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vendor reviews: floral designers
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Reviewing Carrie Lynn Weber, Floral Designer
Carrie Lynn's emphasis is on the details - the ones that show in photos, and the ones that only the bride can see. From simply elegant and traditional to high-style and glam, with Carrie Lynn, gorgeous flowers are a given. She'll work with you until your vision a reality. "I'm passionate about my work. Nothing is more important to me than my brides' flowers being perfect. So when I'm creating floral designs, I'm doing it with a focus on delivering that extraordinary style I know they expect from me." And whether it's sequins and lace or ribbon and sparkly wire, Carrie Lynn specializes in combining some beautiful textures and colours to create stylish bouquets that her company is known for.
Carrie Lynn's designs reflect what's hot in the fashion and floral industry and what a bride and groom really want (without losing their their own style and personality in the process). Here's just a few of the things we know and love about Carrie Lynn Weber...
What a bride wants The brides that come to Carrie Lynn are usually forward thinking brides - those who want flowers that set their wedding apart from others. Carrie Lynn seems to have a natural sense of what a young, trendy bride wants, and she is filled with ideas on how to use flowers to create the most impact on your wedding.
Carrie Lynn is fun, professional and inspiring. Her never-ending stream of ideas puts her passion for her work in plain sight of anyone who comes to see her. And since that energy and spirit is all focused on your flowers, it makes sense that so many of Carrie Lynn's couples love her as much as they love her work.
That's helped further by the fact that Carrie Lynn puts unmatched, personalized service at the top of her priorities on the daily basis. For her, it's as important as design.
She works from a home studio because its allows the time, attention and space she needs for working on such an important element of any bride's wedding - a company feature that she says many brides comment on. She meets her couples here from the beginning for the initial consultation, which is the where you'll bring in samples of your colours and d้cor ideas with start talking about the mood you're trying to create, the overall look you're trying to accomplish. To create truly customized designs perfect for you, she takes the time to learn your style and then design your flowers around that, which she has been doing for ten years - four of those of which have been spent catering to the K-W area. Over these years, Carrie Lynn has come to form relationships and work closely with some of the community's biggest venues and a variety of well-known wedding experts.
The feel and smell of fresh Carrie Lynn's floral career started in Toronto while working with an award-winning special events company. She continues to be a part of this industry as a freelance floral designer even today.
With experience in the wide field of special events and visual merchandising, we asked her why she chose such a specific aspect of the field to work in. Carrie Lynn told us, "I find personally that in addition to my passion for fresh floral design, nothing compares to being able to design one-on-one with the bride and groom. It's so rewarding for me... I've had the opportunity to meet many new people, and it's their visions and weddings that re-energize my inspiration for what I'm doing." Carrie Lynn says she also finds herself taken in by fresh flowers, "It's the beauty of them, the scent, the look..."
Carrie Lynn personally picks out the highest quality flowers from her supplier for each wedding. She enjoys looking for the perfect bloom and those rare finds. And she won't try to sell you something that isn't going to last, as Ellen Lamarre can attest for; "I appreciated that Carrie Lynn didn't tell me just what I wanted to hear, but rather listened and gave insights and advice where needed. She was pleasant to work with, and genuinely concerned with the way our wedding looked on the day of." Ellen adds that when she first met Carrie Lynn to discuss her flower designs for her June 2008 wedding, she could see the wheels turning in Carrie Lynn's head. "It was wonderful to see my vision 'blossom' with the creative passion that only comes from someone who loves what they do."
The portfolio that Carrie Lynn has developed over the past ten years speaks for itself. Many of her clients come from great word of mouth and referrals, which certainly says a lot about her service and design.
Andrea A. who had Carrie Lynn design all of her floral arrangements and bouquets for her May 2008 Indian ceremony told us that "Carrie Lynn was a dream to work with. She really went above and beyond to make our flowers incredibly special. Her designs offered a refreshing alternative to the mainstream florists. She gave me exactly what I wanted - and more - even though I had given her only vague direction. She was able to get a very accurate idea of my sense of style."
Kristina & Michael had Carrie Lynn design the flowers for their August 2007 wedding. Their flowers were designed in bright fuschia and tangerine colours. Kristina says they were exactly what she had envisioned. "I couldn't have been more pleased!Choosing Carrie Lynn as our florist was one of the easiest decisions we made. She was so approachable and easy to work with."
Getting more than her fair share of the spotlight, several of Carrie Lynn's bouquets and floral pieces have been featured in stories and trend pieces, such as Issue 4 of our own Bridal News Magazine (click here to read the article online!), over the last four years.
Bringing big city flair Carrie Lynn's experience allows her to bring a big city taste to the local bridal community. Coming from the Toronto scene has conditioned her to always look for the hottest trends - both to implement into her work, and to use for inspiration to create new trends of her own. Carrie Lynn's brides choose her because of this incorporation of unique ideas. "I've never had an unhappy bride. I've made brides cry because they were so happy with their flowers." July 2007 bride, Pamela Spence says she received compliments on her flowers the entire night of her wedding, "They were one of my favourite features of the wedding."
One of the ways that Carrie Lynn likes to add a special flair to her designs is by focusing on the details. One couple that she worked with mentioned to her that a frog was symbolic of their relationship so she surprised the bride with a small frog broach attached to the stem of her bridal bouquet. It was something only she could see, but the sentiment was very meaningful. It's these seemingly insignificant things that Carrie Lynn picks up on from talking with her brides, "I absorb the personality and ideas of the couple in order to use these in designing their flowers."
Don't be overwhelmed by thinking that you have to come to Carrie Lynn with a unique angle for her to design stunning flowers for your wedding. She has a wealth of ideas ready to be turned into gorgeous floral creations. She says that some brides come to her and leave all the details in her hands, "Many brides have photos of what they have in mind, but just as many of my brides tell me, 'Do what you want. I trust you. I've seen your work!'"
Either way, Karrie Mooij-Beitz told us "Carrie Lynn has such great personal style that she blends with yours and the result is this beautiful creation that you would not see anywhere else!" Which was the case for her July 2008 wedding flowers that (aside from marrying her dream man) was her favourite part of her wedding day.
Big on impact
Carrie Lynn often takes cues for her design style from fashion trends, and uses the bride's gown for inspiration. She can incorporate beads, sequins, lace and more to make your bouquets completely unique and reflective of your style. "Depending on the client, I can design glam, Hollywood, high-style, vintage, or classic... but I do all my work with a unique flair, like classic with a modern twist." In fact, one of her bouquets incorporated vegetables such as broccoli. In her last Wedding Bells Magazine article, one of her bouquets had a unique antique wood handle that jumped off the page for its unique way of bringing contemporary and heritage together in flowers.
Beyond just colour and flower choices, Carrie Lynn even uses the texture of each flower to add dimension to her arrangements. You'll find unexpected elements like stem treatments and coloured wire as just a few of the things that Carrie Lynn can do for you.
Because of all the personal touches that Carrie Lynn adds to her work, she always delivers the finished flowers to the bride herself so that she can see her face when she receives them. Plus, since Carrie Lynn is a perfectionist, if she personally delivers and sets-up the flowers for her brides, she can make sure that everything looks fabulous, that placement is right, and that the bride doesn't have to worry about these details.
Budgeting for
gorgeous blooms Brides who book with Carrie Lynn Weber tend to be looking for impeccable design and service, for someone who's as passionate about their work as they are talented.
If Carrie Lynn can help you she will, as long as it doesn't sacrifice the quality service, top design and attention to detail that has set her apart in the industry. "Carrie Lynn was excellent at working within our budget," bride, Karri, told The Ring. "She was upfront about what we could get and what would not be possible... She was fabulous to work with and was available to chat or meet whenever I needed to."
Andrea agreed, saying that considering the types of flowers they ordered (lots of exotic varieties, which tend to be more expensive), Carrie Lynn was able to design her flowers for a reasonable price.
Carrie Lynn has lots of ideas and tips on how and where to use your flowers for the biggest, most gorgeous impact. By mixing different colours, textures, and details, anything can be gorgeous when created by Carrie Lynn. "Most of my brides spend between $150 and $250 on their bridal bouquets, and about $50 to $75 on the bridesmaids' bouquets." Of course, depending on the details, prices can be higher or lower. ."
As a gift to each of her brides, Carrie Lynn includes a 'throw' bouquet to match your style for the bouquet toss at no additional charge.
detailsdetailsdetails Carrie Lynn suggests booking 2 to 12 months ahead of your wedding date, but it's always worth it to ask if she's got an opening on your wedding date. Summer 2009 and 2010 dates are still available Carrie Lynn services the K-W, Cambridge, Guelph and surrounding areas Carrie Lynn asks for a deposit of 50% when booking your wedding date with her Your balance is due one week before the wedding All of Carrie Lynn's prices are subject to 8% tax
Carrie Lynn Weber will meet with you at her home studio at a time that works within your schedule. To arrange an appointment to speak with Carrie Lynn and view her portfolio, you can reach her by phone at 519-895-3949, or contact her by email at weberstroeder@rogers.com for more information. You will also find a gallery of her bouquets and details on her brand new web site, www.carrielynnweber.com. - The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Carrie Lynn Weber. * Top review photo and fourth photo in left strip by Tonic Photography. |