Being originally from the east coast and new to San Diego, I didn't know of any florists in the Los Angeles area where I was getting married. My wedding coordinator sent me several suggestions of florists that she had previously worked with, and a few who's work she really admired. After researching their websites and reading reviews, I contacted three florists regarding my wedding. Elvira from Charlie And Olivia responded that same day, one of the florists that my coordinator had not previously worked with, when the others didn't get back to me until several days later.
Elvira was such a pleasure to work with from start to finish. During our in person meetings and email conversations, I never felt awkward or incompetent not knowing much about flowers or arrangements. All I had to show for were several Pinterest "pins" of designs I liked, along with my color scheme. My likes were all over the place in terms of price and theme. However during our initial meeting Elvira took what I sent her and created a montage of her own ideas and some of my images. It was amazing to see everything come together, and to know she took a vested interest in my wedding. She even worked with me on my budget; because she was so easy to talk to, discussing stressful topics such as price were never an issue.
The beautiful arrangement she showed me for the mock up paled in comparison to her work the day of the wedding. The table centerpieces were stunning and bright, the bridal party bouquets were lovely, and even the boutonnières for the groomsmen were elegant, but casual - exactly the look I was going for. Elvira and her team even constructed the ceremony arbor on site which literally took my breath away as I walked down the aisle. The Ranch House at Calamigos, where our ceremony and reception took place, was I thought a gorgeous venue, until I saw the finished product. What Elvira and her team created made the entire atmosphere warmer and absolutely stunning.

Elvira and Dawn, the masters behind Charlie & Olivia, are incomparable as floral artists! At our first design meeting, they were exuberant, professional, and inventive -- providing me with arrangement ideas and catering to the needs of our venue, the season, and our guests. Our Winter wedding at LA's Carondelet House turned out to be breathtakingly beautiful. Rose-shaped mercury glass vases adorned our guests' tables, while our bride-and-groom chairs were gorgeously decorated with garland. They also built an amazing canopy on-site for our ceremony, which tied all the romantic elements together. Needless to say, our guests were clamoring to take home the centerpieces! I highly recommend their creativity and ability to make any event magical.

I wanted to thank you for adding such perfection to our fairy-tale wedding. Westlake Village, CA. is already a beautiful area, but with your addition in flowers and attention to detail made it absolutely breath-taking. You have been such a pleasure to work with, so sincere, and professional. With so much planning as is, we were so glad that we chose you to help with our special day. Although the wedding is over, we will always keep the amazing memories and your appreciated hard work in our hearts. When our friends get married, you will definitely be recommended. Thanks again for going above and beyond to give us that special wow-factor :)

Mr. & Mrs. H.