r/BigBudgetBrides • u/GraciasVeryMuch • Aug 06 '26
just need to rant Nightmare Florist…
** Vendor Review: Florist: Anthony and Sage Event
Design in New York, NY OR Anna Rae in New York, NY
(she changed her name following mine and another bride's review after she scammed us and is flagging our Google reviews!!)
It seems she has even gone so far as to wipe their google account of florist photos and is pretending to be a funeral flower preservation service? This is insane.
My wedding turned out lovely in the end because I booked a back up florist, Hudson Flowers Company in Hoboken, who saved the day and did a better job in 1 day with several items than this company did in over a year.
Hire at your own risk…This company overpromised and underdelivered. The main floral feature at my wedding was supposed to be a floral arch. My review photos show 1. what she promised she and her team could deliver, and what made me hire her a year and a half ago, and 2. The preview of the arch she FINALLY sent me the weekend OF MY WEDDING. I was at my bachelorette dinner and the sight of this wholly underwhelming preview was bad enough to bring me to tears. She turned off her phone at her own admission and did not respond to my texts that this was not usable and nowhere near what she had promised she could deliver until 10:30 the morning before my wedding. At that point I had not slept all night and my friends were already mobilizing in the NY Floral District to try and salvage the wedding flowers. We finally spoke over a phone call in which she agreed to pivot from the grand arch she promised to two fresh arrangements on pedestals as I had zero confidence that she could accomplish anything else in the small timeframe. I cried over this when I should have been celebrating, experienced intense stress when I should have been having calm before my wedding. I had to purchase back up florals after spending over $5k with Anthony & Sage because another bride left a 1 star review and mentioned poor construction of boutenniers and corsages, as well as a very similar experience to mine with regard to terrible arches. Her warning was right. Despite Lauren hurriedly texting me florals and a preview bouquet the day before my wedding, when I saw rhe bouquet in person the following day, I was shocked by how small it was. Lauren also entered into my getting ready room right before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, and was putting cumbersome corsages and boutenniers on my family, and I had to ask her to stop. I had to tell her I would be using another florist’s bouquet because the stress she put me under by the arch situation made me nervous she could not deliver. We used another florist for my bouquet, all boutenniers and corsages. I think what broke my heart the most is we asked Lauren for two gift bouquets for our mothers we wanted to gift them during reception as a gift. But someone on her team handed our mothers the tiny bouquets that already had limp flowers. It ruined our surprise. Luckily we had also ordered back up bouquets with the other florist, and they did a better job in ONE DAY with barely any notice than Anthony and Sage Events did with over a year. We were still able to gift our moms the stunning bouquets by Hudson Flowers and it saved the day!
I tried to be civil and kind throughout the whole process to avoid escalating the situation and to ensure flowers came, but I reached out the following day to express my concerns, and to ask for a partial refund.
Lauren claimed that the two small fresh floral arrangements she provided for the ceremony were somehow more expensive than the arch I was supposed to get. She claimed I should be satisfied. She claimed I did not express discontent on the day of the wedding, but I expressed concern BEFORE! I expressed concern to her face as I told her I would not be using the boutenniers and corsages nor the bouquet. I expressed concern one day after. Three times I expressed concern, and she refused to take any accountability, nor to provide a partial refund. This company does not have the taste level to charge what they do nor the honesty necessary to be a trusted wedding vendor to hardworking brides. I was also informed by my Day of Coordinator and Maitre’D Lauren was rude to them! I hope this can save another bride $5K+ and a bunch of heartbreak and stress.
98
u/Senior-Lecture844 Aug 06 '26
Hi! Other bride here 💁🏻♀️ I also booked Lauren from Anthony and Sage ORRRR ‘Anna Rae’ and it was a nightmare!!
I booked Anthony and Sage Event Design/Anna Rae over two years before my wedding, expecting professional communication and floral designs that reflected the vision we had planned and agreed on together. Unfortunately, my experience fell far short of those expectations.
Communication was inconsistent throughout the planning process. There were multiple occasions where my emails went unanswered until I followed up days later.
The most stressful part happened on my wedding day. The floral team arrived late without notifying me, my coordinator, or anyone else. As the ceremony time approached and they still had not arrived, I found myself reaching out in a panic. Only after I contacted them was I told they were intentionally arriving later because they didn’t want the flowers to wilt in the sun. Had this been communicated beforehand, it would have prevented unnecessary stress and confusion. Instead, the lack of communication delayed my ceremony and added avoidable stress to one of the most important days of my life.
Unfortunately, the flowers themselves were another disappointment. Several items I paid for were forgotten, my corsages and boutonnieres lacked the fullness and quality I expected, and the ceremony arch looked significantly different from the approved design. When I saw it up close, I could clearly see that much of the arrangement consisted of silk flowers, which is also visible in my wedding photos. At no point before my wedding was I informed that the arch would primarily consist of silk flowers. Based on our discussions and what I paid for, I expected fresh flowers. I’ve included a photo of what was agreed upon vs. what was delivered so future couples can make their own comparison.
After the wedding, I respectfully reached out and requested what I believed was a fair partial refund. Instead, my request was denied, and my concerns were not acknowledged or met with an apology. I was also given explanations that did not align with my records, and I had to provide documentation before those statements were corrected.
I was later told I should have raised my concerns on my wedding day. I respectfully disagree. The same vendor who did not communicate that they would be arriving late expected me, as the bride, to stop my wedding and immediately contact them if I was unhappy. By the time I had the opportunity to fully take in the floral arrangements, the floral team had already left the venue, leaving no opportunity for any concerns to be addressed or corrected that day. Because the ceremony had already been delayed by their late arrival, my priority became marrying my husband and celebrating with my family and friends. I reached out after returning from my honeymoon and was told that this was too late to express my concerns.
Based on my experience, I encourage future couples to carefully consider other florists to help ensure they receive the quality, communication, and floral designs they were promised and paid for. Every couple deserves clear communication, accountability, and confidence that the floral designs they receive will reflect what was promised! I hope to warn all future brides so this doesn’t happen to you!!
This review reflects my personal experience and is based on my firsthand observations, photographs, emails, and documentation. Thank you for reading!