Please take the time to read the bad reviews. I booked Althea in May 2021 for my January 2022 wedding. At first, she was professional, took the time to go over a proposal with me, and had beautiful, fresh arrangements for another wedding prepar...ed. Fast forward to one month before my wedding and I emailed her to check in. I let her know that I was looking forward to going over the final details in 2 weeks. This was her response in an email: “Hi, if you paid your Deposit nothing changes unless you change. We’ve been doing 4-5 weddings weekly been busy but if your booked. All is well will contact 2weeks before to finalize ceremony times”.
We did not go over the final details until 8 days before my wedding. She bombarded my mother and me with details of her health issues, the overwhelming jobs she took on, and the lack of money she had to complete these jobs. She made my mom and I feel bad for the spike in costs for florals, she then tried to take out all of the expensive flowers that I had requested in May and based my entire theme on. She made promises of getting substitutions for flowers that were too costly and we came to an agreement.
The day before my wedding I asked to meet her in person to see my arrangements to which she said in a text message: “please please just come any time, we have 3 wedding so we are busy”. I arrive at her house and she was not home. Her two assistants did not know who I was and none of my florals were put together. I recognized some of my florals which were still in delivery boxes in an un-air-conditioned part of her home. I was told that they were trying to force open the flowers. There were many withered flowers as well. She ended up calling me to apologize and confidently told me that the withered flowers were not mine and she was busy with a ton of weddings.
On the day of the wedding, I was told by family members that she arrived in her personal vehicle with one assistant. Not a large van, or a moving truck, think small compact vehicle. She then had all of the valets from the resort help her set up. We paid her $350 for set up/breakdown for what? I have pictures of her standing around while a valet serviceman is hanging up gazebo flowers. They were hung off-centered and blocked my husband’s head during our ceremony. I never asked for florals in the center of the gazebo nor did I give her pictures with any florals showing such a thing. She also rushed out of the resort and never decorated our cake. The worst part is she added flowers that we never discussed, that were withered, and completely off theme.
We paid $3,500 and an additional $250 for an extra table arrangement. We only had 9 tall table arrangements, two bridesmaids’ bouquets, 4 boutonnieres, an entry table arrangement, gazebo décor, and florals for our cake which she was contracted to decorate.
I overall will NOT recommend this florist. Her unprofessionalism and lack of follow-through near-ruined my wedding. Please take the time to read the bad reviews, I wish I had.