Carlson and Co

If I could only give one piece of advice to future brides planning a wedding, it would hands down be to hire a wedding planner... specifically Carlson & Co. They absolutely exceeded my expectations on my wedding day; everything went so smoothly, according to plan, & it was absolutely breathtaking. We received SO many compliments on our florals & decor, all of which was done by Carlson & Co’s amazing team. I have to give my biggest shout out to Angela Miller as she has been my saving grace over the past year of planning my wedding. She answered all my questions, listened to all my concerns, gave me the very best advice, & put together my fairytale wedding. I will look back on this day for the rest of my life & I will never ever forget Angela & her assistant Sydney & all the wonderful things they did for me. They really did go above & beyond, & I am forever grateful. If you needed a sign to hire this group- here it is!! Do it!! You won’t regret it.

I used Carlson for decorations and set up and they nailed it. Between the lighting and the drapes, my venue turned into a fairytale. Megan was super helpful along the way, she met with me at the venue twice to help iron out details. She took my vision and ran with it and absolutely perfected it. When I saw the venue decorated, I was so incredibly pleased. It was perfect in every way. I would highly recommend this company to anyone.

Carlson's is a MUST book, especially for a destination wedding! When we started planning our wedding, we knew we needed vendors who could not only help us accomplish multiple aspects of our wedding but would also work with us diligently from afar. Megan from Carlson's did all of that and more. She is the best planner I've ever seen, thought of every last detail, and really made us feel like she cared about our special day. So not only did she exceed our expectations, but she went truly above and beyond on our wedding day when it ended up raining all day long and we were supposed to have our ceremony outside. She kept us calm, and said if you'll trust me I'll make it look beautiful inside....and boy did she ever. Our beautiful outdoor wedding turned into a beautiful indoor banquet hall wedding and while it could have been not what we would have wanted at all, Megan truly made it just as special and beautiful as if it weren't raining at all. She found ways to repurpose our reception flowers and used decorations we didn't even ask for to make it as beautiful as possible. I can't say enough about booking these guys for your wedding, your special day will be in the safest hands if you do!!

The actual best ever! James and his team are the most amazing group you will ever have. James cares so much about the satisfaction of his clients and goes above and beyond to make your day perfect. You will not regret choosing this team! They deliver professional and superior service, always.

Carlson’s Premier Events, specifically Megan DeChant, created a ceremony and wedding space that exceeded any of our expectations! Having to plan a wedding in Savannah all the way from Chicago was definitely a challenge. Megan worked with me to nail down all the amazing details. Her level of communication put me immediately at ease. As all brides know, it’s a nerve-wracking event to plan. Once I had the first call and video chat with Megan, all of those nerves melted away. I felt immediately taken care of, heard and that I was in amazing hands. During the planning process for wedding details, she was patient and let me make as many revisions as I needed. She was helpful and had great suggestions based on her expertise. It was so reassuring that she was familiar with Savannah Station and had specific knowledge, especially since I was planning everything from out of town. I literally only went down to Savannah once over the whole process!. Megan was always in touch if I needed and only a phone call or text away. She was great about checking in even weeks before the wedding and kept me on task for planning. By the weekend of the wedding, I was so thankful because I did not feel stressed at all and could enjoy everything! I also cannot say enough about how much I loved our florals. I ended up using Joann’s Florist, the floral company their events team works hoping it would be easier to have everything streamlined planning from out of town. I LOVED our wedding flowers and my bouquet. They were perfect for our fall wedding and exceeded all my expectations. Megan was our day-of coordinator and the day couldn’t have gone smoother. At the rehearsal, which was at a space that wasn’t the venue, she was able to have us run through everything and created a great practice space. Her itinerary was well thought out, detailed, and ran just as planned and we felt completely comfortable as the day began. She got along so well with everyone, our parents, friends, and the kids! I HIGHLY recommend having a day of coordinator for your wedding, and Megan is perfect for the job. She also brought another assistant with her the day of, Amanda, who was just as sweet and so helpful. When we got to the venue we were speechless. Her eye for design and color is stellar. Plus, Megan is a fantastic person to have on your side during the day. When I was getting my dress bustled, she ran and got my husband and I a drink to let us enjoy the fun before going into cocktail hour. This was just one of many thoughtful details showing how much she cares about her work and the couples she supports during their wedding day. As with everyone we worked with in creating our big day, we feel like we have another friend down in Savannah after all this. We can’t recommend Carlson’s & Megan highly enough. They’re fantastic and will deliver a truly amazing wedding day.

They made our wedding look like something out of a magazine! I could not be more pleased!!

INCREDIBLE. Hands down the best of the best. My wedding planner was Chelsea and she was amazing. She was available to answer any and all questions. My wedding was two days after Thanksgiving and that didn't have any effect at all. She made everything run so smooth. I was truly stress free thanks to her. I forgot to update her of my additional bridesmaids and was short two bridesmaid bouquets. She had two identical bouquets within the hour ready! Carlson's is the only people I would ever trust with my wedding day. From my flowers, to rentals, to wedding planning, they are the best. I am continuously getting comments of how beautiful everything was and it was truly all thanks to them. I had no worries at all on my wedding day and it was amazing. I can't say thank you enough.

They worked so hard and took their time with me to go over every detail and make sure all the details were exactly as I wanted. Originally I had been paired with a planner who was lovely, but didn't seem to be the right fit when it came to creating my vision. When they put Megan in charge of my wedding, it was a perfect match, and I knew I could trust her with every detail. The whole team was fantastic, and from the first meeting, choosing rentals, and all the way through to last minute of the reception, I could not have pulled off my stunning wedding without them!

James, Chelsea,& Megan did an amazing job bringing our fairytale wedding vision to life with florals, wedding coordination,& decor! They were so responsive, worked within our budget,& provided breathtaking florals that all the guests loved and commented on! The decor matched my theme perfectly and they also were so helpful in recommending awesome vendors for our special day! Definitely would recommend them!

5.0 Carlson Premier Events was used for a very large corporate event and trade show. The did an outstanding job on the trade show arrangements and venue florals. Linen, rentals, set up was a breeze and the levels of customer service are what makes them one of the best planners, florist, and event rentals in the area! Will definitely use them again if we are in Savannah again!

We cannot thank James and Liz Carlson enough. They are so great at making sure everything runs smoothly. They made sure everything went according to plan. Our wedding was the best day ever because of their expertise. One of the best decisions I made was booking their services for planning, rental, and flowers. I highly recommend their services

Thanks to Liz and James, my wedding was perfect! Everything from the florals to the timeline was on point. They knew exactly what I wanted and made all my wedding dreams come true. I was confident everything was going to run smoothly and it sure did. Thank you again, Liz and James, for an amazing wedding day! Y’all are the best in this business

They really dropped the ball on the day of coordination for our wedding, then offered nothing, not even a sincere apology when we complained. In fact they tried to fight us to take my wife's review down. The story (abridged version)- they decided to call in sick the day of our rehearsal, not with a phone call or anything resembling professionalism- but with James Carlson's mother in law showing up and telling everyone in the rehearsal that the people wed been working with for over a year and a half were no longer involved and she would be going off an incomplete worksheet on how to handle our wedding as a stand in- causing my wife to spend her wedding day panicking and re-teaching his mother in law every minute detail that had been tossed aside during the hand-off.

Incredibly disappointed. There are so many better options in the area, do not waste your money, energy, or time on Joann's Florist and Carlson Premier Events. They do not pay attention to detail and their customer service needs improvement. - I booked their services over 10 months before my wedding date yet less than 30 days before my event, I still had not received price quotes for two lines items that had been discussed on our very first conversation 10 months prior. -I sent numerous detailed emails with photos and descriptions of exactly how I wanted everything to look. The delivered final product was so different from the emails and photos that my planner thought the order was mixed up with another wedding. -The flowers I was promised were going to be silk magnolias with real magnolia leaves. I got plastic magnolias with small blooms and an unnatural leaf color. They were so cheap, the "flowers" kept falling off my bridesmaid's bouquets and my planner was scrambling with a hot glue gun minutes before the ceremony to prevent a flower from falling off during the ceremony. After the wedding I asked why there were no real magnolias or leaves and was told the shipment arrived the day before the event and were bug-bitten. Rather than contact me or my planner, they made the decision to go with fake leaves. (This still does not explain why the magnolia blooms were so cheap - and certainly not the large, full, silk blooms I was promised for 10+ months.) -They were supposed to hang a swag drape to accent my ceremony site. Again, I had sent a detailed description and accompanying picture of what I was looking for. What I actually got looked like someone had thrown 2 strands of toilet paper and attached the cheap, fake magnolias at the swag points. -Less than 30 days before my event, a new charge was added to my quote for a setup & cleanup fee. While they did discount the fee due to the minimal amount of rentals I needed, they did not once mention this fee until it suddenly appeared on the final contract. Part of the fee was supposed to cover breakdown of the event, however my planner and her team ended up having to strike the rentals because Carlson & Joann's did not send proper help (reminder, we were charged a fee for setup AND breakdown). -Lastly, the centerpieces were sparse and did not match the inspiration photos & descriptions provided during the planning conversations nor did they match the contract descriptions. I've since received my wedding photos back and it's a nagging reminder of the terrible "service" Joann's/Carlson's provided. When I asked for reimbursement for not delivering on their promise, they only gave me half the amount of the bridesmaid's flowers and pew markers. All in all, this company does not care about you or your event. They will come in initially with a low quote then slowly add on and add on until you reach your event date and suddenly these hidden fees have appeared and nearly doubled the original quoted amount. They are difficult to work with due to their lack of attention to detail. Save yourself the unnecessary headache and disappointment and book someone else for your floral, rental, and lighting needs.

The week of my wedding, problems arose with Carlson's, first regarding the dance floor. Early in our discussions, I clearly stated our needs, however, Carlson's reserved the incorrect type of floor. James noticed the mistake & contacted me 5 days before the big day. The floor issue was resolved, but he also brought up the need for several details, pointing out that these are usually provided by the wedding coordinator without him having to ask (schedule, phone number, etc). I was the planner & only had a "day-of" coordinator, so I don't have the experience of a professional planner; however, other vendors collected this info far in advance. Instead, I was dealing with providing info & resolving issues just days before my wedding, traveling to & from work, with no ability to refer to previous materials. Had this conversation occurred earlier in planning, discrepancies would have been noticed & amended. We rented several tables & a bar from Carlson's. I also paid for setup & cleanup services to lessen my family's load. The rentals were delivered in time, but the extent of setup & cleanup services was an issue. Carlson's website indicated what I believed to be their basic setup/cleanup procedures. Some tasks listed state that they don't apply unless the items are rented from them or an extra fee is paid. Others have no notations beside them, so it appeared those jobs were included. I had asked if Carlson's setup/cleanup price included putting my tablecloths & centerpieces on the tables. I felt the am't they quoted was acceptable for the basic services, plus placing tablecloths & decor on tables. Only one surly person was sent for setup. Despite providing a photo for centerpiece setup, she showed little understanding of what to do. I'll admit to a snafu due to uncertainty on the part of those present at setup as to who had responsibility to set up tables & chairs, but that does not excuse her unprofessional behavior & failure to perform tasks. The employee kept exclaiming that she "should be gone by now" and had "other things to do." Setup was mainly left to my family. Cleanup was also an ordeal. My family was worried about the workload to complete in a short am't of time & had heard by this time that Carlson's was doing a huge event elsewhere. They wondered if sufficient help would show up, even though I had been told by Carlson's that a "strike crew" would come. My family began breaking down early. When Carlson's strike crew of ONE arrived around 10:30 (same lady sent for setup), most centerpieces had been cleared off, but plenty of tasks remained – tasks that, again, were mentioned on the website & we considered as included. Their employee commented that she wasn't supposed to start until 11:00 & left the room. When she returned, she looked for a cake box, but we don't know of anything else that she did. Cleanup was left to family and friends, who reported that at some point she disappeared & was never seen again. In conclusion, since the Carlson’s own various companies, they may be a good fit if you spend a huge am't for their products and services, but if you're trying to be cost conscious, you will likely be shafted. My other vendors were helpful in planning & made sure things were ready well in advance. I feel like my wedding was overshadowed by a much larger event, resulting in a low standard of service for us. I'd like to add that I gave their affiliated florist (Joann's) an excellent rating, as well as other wedding vendors.

My husband and I chose James Carlson premier for our flowers, decor and day of coordinator me and my guest can’t stop talking about how Amazing everything was! They truly made my bohemian dream wedding a realty everything was picture perfect . none of this would have been possible Without our coordinator Laura, she stopped at nothing to make sure nick and I had the most incredible day of our lives! Nothing I can say could translate the gratitude we have for Laura , their team, their execution, and delivery from the months leading up to especially the day of. 5 stars isn't a limit that could capture all she has done. Her talent far exceeds anything I know. Thank you! If anyone is looking for a coordinator that will guide you through the entire planning process and see through the day of with both the highest professionalism and finesse, I promise you will not go wrong with Laura! I'm a bit of a control freak (being honest) but felt so comfortable having her steer through the day - and she pulled off WAY better than I envisioned.. Best decision I made. -MR&MRS.FEILER❤️

Bridge, groom, parents, guest all loved James and the event he created. Wedding was in Savannah and none of us lived there so James was the constant in our planning, and made it easy from a distance. He is creative, understanding, responsive, brilliant and also a true southern gentleman. He put together a dream team of vendors. Our daughter's wedding was WOW thanks to James! 5x5 stars!

I did my event rentals, day of coordination and florals through Carlson's. I booked him around April or May 2016 for my September 2017 wedding. James told me that because I was the first bride who had booked for my date, he would likely be my coordinator. Awesome! He is widely regarded as the best at what he does in Savannah. He told me that we could make any adjustments we needed to at any time. When it came time to make adjustments, I occassionally received some rather rude responses. For example, I emailed in early 2017 to ask whether they would decorate my cake and whether there were special considerations I needed to make to make decorating easier. The response I got was simply "We don't specialize in cakes. Call your baker." It started to become clear at this point what they thought of me, but I shrugged it off since my wedding was nearly a year away. In August 2017, I booked an appointment to go in for a final consultation. When I walked in and saw my table setup, I was BLOWN. AWAY. It was beautiful. Any time my mom or I would bring up a question or a concern, James would say "Don't worry about that. We take care of all of that for you." He also let me know that his wife Liz would be my day-of coordinator. I was disappointed but had already gathered that I was a lower priority. I didn't mind because she is also great at what she does. The day before my wedding, I arrived at the church for rehearsal. A woman who was not Liz came up to me and asked me not to freak out but that Liz would not be able to make it, so this woman (her mom) would be taking over. This information was dropped on me in front of 30 people 23 hours before I was to walk down the aisle. I really didn't mind until it became apparent that my new day of coordinator had not been briefed and was asking me questions I had decided months prior, questions James had told me not to worry about because they would handle all of it. I assume that James and Liz knew that Liz was sick at least an hour or two prior to my rehearsal, yet they didn't have the courtesy to call me and discuss our options. Instead, they flung a half-thought out file folder at Liz's mom and had her handle it as best she could. My wedding morning was spent frantically trying to remember details I had long since stopped worrying about. In the end, they did a beautiful job with flowers and rentals and none of my guests knew what I had been through. When I emailed James to express my disappointment, he told me that it had been agreed that he would focus on brides who did full planning rather than day-of. He said that illness does not provide forewarning and that fiver other weddings were also spoiled because of this illness. While that's all likely true, he and his staff behaved incredibly unprofessionally in communicating information to me. The negative feelings I associate with my wedding day will fade, but I will have to live with my decision to use Carlson's for my day-of coordination until they do. Given my experience, I would not recommend Carlsons to anyone who isn't spending upwards of $40k total for your wedding as they will cast you aside if necessary as long as their decision makes them more money.

James, at Carlson Premier events, exceeded ALL of our expectations. From our first contact, I knew we were in good hands. Even though we had a two year long engagement, James did not wait. He ensured every vendor right from the start so my husband and I could enjoy every moment of our engagement. We looked forward to every meeting we had with James and began building a friendship. Our late nights reviewing florals and linens together seemed to fly by as James began building our vision. He worked hard for us, finding the best deals and the most up to date items, always keeping our budget in mind. There was not one detail that was overlooked or unplanned. James covered it all! On the day of my wedding, I was able to be calm and in the moment knowing I had James there every step of the way. Thank you James Carlson, for helping to create the wedding of my dreams!! Garrett and Meagan Clark

I wouldn't have survived our wedding if it hadn't been for Liz, James, and their entire staff. It's unbelievable how perfectly they took my vision and made it even better. Completely in love with everything they did.