If you are looking for a floral designer, artist, decor coodinator, or anything remotely related to those vendor-types, stop looking immediately and book Christina ASAP. Seriously, don't waste any more of your planning time looking for the perfect florist because Christina is it, the real deal. I talked to Christina about 9 months before my wedding (at the Hyatt) and had door issues about the cost of flowers. I decided not to book her, and I looked elsewhere. What a mistake! The headache and disorganization of the other vendors I was trying to book was a nightmare, and I called Christina back (now 4 months before my wedding) and tried to book her again. She was AMAZING and worked with me every step of the way. She is expensive, but not much more so than other florists in the area, but literally above and beyond in every way and WELL WORTH the money spent. Not only were the flowers perfect but she really made my vision come to life. Equally important, she gave me peace of mind through the whole process that everything would be taken care of. She also coordinated my linens, helped me pick colors, and offered decor suggestions/advice to me that she was in no way required to do. I emailed her a ton of questions about her opinion on several things with the wedding and she responded immediately with the BEST ADVICE, and always very direct and honest - which, when you are planning a wedding, is appreciated. Thank you Christina for making my wedding beautiful! read more

A Bud & Beyond - centerpieces - Florists Near Me - Aptos, California

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I contacted A Bud & Beyond simply because of the beautiful flower arrangements and the great reviews. Unfortunately, my experience was similar to the two other 1 star reviews that were posted on yelp. I spoke to Christina over the phone and I thought we had a good idea of what we were looking for. I mentioned to her that my color scheme was rose gold and sand. She mentioned flower options with pink and purple. I didn't really want to change my color scheme but since she mentioned other colors, I figured 'ok well, let's look for other colors then' (not wanting pink or purple because my fiancé is not interested). I asked if we could do teal. She said no because there are not a lot of natural flowers in teal which I completely understand. She then again sent me back to pink. I told her as nicely as I can that the honey does not want pink, can we do peach/salmon/coral. Her response was: "This is a very limiting color scheme, but I can try. Several of these photos are with FAKE flowers. Let's just say we'll go with peach into orange tones with some neutrals. If you keep changing colors on me it makes my job really tough. Do you think you can stick with this?" I was extremely thrown off by the response. We just talked on the phone 2 days ago and emailed each other maybe about 5 times. It's a bit odd that I am making her job really tough to just establish the colors of natural flowers that she uses. If I am going to be spending a good amount of money on my wedding, the service should be above and beyond. I am a very polite and respectful woman so her response seemed very rude and impolite. She is the professional florist. I don't have a clue which flowers are natural and/or fake and the only reason I changed the color scheme is because she chose pink and purple flowers which is not at all what we are envisioning in our wedding. I am honestly bummed because I did appreciate the look of her flower arrangements but, unfortunately, because of her rude attitude I will not be utilizing her services. I am sure I will find an amazing florist with true above and beyond customer service that will add beauty to our special day!! Caitlyn M (in the previous yelp reviews) hit it spot on!! I would have loved to have her flower arrangements at our wedding but I could not find myself to invest in such an unfriendly and pretentious attitude as mentioned by Larissa B (in the previous Yelp reviews). It is also quite interesting how there is an immediate Yelp review in response to the 1 star Yelp review - Larissa B. Really makes me think of the manipulative ratings. read more

Christina is an absolute artist. She created the florals for our dream Big Sur brunch wedding, and we couldn't be happier with her work. We had no specific colors or theme, we asked her for wild, rustic and exotic flowers and she totally delivered! And literally delivered, on time, early in the morning, in Big Sur. The reception space was staged on time for the photographer, and Christina was waiting with my unbelievable bouquet at the ceremony site. We asked for minimal cake decor, and she dressed it perfectly, it was so elegant- all our guests commented on how our flowers were so fun and INTERESTING, the antithesis of overstuffed, overmatched traditional flowers. Every table setting was unique and invited a closer look to see all the fascinating flowers, She asked us questions and brought things to our attention that we wouldn't have thought of, and truly made the planning process easier. She helped me (bride) on deciding on our table numbers, and was easy to work with. It was wonderful to know we could trust her as an artist and a professional, and she did such a spectacular job, truly making it the wedding of our dreams. 100% recommend A Bud & Beyond! read more

Christina has a beautiful and artistic talent with floral design and room decor. I highly recommend her! We have worked a lots together through the years , always creative and professional. read more

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I disagree completely with the Negative posts on Christina!! Christina just did my wedding on October 1st. I contacted her 7-9 months before the date. I had looked at probably 8-10 florists in the Reno and Tahoe area. I met with a few as well in person. The moment I saw Christina's portfolio of flowers - and spoke with her on the phone - I knew she was the one. I found that the other florists I had spoken to were very traditional and a bit old fashioned. Christina really got it!!! Throughout the 9 month process - she was available anytime I needed her. As I live in Los Angeles, the times I was able to meet were a bit difficult for me - and it was never a problem for her. She was very realistic about the flowers I could get on the budget I had - and worked with me to tailor the flowers for the wedding to what I could afford. I cannot tell you how beautiful everything turned out. I wish I could post pictures to this site to share what an AMAZING job she did. I am in the production business in Los Angeles - so deal with flowers for clients on a weekly basis. I am very picky when it comes to what I want - and she nailed it on the head. I had provided some mood references to share what my vision for the wedding were - and she exceeded any expectation I had ever had. Every single detail was accounted for. Not only do I recommend her - I think she is the best florist I have ever worked with (And I have worked with a LOT!!!!))) Thanks Christina for making our day SOOOO beautiful!!!! read more

I've got to disagree with LW's negative take on Christina. Yes, she has a minimum for Saturdays. This is her career, and she is certainly entitled to do that. It doesn't make her a bad florist. If flowers are not your thing, or you are not willing to meet her minimum, then she is not the florist for you. Christina devotes a lot of time and energy to her weddings, and doing so requires a commitment from her. I think its entirely fair for her to expect to be compensated for doing so. We haven't had our wedding yet, but thus far she has been great. She really spends a lot of time trying to understand exactly what I have in mind, and is helping me out with decor as well as flowers. My budget, due to the economy, has shrunk well below what I was first thinking, and Christina has not been "unfriendly or pretensious" about that at all. To the contrary, she has gone out of her way to help me think of ways to accomplish my dream wedding for significantly less. Additionally, Christina has done a lot of weddings in the Tahoe area, and has great advice regarding what has worked or not worked in the past. I feel very confident in Christina and it is very comforting to know that I am in such capable hands.... I already feel that I am getting my money's worth with her! read more

Christina created the most beautiful wedding in the world with her beautiful, artistic, and creative floral designs. To sum up the BEST florist on this planet, I will say this; 1. You will not find anyone better then A Bud and Beyond, so stop searching and book her ASAP, before someone else snatches her up on your date. 2. Her creativity, mindset, and ability to capture exactly what you want is impeccable. A Bud and Beyond will exceed all your expectations! 3. Every time I look at the photographs of my wedding and see the floral arrangements, I have a feeling of joy that I cannot even explain. The beauty and emotions that I feel towards the flowers that Christina made for my wedding cannot be replicated by any other florist. 4. Finally, every single person at my wedding said that the flowers were the most beautiful arrangements they had ever seen. Please know that some of these people who said these words included vendors at my wedding who have seen thousands of weddings. Oh and Christina was by far the easiest person to work with! She understands brides and what they want and creates the most beautiful weddings through her floral works. Cheers to Christina at A Bud and Beyond! read more

We contacted A Bud and Beyond kind of last second for our wedding - only a few months, because we had originally thought we might do the flowers ourselves. Thankfully they were still available when we changed our minds, and are very easy to work with. I set up a pinterest board with some looks that I liked, but mostly let them use their own judgment (within our color scheme). The end result was gorgeous, and I cannot recommend them enough. They even accommodated us when we asked at the last minute to add certain things to our contract, like an arch and a few extra bouquets. Prices for Saturday events are a tad high, but well worth it for the peace of mind. They do fabulous work, and if you want someone whose taste you can trust as well as the quality of their work, definitely go here. read more

Christina and her team did an amazing job designing and orchestrating the flower arrangements for our June Tahoe wedding! At our first meeting, her creativity and experience was invaluable in helping focus the theme we wanted for our wedding. She also traveled to San Francisco to help me pick out the linens, which I so appreciated. Throughout the planning process she was very responsive and willing to answer any questions I had, from invites to escort cards and many other things! I knew she wanted the wedding to be just as flawless as I did. I can't say enough about the floral arrangements and linens - they completely blew me away!!! Thank you a Bud and beyond for helping make my wedding perfect! read more

A Bud & Beyond - Florists Near Me - Aptos, California

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Christina was unfriendly and pretentious when we spoke about our wedding in the Tahoe area. She is very unwilling to work with brides on a lower budget, and she makes you feel bad for not wanting to spend a fortune on flowers. They have a $3,000 minimum for Saturday weddings, when many other florists in the area require half that. She suggested I call back closer to my wedding to see if they haven't already booked a wedding for a bride with a bigger budget. Before considering employing this florist, ask yourself if you really want to work with a vendor who puts their hefty profit before the couple's needs and desires for their wedding day. read more

Christina provided flowers, lighting, and linens for our wedding in August of 2013 at the Hyatt in Lake Tahoe. We did not have an extravagant budget and Christina was extremely flexible and willing to work with us during one of the busiest times of the year in Tahoe. Our flowers and table settings exceeded our expectations - they were set up on time and we had complete confidence in her work, so we really felt like we got great value for the money we spent. She is a truly talented and professional individual and her work reflects that. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her! read more

Christina recently did the flowers and linens for our wedding at The Hyatt. She did an amazing job of decorating the Water Gardens and the ballroom. The flowers for me and my bridesmaids were absolutely beautiful. She also did the flowers for my cake and it looked amazing. Christina was very on top of everything throughout the entire process. I almost didn't spend the extra money on the linens but they looked amazing that night and in all the pictures. read more

We chose A Bud & Beyond as our florist through a recommendation. Christina did an amazing job not only with our flowers, but our linens too! She really understood our vision and created beautiful pieces that matched our descriptions. She will go above and beyond to carry the stress on your wedding day, working behind the scenes to make sure everything looks great! read more

Perfection. After meeting with me for an hour, she was able to flawlessly deliver the vision I had for my wedding from top to bottom (linens, aisle, flowers, centerpieces, etc.). She has an eye for detail, and asks all the right questions to ensure you are all on the same page. She delivered everything on time, and was a angel on the day of, it was all done, she had no questions, it was as if the flower/decor fairy came and left without so much as a blink. I have had ENDLESS compliments on my wedding decor and flowers, and am so thankful I used her. If you are able, book her. You surely will not regret it. read more

Over priced and told all the florists in Lake Tahoe NOT to do my wedding because i didnt hire her. that is not very professional. Its my wedding and i can choose who to hire or not to hire! read more

Christina does beautiful work. She is on the more expensive side. And she came across a little pushy at times. Her personality rubbed me, my fiance, and my mother the wrong way, but we realized we didn't need to be friends with the woman, we needed her to do her job and design beautiful arrangements; And that she did!! We hired Christina to design the flowers arrangements for our October 2014 wedding at the Hyatt in Incline Village. The bouquets, table arrangements, and arch decor she designed were absolutely gorgeous and exactly what we wanted. We were very happy with her work and happy that she would respond in a timely manner (she sent us a quote after our first meeting within the hour!)She's just not a very warm person and didn't seem thrilled when we did not like all of her suggestions. read more

Christina was wonderful to work with from day one. I actually had the exact opposite experience as the negative review below. In our first conversations, I told Christina my budget (which was low) and she came up with amazing ideas of how to work within this constraint and make the most of my money. The flowers came out exceeding my expectations. Christina has a real talent and a great eye for design. She captured the modern feel that I wanted and created beautiful bouquets and reception centerpieces that I could never have come up with myself. The flowers were fresh and stayed this way throughout the entire night. I would highly recommend A Bud & Beyond! read more

Christina with A Bud & Beyond handled all of the flowers, decorations, and linens for my Wedding in Lake Tahoe. We were very happy with her services. She went out of her way to help me in any way and was full of information. I would recommend her services to anyone. read more