Darnray's reviews
Where to begin with Larkspur? I first found them via a search on the Martha vendor match service. From the moment I first saw their work even in photos online, I loved them. And when I met with Beth Barnett, the owner, to discuss what my vision was for the florals at our wedding, I was sold.
She is excellent on every level. First off, her creative is amazing: her style is thoroughly modern with a raw beauty. Amazing color sense. Innovative ideas. I absolutely did not want precious, "wedding-y" arrangements, and Beth delivered on every front.
I gave her our chosen color palette--blues and purples, and some ideas about what I wanted for the personal flowers (for me and my bridesmaids). We also talked at length about the floorplan and table set up for the reception and what kinds of arrangements we wanted for that.
She came back a day later with a comprehensive, on-budget proposal that encompassed all of our needs with specific floral suggestions based on what would be available for our February wedding.
As the wedding date drew near, Beth joined us for our venue walk-through. Of course, EVERYTHING changed at this time (table sizes and number, room configuration, etc.). Beth was totally flexible and excited about the new plan, offering ideas to suit the new direction on the spot, and providing me with a revised proposal the very next day (still on budget!).
The final result was simply breathtaking. I loved, loved, loved my bouquet so much. I carried it around all night! My bridesmaids bouquets and all the boutonnieres were amazing as well. And the reception--awesome. She did a variety of arrangements instead of one standard on all the tables. And mixed florals with candles to beautiful effect. It was just the right mix of glamour and edge--not a precious or fussy bouquet to be found!
At every turn, Beth was an absolute delight to work with: amazing creative (as mentioned), totally professional, always quick with a response. She went above and beyond to make our day even more beautiful than we dreamed it could be. And did it all with kindness and grace.
I cannot recommend Larkspur enough! Thank you, Beth!
We had the awesome Dustin from Toast & Jam DJs--who was a rock star from prep to execution.
T&J got back to me very quickly after I sent an initial email inquiry. All communication was prompt and transparent, and they quickly hooked me up with a phone interview with Dustin (I was planning our wedding long distance). Dustin was great from the get-go, explaining the process to me in detail and discussing what we liked, what we didn't, what our venue was, the makeup of our guest list, etc. And I liked their approach (and price!) best, so we booked right away.
From there, we didn't need to communicate until about a month prior to the wedding. At that time, Dustin had me send him a list of our must-plays and do not plays, as well as specific songs for parents dances, our first dance, etc. In addition, he had me give specific feedback on a lengthy set list (I circled the ones we really, really loved and crossed out ones that we hated). This gave Dustin a really strong idea of the parameters of our music likes and dislikes. And we had one more phone conversation to confirm everything and make sure we were on the same page.
At the reception, Dustin found us to make a face-to-face introduction before his set started. And once it began, the party really started.
As we had a more cocktail style reception (no formal table seating and a buffet of comfort food), Dustin embarked on really an amazing, four-hour dance set. And he was awesome! Our guests did not stop dancing all night, and Dustin was great at feeling out the crowd and spinning in tune with the energy. He played every genre of music from standards to R&B to pop to '80s classics. My only regret is that I was not able to be on the dance floor more than I was!
Thanks to Dustin's mad DJ skillz, our reception truly had the all-out, superfun party vibe we had hoped it would.
We used Misse at Honey Bee as our Day-of Coordinator (DOC) for our recent wedding, and I can say without a doubt that this was the most valuable service we invested in for our wedding. If you are on the fence about whether or not you want a DOC, get off now!
From my first meeting with Misse at a Starbucks in Wicker Park, I could tell she was sharp as a tack--this girl knows her business! She is thoroughly professional and her vast knowledge of all things wedding combined with her attention to detail were incredible assets, especially since I was planning from out of town.
Working with Honey Bee made my planning a stress-free experience, as Misse was always ready with a spreadsheet and timeline to keep me on track. She always responded to my emails immediately--I think I even heard from her once while she was vacationing in INDIA for goodness' sakes!
She took care of a myriad of day-of duties as advertised: timeline development, itineraries, distribution of out of town gift bags, etc. She was also always ready with a recommendation or advice when asked--her input helped me crystallize my thoughts on a few items. And, she completely took over ALL vendor communication and coordination starting the Monday before the wedding--a service that I felt made Honey Bee more comprehensive (and a bigger value) than other day-of coordinators.
At the venue walk-through, we were able to finalize the floorplan and florals, thanks to her expertise and direction (invaluable!). Just a few of the things she did on the wedding day: picked up our cakes and rentals, put in my veil, got the groomsmen into their boutonnieres, wrangled the (headstrong) bridal party, made sure we left for photos on time, oversaw the set up of the reception (making some on-the-spot decisions with the venue manager and florist to improve the flow), set two DIY decor tables (one a memorial candle display and another and advice jar). She bustled my dress, delivered our gifts and envelopes to our suite and literally appeared out of thin air within moments of someone spilling tomato soup on my dress and attended to the stain.
I could go on and on about the seemingly endless list of items Misse attended to during our wedding, but I think you get the very organized, efficient and top-notch picture of the coordination offered here, right?
I must say that I am a very organized person and a pretty skilled planner on my own. But I did not want the stress of handling little details or wrangling vendors on my wedding day, nor did I want my friends and family to be "on the job."
Throughout the wedding weekend, everyone--friends, family...even the hotel bellman--kept stopping me and telling me how calm and relaxed I looked. They couldn't believe this collected, chill chick was THE BRIDE! But I guess that's what Honey Bee brides look like. :)
Bottom line, it was essential that my husband and I be able to focus on each other and the important moments of our wedding day. Hiring Honey Bee made this desire a reality--we attended our wedding and reception as guests. Knowing that everything was in Misse's capable hands, we were able to enjoy every second of it. And that is truly priceless.
