Cottage Flowers

Best of Weddings (1x)

St. Simons Island & Jekyll Island, Ga.

About this vendor

Cottage Flowers is a floral boutique situated in the heart of St. Simons Island, GA. Whether you desire a blushing bouquet or romantic aisle decor, this studio offers a beautiful bunch of blossoming items for your wedding day. They take pride in crafting every arrangement from scratch, ensuring each piece suits a specific theme. These themes range from modern and glamorous to vintage and tropical. Cottage Flowers is led by floral enthusiast and owner Gay. She created this studio with her knowledge and passion to help every couple find a flower that suits their style and love story. Today, Gay is ready to work with you to craft a display, big or small, that makes your wedding day. Cottage Flowers offers various services, including boutonnieres, corsages, and flower crowns for you and your wedding party. They can also make your event venue smell and look like a dream with centerpieces, altar decor, and more. Before they begin creating your display, they will ensure that your vision suits the size of your venue. Thanks to this studio, you can have a blooming celebration.

Details

Business Attributes

Woman-owned Business

Decorations & Accents

Aisle Decorations
Centerpieces
Flower Girl Baskets
Pedestals
Plants
Vases

Flower Arrangements

Bouquets
Bouquet Wraps
Boutonnieres
Centerpieces
Corsages
Flower Crowns

Awards and Affiliations

4.5

out of 5.0

29 reviews

Search reviews

12/30/2022 • Jacqueline V

Terrible experience and worst customer service. I met with Gay at Cottage Flowers at the end of August to and she agreed to provide bridal bouquet, altar flowers and dinner centerpieces for my small intimate wedding in November. A couple weeks before the wedding, I could not get a response from her as I was trying to finalize details and payment. No response to phone calls, voicemails, emails, or facebook messages. As a last resort, I sent a message on The Knot app, and finally received a response that she could no longer provide flowers for me. It was extremely frustrating and rude to not even provide the common courtesy of letting me know in advance that she was not interested in working on my small wedding so that I could find another florist. Highly recommend working with Courtyard Florist instead - she took me on as a client and was amazing after this whole mess with Cottage Flowers!

5/03/2021 • Jessica B

Gay is amazing! I was planning our wedding from out of town, and she was so accommodating to our travel plans and met with us when we were in town! Everything was BEAUTIFUL! We even added a few things the week of the wedding and she made it happen!

8/06/2019 • Grace M

Thought about this review for a long time being a bride I feel I was a little naive about things and wish I had been more assertive. With Cottage flowers I had been in contact a year in advance sent pictures and spoke through phone wish I had made the trip down and been more in control I just trusted the florist too much. Wasn’t happy with the final product and on my wedding and it was too late , the worse part was that Gay let me know I owed more money for what I had originally been quoted the week before the wedding. Week before the wedding I was not in a position to shell out another couple 1000 for something I thought was done 6 months ago. Gay showed up wedding day with my flowers and I was underwhelmed to say the least my reception venue was beautiful but I had spoke about how much greenery I wanted and there was minimal foliage , it was bare and disappointing. I felt taken advantage of and was unhappy with how the money situation was handled as well. Didn’t really understand why I was required to pay more money when the final product was way below my expectations. If I had to do it again I would have been way more pushy and demanding.

10/28/2018 • Melissa M

Gay at cottage flowers was a sweetheart and so great to work with! I wanted simple flowers and driftwood center pieces and she made it happen. The flowers were beautiful and so well put together and you can’t beat her prices! Thanks again Gay!

6/24/2018 • Sophie A

I was planning a destination wedding in St. Simons, so Gay accommodated us by meeting when we were in town. She was realistic with us about what we could get with our budget up front, and created beautiful bouquets from the photos I provided. I knew very little about flowers and what might look good together, but she took my vision and met it perfectly, still within our budget. She always responded to calls/emails quickly. The delivery was on time without any issues on the morning of the ceremony. Would absolutely recommend.

6/03/2018 • Kate S

Gay is Awesome! The florals at my wedding were exactly what I wanted!! My bouquet was actually better then my inspo photo! She even offered to stop and pick up balloons at a grocery store if we needed her too! You won’t go wrong choosing Gay as your florist! Thank you so much :)

12/28/2016 • Biancia B

Gay was absolutely the best florist! I gave very little guidance, just a few concept pictures and she ran with it and arranged the perfect bouquets! I was also able to get cedar garland at the last minute--she was very accommodating and such a pleasure to work with. Thank you so much, Gay--everything was perfect!

10/24/2015 •

Amazing! Cottage Flowers did a beautiful job creating the most wonderful flower arrangements! She was very willing to work within my budget and took suggestions from photos I sent her. Also, she was familiar with the local venue I used so it made everything even easier! I would recommend Cottage Flowers to anyone!

10/09/2015 • Patti L

She gave me the best advice and told me to interview my vendors, go with my gut and then trust them to do their job. I would enjoy the wedding more if I didn't micromanage but trusted the vendors after giving them my "wish list." She couldnt' have been more right! I enjoyed the wedding so much more because I trusted her vision completely! The flowers were amazing! Just as I requested and the pricing was fair and reasonable. I event got family members to use her for other wedding events, I was so pleased!

11/08/2014 • Brea N

Mrs. Gay was very helpful since I only knew I wanted star gazer lillies in my bouquet. She helped me decide and gave me ideas for the rest of my bouquet and my bridesmaids bouquets along with decorations. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the amount of flowers used on the cake. It could of been the amount my budget allowed, not sure. Other than that, Gay was amazing to work with! I would highly recommend Cottage flowers.

9/17/2014 •

We contacted Gay about 2 weeks before our wedding on St. Simon's Island. We communicated via phone and email and I sent some pictures of arrangements I had liked. When my groom picked up the flowers the day before our wedding (our ceremony was at 8am on a Sunday), they were gorgeous! Gay worked within our very tight budget and short timeline, using ribbon that worked with my bridesmaids' dress color. She created beautiful arrangements for 3 bridesmaids, my bouquet and 3 boutonnieres. I highly recommend Cottage Flowers. Thanks, Gay!

4/01/2014 • Dawn M

Gay, the owner of Cottage Flowers patiently worked with my daughter and I for months on designing our flower arrangements to incorporate my daughters favorite and hard to get flowers of Peonies and Anemones; particularly for a March wedding! Our wedding location was at the historic King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort and we had a "Vintage Elegance Theme" for her wedding and wanted the flowers to look as though they had come directly from the garden with a loose but elegant appearance. This feat was accomplished to perfection. Our guests even commented on the arrangements and my daughters lovely bouquet of all Peonies and Dusty Miller. I took a couple of arrangements home to enjoy and they lasted more than a week and Gay was very sweet to deliver the remaining bouquets to a local nursing home as well as an individual who played a part in our wedding decor so that they would not be wasted. I highly recommend Gay and her adorable shop for any occasion where flowers would be suited. You get a personal touch and hands on service that can only be found in a place such as St. Simon's Island, GA.

3/20/2014 • Anastasia K

In planning my wedding, I definitely wanted to go with a "red" theme for the flowers in my wedding. My florist suggested all of my options for "red" flowers. My choice was quickly narrowed down to tulips and/or roses. With eight total attendants, I didn't want to spend a fortune but wanted something rich and full yet, elegant. My florist looked at all my pricing options and possible design styles. She offered me pros and cons on my two favorite choices. I finally went with the tulips because they would withstand our weather better and hold their color and shape throughout the day's activities.

10/07/2013 • cheryl s

Gay was wonderful to work with and her designs are amazing! I would highly recommend her. The bride lives in Colorado and I, the mom, in Atlanta. We did everything thru emails and phone calls. We sent her pictures of our ideas and she exceeded our expectations in design and flexibility in our changes. Thanks Gay!

10/02/2013 • Brianna S

Cottage Flowers did a BEAUTIFUL job with our flowers for our wedding day! Gaye was a dream to work with and had such wonderful ideas that helped us work within our budget! We never actually met Gaye until 3 days before our wedding as we were planning from another state - we were so happy with her amazing work! She even did a bouquet for our rehearsal dinner too! I would highly recommend Cottage Flowers for any wedding or event! ~Brianna

9/04/2013 •

Gay at Cottage Flowers was very patient and helpful. She created wonderful arrangements and bouquets and gave us what we asked for! And her calm and friendly demeanor was exactly what we needed. Thank you for a beautiful day!

8/23/2013 • LaToya D

helpful

5/14/2013 • Amanda S

Gay at Cottage Flowers made working with her memorable from the moment my husband and I stepped on her lovely cottage porch. She always listened to us and kept any stress far away from our wedding day. She helped make choices based on getting to know us first. When our budget needed to be cut she was very understanding and assured us she would make every penny count and boy did she!!! She delivered all the flowers on time and in gorgeous condition. She even added a few special touches for the big event! Gay at Cottage Flowers is the right choice for a coastal Georgia event.

10/10/2012 • Marissa F

Gay was an amazing vendor to team up with for our wedding! Super friendly, approachable, and had a can-do attitude with my floral arrangement requests. My main request was raw cotton for my husband's boutonnière. Gay was the only local florist who said she could make it work! Ended up visiting the shop a few days before the wedding, and per my last minute request she put some cotton blossoms in my bouquet too! Highly recommended!

9/12/2012 • Nikki C

I recently had my wedding in St. Simons and could not be happier about the floral bouquets and arrangements that Gay made. Everything was so easy with her. She helped me to pick out the perfect flowers and to budget them so that they were not crazy expensive. She also coordinated with the venue to drop everything off and make things easier for us the day of the wedding. My favorite part was the dog collars that she made out of flowers for our pups that were in the wedding. Gay and Cottage Flowers are fantastic to work with and they do an amazing job.

9/12/2012 • Kim B

Our wedding was planned in St. Simons Island from afar. Several people asked who I was using for my flowers, and when I mentioned Gay, they all said good choice. She was the best choice! Our flowers were beautiful, including my hairpiece. I liked the fact that she actually suggested I don't use some flowers because I was working within a budget. Gay is friendly, professional and our flowers looked amazing. I recommend her highly!

8/26/2012 • Emily N

I was a disappointed with Cottage Flowers. My bouquet and the flowers for the grandparents/parents/groomsmen turned out well, but the bridesmaids flowers were the wrong color and had some wilted flowers. Also, the ceremony arch flowers were completely the wrong color. I was very clear with my instructions (pics and everything), so I don't know what happened.

8/03/2012 • Jessica H

Very nice but all of the flower arrangements were smaller than exepected (bouquets & boutonnieres) and the ribbons on the bouquets were a different color than requested. Also, the table centerpieces that were agreed upon were not available for wedding setup at first but were obtained by the time the wedding started.

7/26/2011 • Jenni C

Gay Whatley at Cottage Flowers did such an amazing job with not only the flowers for the wedding party, but for the ceremony and my hair. She took the time to really listen to what I like and was so flexible in working with us to stay within a budget.

7/07/2011 • Monika C

We retained Ms. Whatley after viewing her work on her website and speaking with her via telephone. She was very professional yet warm and friendly during our consultation. We had very demanding ideas for our floral arrangements which Ms. Whatley executed them better than we had dreamed. Even when we we had some "alterations" to the original plan, Ms. Whatley worked with us and became a calming relief in the those stressful final weeks before the big day. It was such a comfort to have the all important floral arrangements 100% perfect when it mattered most. She was always incredibly patient and really listened to us to ensure we had the same visions. After attending the onslaught of all our friend's weddings after college graduation, we knew what great florist cost and thus were shocked at the value of her services. She is in the "know" with local merchants and is highly respected amongst her peers in the local wedding industries, i.e. caterers, venue owners, photographers, etc. Her flowers were so rich in colors that the veteran wedding photographer commented on how vivid the pieces were. I can't sing her praises enough!!

6/06/2011 • karen k

Gay was so warm and welcoming from the very first time we met with her. St. Simon's is our family vacation home and where our Daughter's wedding was located. Gay was so easy to talk with and always accomodating. She was always available by phone or email. She understood what my Daughter wanted and the flowers were beautiful, not only at the wedding, but at the reception as well. We highly recommend her to anyone!!

5/12/2011 • Emily F

From the minute I met Gay at Cottage Flowers, I knew I had found my florist! Such a fun personality and easy to work with. The flowers were gorgeous and she made sure everything was perfect for my big day.

4/28/2011 • Christina U

Gay was wonderful to work with and very helpful. Our wedding was planned from a distance, so we really relied upon Gay to help guide us on the specific flowers, arrangements, etc. Her work was beyond what we imagined. The flowers on our wedding day were absolutely beautiful and perfect!! She is so talented and really took the time to make sure we were pleased. I would recommend her to anyone planning to have a wedding in the St. Simons / Savannah area!!

4/14/2011 • Jennings F

I highly recommend Gay Whatley. She handled all of the flowers for our October wedding (the purple flowers in her online photos). They were absolutely beautiful! And, the heart made of purple petals down the aisle - totally her idea. The day of my wedding, she decorated the tables, placed candles all throughout the boathouse, ensured that the outside area was perfectly arranged. In many respects, she doubled as our florist and day of wedding coordinator. She was a huge help. We can't thank her enough.