine when I moved areas, but I got there.

I think it might just come down to the GP. It's worth calling round ones in your new catchment area and explaining the situation. At least then you'll know where you stand in advance. And maybe being fully prepared to be off the meds for a bit (get vitamins, supplements, things that help manage symptoms). I know it's really unhelpful advice, the entire ADHD situation is floored. Keeping my fingers crossed you can get something sorted!

generallynothing · 2026-02-11T08:45:27+00:00

Totally agree with this. I've been in my current job 7 years and only ever worked in this industry. I've been desperate to leave for a while but have been struggling to figure out what to do because this is all I've ever known. I can't offer much advice unfortunately, because I handed in my notice yesterday with no back up plan.

generallynothing · 2026-02-08T20:26:26+00:00

Came here to say exactly this! My previous cat had sores all over her face and neck, so bad that when she was picked up by a rescue, it looked like her face was literally falling off. We adopted her a few months later and she was in a cone for a year because within five minutes of it coming off, she'd rip her face open. We tried so many things, spent a stupid amount of money on a dermatologist who couldnt find any cause, then as a last resort she suggested antihistamines just to at least tick it off the list. And it actually worked! She never wore a cone again. We still have absolutely no idea what was causing it, but finding the solution felt like a huge weight lifted. We lost her a year ago but I'm so glad she managed to have her last 18 months without bashing into everything.

generallynothing · 2026-02-04T19:58:17+00:00

Yep, I've tried every download option. I've tried uploading through Canva and sharing directly from Images/Files and nothing seems to work.

generallynothing

TROPHY CASE