Summary:
I cannot say enough about Jen's passion, artistry, and creativity. Her concepts are original and her unique use of vegetables and non-pedestrian flowers is both refreshing and exciting. Jen was very fun and easy to work with. Her portfolio was by far the most impressive I saw, yet she was the only floral designer I talked to who didn't fear that their creative vision would be compromised by my budget. Gentle persistence is sometimes necessary if you haven't received an expected reply to an email or phone message, as Jen spends more time designing and arranging than checking and returning email. On the day of the wedding, I was floored by the final products, and I'm still hearing about the flowers from my guests.
Creative personalization:
When I saw the personals, and ceremony and reception sites, I was in disbelief -- I had an idea of what everything would look like, but could not have imagined the what I saw. Jen and her staff took creativity and technical skill to the nth level. I was speechless for some time. There was delectable home-cooked food to be had at the reception, but guests were walking around to take in the flowers. In the end, they were awed not only by the designs, but also by the degree to which Jen understood me. Several guests summed it up quite nicely: "The flowers are somehow so 'you'."
Budget:
After our first meeting, Jen gave me a quote for the "dream" version, which she and I would then pare down to a more realistic price. I watched as, in the space of 5 minutes, she worked the list of arrangements, flower types, and quantities to get the effect I wanted at the price I needed. I looked at the total after she was done. She had cut the estimate in half, and it was 2 cents below budget. Magic. On the day of the wedding, I could not imagine what double the budget would have looked like, and knew that even half of what I'd spent would still have looked incredible.
Flexibility:
With 2 months to go, the ceremony venue was shifted to a location an hour away from the reception. I gave her a new budget, which she met, including sending a second set-up crew to the ceremony venue while she worked the reception site. With 2 days to go, the wedding cake fell through and I needed her to design something different for the cake table. No problem.
Room for improvement:
Jen had just opened a retail store when we met in January 2010. It seemed she was stretched very thin, designing weddings and operating a retail shop at the same time. Indeed, the initial estimate and survey of the reception site took a few reminder emails and calls. She has since hired enough staff to take care of the retail side, so that she can devote all of her time to weddings. It is well worth the gentle persistence for what you'll see on your wedding day. read more