I’ve gone back and forth about how to phrase/if to write this review, but decided to just be honest. I did not have the best time working with Carl Alan for my wedding florals. The first issue was that I worked with three different people, whic...h is not their fault, but COVID turnover issues. That said, there was never any communication when the staffed changed, I would just send an email and get a “oh they’re gone, it’s me now!”. Despite notes made during appointments, it was like starting from square one each time. At one point, about three weeks before our wedding, an employee who we never worked with emailed me twice about “meeting to solidify my vision”. Despite asking what was going on twice to our final contact (Alaina), the questions were completely avoided and I have no idea what was going on there. So, communication was not the best here.
The next issue was with the florals themselves. My wedding planner put together three PowerPoint slides of inspiration including three similar bridal bouquets. I can not tell you the number of times, in person AND email, that my planner and I pointed these photos out to Alaina for inspiration. I was nervous, because the ideas she was pulling were not the same style, color gradient, or shape. So, we pointed her towards these three examples again and again and she was very reassuring. The day before the wedding, while I was getting ready for rehearsal, she sent me a photo of my bouquet to make sure I liked it. Thank GOODNESS she did, because it was truly terrible. My vision was a loose floral, nothing round, with colors ranging red to maroon. The photo was a bright red, perfectly round ball with some pieces dangling off the bottom. I told her no, sent the sample photos AGAIN and pulled in my planner. Alaina had the nerve to say to say to my planner that “I wasn’t feeling my bouquet”. Of course I wasn’t!! Thankfully my planner and Alaina took care of it. Day of, my florals were delivered early and my bridal bouquet was huge, but beautiful. However, accompanying it were five perfectly round, bright red basketball shapes for my bridesmaids. I guess I should have been worried about their florals too! Ultimately, I appreciate the through text and that they fixed my bouquet. Everything photographed well, and it was what it was.
After the wedding, one of their employees there to do breakdown lost her coat which contained her cellphone and keys. She came over to me, the bride, in the lobby actively talking to guests at our after party and said “I’m sorry but I need you to ask your guests if they have my coat otherwise I can’t go home” and walked away. My guests immediately said, no, you don’t ask the bride to do that, and took it over instead, resolving the situation for me. Who purposefully comes to the bride, and only the bride, on her wedding night? Go to hotel security! A bridesmaid! The FOB! Not the bride or groom! This was a frustrating end to my experience with them.
Overall, I don’t know that I would recommend this company. Everything turned out…fine. But just fine, since the bridesmaids didn’t get what I wanted. So I’d say, “hire with caution” and to look at other options here.