Mark Sent on 04/03/2016

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Russ is the best! He helps design and plan the entire event and caters it to your specific tastes. He does all the flowers, centerpieces, ect. and makes it as stress free as possible. The venue is absolutely stunning!

Micah Sent on 09/22/2015

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After our wedding here, everyone kept telling us that our wedding was like something out of a movie. Russ' skills as a wedding planner are unparalleled, as the decorations were mind-blowing. His attention to detail is incredible and it shows.

We used the vendors that he recommended and they were beyond phenomenal. Our DJ, Randy Duncan was completely terrific; everything was totally on point and our guests had a blast throughout the entirety of the evening.

Seriously, if you are looking for a venue, check out Changing Seasons; you will not be disappointed.

User2307431 Sent on 09/09/2015

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The owner provided a unique and magical venue that my son, daughter in-law and guests will always remember. He provided a beautiful setting for the ceremony and reception, does the photography himself, and provides recommendations for catering, DJ and bartending services. The catering, DJ and bartending services routinely work at this venue and made the evening a night we will always remember. The setting was unbelievably beautiful, the music was wonderful and the food and cake were sublime.

User2122720 Sent on 05/07/2015

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We got married on May 2, 2015 and had Russ as our everything man. He did our Photography, all flower, bouquets, reception set up and tear down and more things there was just so much i can not pull them all together. Russ was absolutely amazing. He was always willing to go the extra mile for me. He told me multiple times "the week of is your week" and he truly stuck to that. We met with him multiple times over a year and a half time span. We did mini photo shoots to make a guest book calendar (which was perfect). He had great ideas about making our parents and grandparents a big part of our ceremony because all of mine have passed away. The day of, i met Russ at the Heritage Hall at 9 am to start getting ready. He was there already setting up and never bothered us girls only to take pictures. When everything was all set up the pictures really started. My husband and i had pictures before the wedding without seeing each other!! it was awesome! i would highly recommend Russ and everyone involved with Changing Seasons for anyone's wedding on any budget! I can not wait to get our wedding pictures back :) Thank you Russ for everything you did to make my whole day perfect!

Lynn Sent on 12/09/2014

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Russ was amazing, we went in looking for flowers and walked out with our photographer, decorator, coordinator, flowers and other decor.

Maggie Sent on 11/24/2014

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Russ is a wonderful person to work with. He took our personalities and created the most magical night either of us can ask for. He not o my took care of pictures but of decor too. Everything turned out better than I could have dreamed.

Kayla Sent on 11/13/2014

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i came to russ with a handful of loose ideas and plenty of pin-spiration. what he delivered was AMAZING. our wedding was the most beautiful and personable event i've ever seen. there was attention paid to details that only my husband and i noticed. russ made our night truly about us. not only is the garden breath taking (even on nov. 8th) but the personal touches, like adding my great grandmother's jewelry to my bouquet, truly made the night just a bit more special. russ has been great from beginning to end. he did our engagement photos, and naturally everything for the wedding. which, by the way, was PERFECT for someone like me who didn't have time to fuss over trying to book multiple vendors for every little thing. with russ taking care of so many aspects of the wedding, and things leading up to it, i was able to actually have a stress free engagement. with russ i felt like i had found an old friend, who understood my vision of the perfect wedding in a magical setting. it's been a week and everyone is still texting me fawning over how beautiful and unique our wedding was. and it's truly all thanks to russ and changing seasons. i can not recommend this venue highly enough. i really feel like i was able to have the perfect wedding thanks to russ, and that's really an invaluable service. thank you so much russ and a huge thanks to your magical wonderland of a venue!!!!

Ashley Sent on 10/06/2014

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I can not say enough about this amazing man and his venue. Russ is amazing!!!! He took a very simple abstract idea and made my wedding day the most perfect day ever! He is amazing I just can't even put into words how amazing he made everything. From the first meeting with my mom all the way to the wedding day he was always there to answer questions, or talk me through things. He went above and beyond, doing a lantern lighting for my husbands nana that passed recently, hand painting our guest book, hand sewing my bouquet. Russ is all about going above and beyond. He was amazing when the DJ totally messed up. (we didn't use his DJ big mistake!) Russ is amazing and the Garden is the most beautiful place ever! All my guests said it was absolutely beautiful!!!

Savannah Sent on 07/16/2014

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I cannot write this in the form of a review because this relationship has become so much more than professional. I want to show you all how his heart is really his business and that his business is really his heart. When I meet Russ I was at a bridal show trying to find the last few venues I needed for my wedding (already having a place for ceremony/reception). He asked me if I had a venue already and I said yes as did so many others however, he asked me something more. Are you happy? I looked at him and he guided me to his booth already knowing the answer and showed me what he had to offer. Before I left I was in love and sold. He has been by my side through this whole process. We ran into some financial situations and when I told him he said I am here for you and whatever I can do to help let me know. My wedding date is August 10, 2014 and it is now July 16, 2014 and I received devastating news that caused me to postpone my wedding (sister has to have surgery to remove cancer). I told him today and he said family comes first and whenever you are ready we can sit down and set another date. Just like that no worries nothing but love is what I received from him today. I am so thankful that I stopped at his booth he has shown me that a business can create bond that is like family and if you are getting married you must go see Russ. This was a review that i was trying to post months ago and apparently did not do it right. It is now April 17,2015 exactly 19 days after my wedding and every word still reigns true plus more. When i walked in Russ first words to me were this day is about the love that you two have for each other and nothing more. We had done our rehearsal that Thursday and he was fighting a virus but he still was there with smiles. He went over and beyond to take pictures and to capture the moments that were so dear to us. The bond that he creates last lifetimes and i am so very blessed to have found him. He is the only person i would recommend.

Arielle Sent on 07/14/2014

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Russ is the best! He was the most down to earth person I have ever met and always made you feel like what you want for your wedding is very important to him as well. He gets to know his customers and he sincerely cares. He makes sure he puts everything he has into his weddings. I would not go with anybody else for a wedding!

Adam Sent on 05/08/2014

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If I had to rate Russ and Changing Seasons from 1-10, I would give them a 10. Me and my wife held our wedding there April 2014 and he did a fantastic job. Everything from the venue to the decorations was extremely professional and we received lots of compliments on how beautiful everything looked. Russ exceeded our expectations by a long shot. I will certainly be referring anyone looking for a venue and great wedding planner to him.

User1612187 Sent on 05/08/2014

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I recently just had my wedding in the garden of Changing Seasons and if I could describe everything in one word it would be PERFECT!!! From start to finish Russ was amazing. He took my ideas of a dream wedding and turned them into a reality and then so much more. The comments from friends and family that attended said that it was the best wedding that they have ever attended. Russ put so much heart and hard work into my wedding and paid attention to every detail. I honestly don't know how I could have gotten through this whole process without him. Our families and myself could be completely stress free knowing we had 100% trust in Russ. I highly recommend to use all the other vendors Russ suggests, they were top-notch and everyone worked so smoothly with one another without a hitch. Adam and I were on cloud nine all day because Russ made our day truely unique and special. I would recommend Russ to anyone and already have. Thank you Russ for making our day one that we will never forget!!!!

Megan Sent on 01/23/2014

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Russ has made my planning experience so blissful. My wedding isnt even here yet, and i cant believe how amazingly easy this whole process has been. His vision for your special day is so unique and genuine for each and every bride he works with. I lay in bed at night, and just dream about my big day and walking down the isle to my groom. THANK you Russ for making a dream come true!

Linda Sent on 01/12/2014

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I would rate a Perfect 10 if I could!! As mother of the bride Russ was amazing!! He took my daughter dream wedding and made it a reality. He exceeded my expectations. Russ is an incredibly creative individual who "the sky's the limit". He adapts to the different personalities of family members and is flexible and open. Tell Russ your dream and give him artistic freedom you will be pleased with the results .

Justin Sent on 01/12/2014

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Last night was our wedding and it was nothing short of amazing. Russ made a night that we will never forget. Every detail, hard work, personal touch that he made was spectacular. This man literally worked like a machine not only at the wedding but before it all to make this night very memorable. We highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a magical, original, unique wedding that is like no other. We could not thank him enough for all his hard work and talent. He's simply amazing.

Lauren Sent on 01/11/2014

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Today is my BIG day and I can already say he's fantastic.. some of the main AMAZING decor was up last night for the rehearsal and it was breathtaking. He has been nothing short of wonderful.. I can't wait for tonight!!

Carol Sent on 01/07/2014

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I went to a wedding that took place at Changing Seasons and it was beautiful! I loved the way Russ has turned what used to be a parking lot into a beautiful botanical garden! My friend was so happy with the way she and her now husband were treated throughout the whole process! The wedding and reception was so unique.. He truly listened to what she wanted and gave her more than she ever had dreamed of! In looking back at her pictures , they were beautiful! If we ever decide to renew our vows, we know where we are going to go and who we am going to use!

Tashia Sent on 01/07/2014

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I have had the pleasure of working with Russ at Changing Seasons floral and Cottage Gardens catering for over a year and a half. I have to say his creativity and attention to detail never cease to amaze me. He goes above and beyond, giving each wedding individualized attention. I am in awe with the results and always waiting to see how the next wedding is going to turn out. If you're are looking for a unique and grand experience, look no further Russ will take care of you!

User1496348 Sent on 01/06/2014

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Phenomenal!! I watch, constantly, David Tutera's show of weddings that he has planned. Well, David needs to meet Russ Lawrence of Changing Seasons. I was so very impressed with Russ in regards to his planning; presentation; motivation, and last but NEVER least, his creativity. This wedding was for a close friend of mine who had requested a Winter Wonderland and she got more than what she had asked for. Russ produced a breathtaking interpretation of a winter wonderland all the way down to making it snow in the church. I appreciated his extreme attention to detail and his ability to catch every important moment and froze them in time via photos. I really do not know how to give the proper accolades for this gentleman and all that he had done. All I can say is.....If you want your wedding done RIGHT...contact Changing Seasons - it will bring your vision to reality and then blow your mind away! Love you Russ!!!!!

Jennifer Sent on 12/04/2013

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Russ and his staff are the best! My husband and I renewed our vowels at his venue. It was beautiful!! I have him ideas of what I was looking for and the colors and he exceeded my expectations! He does everything from planning, decor, flowers, engagement pictures, wedding pictures, and has a beautiful venue. He made everything stress free! Everyone there complemented us on how everything turned out. He also works with great venues for DJ, food, cake, and knows many others in the business. Would highly recommend him for anyone. He also travels to other venues. Check him out you would not be sorry.

Julie Sent on 11/08/2013

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From the Mother of the Bride: Words cannot express the joy I have in my heart for Russ Lawrence from Changing Seasons Florist and Cottage Gardens here in Independence, Missouri. From March 1, 2013 to November 2, 2013 Russ has been one magnificent guy whom I would recommend to give your daughter her dream wedding because that is exactly what he gave my daughter and I as the mother.Her wedding was Elegant Country and Russ gave her just that. The décor in our barn setting at Benjamin Ranch was breathtaking and the entire night was full of country elegance. Russ has made an impact on me, my daughter and family and friends who will never forget the enchanting evening he gave all of us. I don't think Russ knows how wonderful he truly is. He didn't forget one thing and his sentimental touches of my daughter's bouquet with her daddy's picture tucked away secretly yet elegantly so she really did have him with her as she walked down the isle, my wrist corsage with dad's picture was so meaningful. Russ went above and beyond and took care of it all, planning, photography---the pictures are stunning, country lighting and worked with the wedding party on walking down the isle properly and made it fun for the kids and they will never forget him. Russ has made many friends from both sets of a now very large family and we cannot thank him enough. Much love and blessings to Russ for making this wedding unforgettable for us. I am one very happy Mother of the Bride. We want the very best for our kids down this journey through life and my daughter's wedding is one people nearly one week later are STILL talking about. Russ you have a special place in my heart forever and believe you me, you haven't seen the last of us, we have many friends and one heck of a big family who have your name and number my dear friend. To those out there searching for the BEST...Russ Lawrence from Changing Seasons Florist and Cottage Gardens is your place, you WILL NOT regret it!

Bev Sent on 11/01/2013

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When we walked into Changing Seasons and sat down with Russ to plan flowers for my daughter's wedding, we had no idea how special it would be. When we left 3 hours later, with 3 pages of notes, we were so excited about all the creative ideas he had, that made her wedding day so personal and so memorable ... flowers that included her sheet music, buttons, shirts and silverware from loved ones who had passed, pictures and charms of bridesmaids and groomsmen...button rings and beautiful decorated ring boxes. And he carried out the same personalized and heart-felt details at the reception with unique centerpieces and a tag guestbook tree. He was always available, very flexible if numbers changed, and the cost was very reasonable. Everyone commented about what a beautiful and touching wedding he helped us create. Since the wedding, he has made gifts for family and friends using the wedding pictures and flowers and it's great to visit his shop and see the amazing on-site wedding venue he has built.

Ashley Sent on 10/30/2013

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My best friend used Russ for her September wedding this year and everything was absolutely amazing!! The paper flowers that he made for the bridesmaids were so realistic and beautiful. They were very creativity done. The center pieces at the reception were the best I've ever seen. Being the maid of honor and the brides best friend I heard every detail from the very beginning and I never once heard of any complaints about Russ. He listened to every tiny detail that they wanted in their wedding and went above and beyond any expectations. Russ personally hand delivered all of the flowers and reception decorations on time and they were so perfect. I am so very happy and pleased that my friends chose to go with him. They wouldn't of found anyone who could of made their day that special. I highly recommend using him to make your day as special as he made theirs.

Amy Sent on 10/30/2013

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I met Russ at the Perfect Wedding Guide's Wedding Show. I met with him shortly after to discuss our wedding. We left the meeting feeling sooo excited for the flowers for the ceremony and our reception decorations. After leaving, I read some not so great reviews online. We called Russ to talk to him about our concerns. He sat down with us again to go over everything and to ease our worries. I am SO happy we went to him and didn't just believe the negative things that were online. He added so many personal touches that you wouldn't get from any other florist. We chose paper flowers (which were AMAZING). He made my bouquet out of a letter my husband wrote me and also added photo charms of my grandparents that are no longer with us. He made boutonnières out of the to go menus from where we had our first date. He added a feather to my dad's boutonniere because that's what he used to call me when I was a little girl. There are SO many more things he did! All of the ideas came from him. He took his time and listened to every story we told him, everything we said. He made sure he took the things that are important to us and incorporated them in our big day. Our centerpieces were so amazing, so perfect. When I saw the reception room for the first time, it literally brought tears to my eyes. From the white feather palm trees, to the floating rose with the candle on top and the crystal chandeliers with votive candles that had our pictures on them (which I had NO idea about the chandeliers, it was a surprise put together by Russ and my husband) it was absolutely perfect. All of the guests kept going on and on about how amazing he made everything look. I could never have pictured it to be as perfect as it was. Russ really exceeded all of my expectations and made our day even more special. I highly recommend Russ. He will truly make your day so personal, amazing and perfect. Thank you again Russ!

User1410721 Sent on 10/30/2013

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I chose Changing Seasons for my wedding after seeing the amazing flowers and room décor Russ created for a friend's wedding. I found Russ to be a delight to work with. He did a perfect job of taking my ideas and enhancing them to create the wedding of my dreams while staying within my budget. My bouquet was even more beautiful than I dreamt it would be, as were the bridesmaid's flowers. The room décor was absolutely amazing as well. I did not want to cry at my wedding but when I saw the room, the tears of delight started flowing! My special day went smoothly from beginning to end and I cannot say enough great things about Russ Lawrence and his staff. I would not hesitate to recommend Russ to anyone.

Katie Sent on 10/27/2013

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I want to thank Russ Lawrence for making our daughter's wedding and reception at Benjamin Ranch the most spectacular event ever!!! It was over the top beautiful-much more than we could have ever dreamed.

He went above and beyond to make her wedding day perfect. There aren't enough words to describe what a great job he did!

Cj Sent on 06/02/2013

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Russ and his team were amazing from start to finish! He managed to take our personal styles and still make it classy and a night to remember! He also did some amazing things to include my deceased family in my ceremony. All in all he was not only my wedding planner, florist, decorator...ect, by the end, he has become a friend. If you have any worries about trusting someone to make your day a stress free dream come true (at a very reasonable price I might add!) Russ is your guy. Not only did he not disappoint but he went above and beyond for us! :)

Courtney Sent on 10/24/2011

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Russ helped us put together a beautiful, unique wedding that reflected both of our personalities. He had so many great ideas. He is truly an artist. Everyone keeps talking about our flowers and centerpieces and the beautiful arbor he made for us. When I walked into our venue and saw everything put together I cried. They did more than I ever imagined. It was enchanted. This guy knows his stuff, and knows how to give you the most bang for your buck. I was also impressed by his enthusiasm. He helped me in so many ways. Far more than just a "florist". I recommend him to anyone. This was my 2nd marriage, I have kids from my first. He did not treat me like a "second bride" like other vendors. He wanted me to have my special day and made sure it was special for my children also. I love him!

Ashley Sent on 06/09/2016

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We got married about a month and a half ago and Russ (and his amazing staff) made the process so easy! All of our guests raved about the gardens, which are tucked away behind a small shopping strip in Independence. Our wedding was in the garden with the reception in the Palm House. The way Russ works is that he has a set price for each wedding based on number of guests expected. You can chose an array of options, including photography, decorations and other services that fall into that price category. All flowers, real or faux must come from him and the venue fees fall into the price point as well. The things we opted for within our package were a photo calendar guest book which included several seasonal mini-photo shoots, linens, chairs and chair covers, decorations, flowers, and photography, along with the venue itself. We used the preferred vendors and could not have been happier with Randy the DJ, Chad the bartender and Hy-Vee on 23rd St. as our caterer. We also liked the option of dinner in the "treehouse" where we could eat alone just after we were married before we went to mingle with guests.
Russ kept the guests in the know about the ceremony and what he asked of them in his gardens and was there to help solve even minor mishaps, including finding some craft glue in a glasses emergency. Our wedding was smooth enough that it felt like old hat but personal enough that we didn't feel like it was the same as everyone else's. There were no emergencies to fix and any issues that did arise were not brought to our attention, which was awesome.
Russ tends toward the very traditional wedding ceremony but, if you want something less so he's flexible to accommodate that too, you just have to let him know. I'd recommend giving this place a look, it truly is a hidden gem under your nose and we're so glad we found it.

Kebra Sent on 11/11/2013

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I recently just got married at Benjamin Ranch. We had the pleasure of meeting Russ Lawrence the night we chose to use the ranch for our wedding. We instantly fell in love with him and the ranch! Russ was our coordinator and our florist/decorator and also our photographer! Sounds like a lot for one man to do huh? Well, he did it and did it very well! The barn was absolutely beautiful! We had a candle lit ceremony that was just breath taking and the reception room next door was gorgeous! We had lots of flowers with pumpkins and candles all over the reception room. The dance floor was finished in white drapes with a candle chandelier hanging in the middle. I couldn't have asked for anything better for me and my husband's special day! Russ worked his booty off for us the whole entire night! We will never forget our elegant, country, enchanting wedding! For that, I give Russ a huge thank you from both of us!! I would recommend him to anyone! :)
Love,
Justin and Kebra Oakes

Kit-T Sent on 08/02/2013

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"Dreams do come true!" Our Wedding reception was amazing and the decorations were unbelievable; Trent and I were both speechless when we walked into our venue. Russ is so amazing he went above and beyond our expectation. He provided ALL that he said he would plus many extra surprises. The decorations were definitely exquisite and original. Russ was with us in every step through out our entire experience from inception to clean up. He is truly an inspired visionary.

Monica Sent on 11/09/2014

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Russ was a florist turned therapist.
You can tell weddings are his passion.
I call Russ a therapist because the wedding was getting closer and I was stressed to the point of tears and he told me, "ask yourself what the problem is, then ask how are you going to fix it." He then gave me a vintage hanky, I didn't use it because I wanted to use it for my wedding. ;)

The quality of service and value was good. I want to say great but there were some unexpected things. I absolutely loved my bouquet, the colors looked amazing with my dress and with the entire wedding party. Pictures of my late grandparents were in the bouquet which was a wonderful touch to remember them. The bridesmaids and groomsmen loved the bouquets and football team bottle caps. Those were original. Unfortunately my father, father-in-law, and ushers did not want to wear their paper boutonnieres. They weren't what we were expecting.

The reception was breathtaking. My husband and I had no idea how it was going to look. Russ took my vision and executed it perfectly, everyone said the floral arrangements were beautiful. I absolutely loved it. Russ said he would put some type of monetary gift in my toss bouquet but there wasn't one.
I really want to give this company a 5/5 review but I can't because of communication…and I'll take some responsibility as well.
I emailed Russ asking questions and wanting to set up another appointment with him since the wedding was getting closer. I guess his emails go to his phone because one time he said something on the lines of "I'll email you later, I'm busy planning another wedding." Okay, I can respect that, I rather you just email me two days later than receive an email saying that.
There were miscommunications with my flower girls, ring bears and boutonnieres (mentioned above). I thought they were addressed at our second meeting and over the phone the week of the wedding, I guess I should have been MORE clear. Overall, I had a good experience.

User1038060 Sent on 12/06/2012

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Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

Russ made my wedding the most beautiful day of my life. I loved every intricate detail about my centerpieces, bouquets, ring boxes.. it was all so gorgeous!

The only thing I would have liked them to do differently was respond to my emails and phone calls promptly and to send correct information with the invoices. By my wedding day everything was straightened out, but it was a hassle just getting a correct balance due on my account....

Emily Sent on 11/30/2013

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
3.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4.5 out of 5 rating

Russ created my dream wedding! I was able to give him my overall themes and ideas, from there he ran with them! His work absolutely blew me away! Family and friends are still talking about the unique hand-crafted flowers and impressive lighting.

He added personal touches to make sure even people that passed could be a part of our special day. Russ put every effort into making sure that our wedding and reception were everything we dreamed of and more. (in some of the other reviews it has been said he is unresponsive - Russ is very creative and you need to know that when working with him. In effort to give every bride the attention she deserves, he cannot be talking to every bride throughout the length of her entire engagement. Once our wedding came closer, we had his FULL attention!)

The incredible decorations, flowers, engagement and wedding photography,wedding day set-up AND clean-up - We could not believe he was able to do all of this with the budget we gave him!

(After everything Russ did for our BIG day, only four weeks later he surprised us by inviting us to his garden to show us a slideshow as a gift and presented us with our wedding pictures.)

Our big day was everything we dreamed of. We could not have asked for anything more! Thank you!

Emily Sent on 11/30/2013

4.3 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
3.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
4 out of 5 rating
Value
4.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
5 out of 5 rating

Russ created my dream wedding! I was able to give him my overall themes and ideas, from there he ran with them! His work absolutely blew me away! Family and friends are still talking about the unique hand-crafted flowers and impressive lighting.

He added personal touches to make sure even people that passed could be a part of our special day. Russ put every effort into making sure that our wedding and reception were everything we dreamed of and more. (in some of the other reviews it has been said he is unresponsive - Russ is very creative and you need to know that when working with him. In effort to give every bride the attention she deserves, he cannot be talking to every bride throughout the length of her entire engagement. Once our wedding came closer, we had his FULL attention!)

The incredible decorations, flowers, engagement and wedding photography,wedding day set-up AND clean-up - We could not believe he was able to do all of this with the budget we gave him!

(After everything Russ did for our BIG day, only four weeks later he surprised us by inviting us to his garden to show us a slideshow as a gift and presented us with our wedding pictures.)

Our big day was everything we dreamed of. We could not have asked for anything more! Thank you!

User1257823 Sent on 07/25/2013

3.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2.5 out of 5 rating
Value
5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3.5 out of 5 rating

Russ is very creative and his work is original and just amazing. He gets very busy though and can lose you in the whirl of things so keep in touch often to keep him on track.

Amber Sent on 07/06/2013

2.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2.5 out of 5 rating

I will agree with the other reviewers that Russ was very enthusiastic about our wedding and had a lot of big ideas. His planning and sketches of how our wedding would turn out were enough to sell me on his services, which were highly recommended by our reception venue. Twice, he made it a point of negatively portraying our wedding cake bakery as second rate and that their services would ruin the glamour of our wedding. He didn't remember but he actually told us the same story twice, on two different occasions, that the baker had ruined a bride's day by getting the cake completely wrong. He then referred us to a friend of his. It was very unprofessional.

Then, ironic as it may be, Russ did not follow through with the items that we specifically asked for and which were listed in our invoice. He described a bouquet with pale pink and peach roses, and white peonies. The roses were bright orange and bright pink, and against my wedding colors of gold and champagne were overpowering. My bridal bouquet was also supposed to come with gold painted leaves--not there--and opaque crystals. I actually had specifically purchased jewelry to coordinate with these details. Needless to say I was disappointed!

He did not deliver enough boutonnieres. Why? The memorial glass cube that he made for us so we could include my husband's deceased parents was so narrow and tall that there was no way my husband could reach inside to light the "floating candles". This was part of the candle lighting ceremony during the wedding--and the only thing we asked him to make to decorate the church. We were so upset that we left it behind.

Stacia Sent on 04/09/2012

2.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
4 out of 5 rating

I agree with the last review. Russ has big ideas and makes big promises but does not follow through. He promised us he would be our florist but then he gave us to one of his helpers last minute. He promised to include a gift card in the toss bouquet, not there. He said we would view all of our flowers at our final consultation, none to see. I actually had to call and force my way in to his busy schedule because my wedding was two weeks away and I had not had my final consultation that was supposed to be four weeks out. To top things off the flowers showed up to my wedding completely wrong! I went up to get something from the reception floor and happen to see these flowers sitting on the table. I asked the florist what they were and she said you and your bridesmaid’s bouquets. They were not even close to anything we had ever discussed. Actually, the one thing we had discussed numerous times was how much I do not like roses and there were a LOT of them in these bouquets. Needless to say I started crying because they were the most hideous things I had ever seen. Our assigned florist was very sympathetic and quickly took them back and promised she would get them fixed. My bridesmaid and I text her pictures of what I was supposed to be getting. They actually came back perfect. However, my bouquet started to fall apart while we were taking pictures before the ceremony (probably due to being thrown together last minute)... Changing seasons was also decorating my reception but because of the flower mishap I did not go look at it before hand because I did not want to be disappointed again. Needless to say the reception decorations were exactly as we had discussed. When we went in to speak with Russ after our wedding he acted like it was not big deal. His exact answer was "we fixed it in time right?" Well they did but only beacause I caught it and due to the extra work of my bridesmaids and his staff. More importantly at the expense of making me cry and stress out big time on my wedding day.

Charity Sent on 10/04/2011

2.6 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
2 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
3 out of 5 rating

While Russ Lawrence had a wonderful vision for what my wedding reception should look like, the fact of the matter is he messed up big time. The chandeliers, the linens, the centerpieces, were beautiful, but all failed to stop my heart with joy because he flaked on one of the biggest parts of my reception - the cake. In our original consultation when we determined the decorations, Russ promised my fiance and I our cake flowers as a wedding gift. Because of this, I ordered a very simple white cake from my caterer. When I was to meet Russ at my reception at a time that he designated, he didn't arrive on time. When I got him on the phone, he told me he had wrote down that we were meeting at 1pm, not 12pm. I had to leave to prepare for the ceremony prior to his arrival. When I came back to the reception hall after the ceremony, I was devastated to find my bare cake with a single flower on top. My maid of honor called Russ, I called, Haywood called. I heard nothing back from him the day of the wedding. When my husband called the next day, we were told that we didn't pay for cake flowers so we didn't get them. Russ was completely unapologetic, and in my opinion, the height of unprofessionalism. I would never use his services again.

User1496299 Sent on 01/06/2014

2 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1.5 out of 5 rating
Value
3 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
2 out of 5 rating

I am pretty clueless when it comes to flowers, and he did a really good job with them. He did our decorations for the reception which were also beautiful. He was a pretty good wedding planner also, except there was a miscommunication with him, myself, and priest. This led to my maid of honor losing her bouquet in the service (long story...but we got it back later). A word of caution: DONT USE HIM AS YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER!!!!! The camera he used couldn't have been that great, most of the pictures were a little blurry. Most of them were off centered when I got them back, even after he edited them. He failed to get a picture of my husband, step-daughter, and I or one of family with my husband (it's just my parents, brother, and I). He also didn't take pictures of any of the guests at the reception. My husband had a joke when he was in college where him and his friends hid army men in random places. Silly. Russel heard about this and took pretty much all of the little pics, of the shoes and rings, with little plastic army men!!! Why would I want that!?!?!? People at the reception were asking me what the deal was with the photographer and the army men. He was laying on the floor taking pictures of them instead of guests!!! I was incredibly frustrated when I got them back. He didn't seem to know what he was doing when it came to what a couple would want for their wedding photos.
Overall, I would say if you use him for flowers you probably won't be disappointed. Anything else and I can't say the same. It was very stressful working with him. In the beginning, he was very excited about everything and made me feel good about him. Once I paid, he got very hard to get a hold of.

User1277667 Sent on 08/08/2013

1.8 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
4 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0 out of 5 rating
Value
4 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Russ puts on a good show the first time you meet him. He wows you with the things he says he will do and is very good at painting a great picture in your head. Then he gets your money and its a downhill spiral. He will tell you not to email him because he gets over 1,000 emails a day, then you call him and leave a message with his staff and he never calls you back! If you are a planner or enjoy having control in ANY way do not choose Russ as your florist. He is very much a type B personality and is a "go with the flow, I will do it when I get to your reception because I will change my mind without telling you a million times before your wedding" type of person. I wanted to see a dry run of some things and his response was a laugh and "Honey I don't do dry runs" and that was it. He will offer you a discount if you pay in full, but DO NOT do it! Otherwise you will have no playing cards. He is sassy and rude and very unprofessional. He was freaking out and saying that he needed to get into my reception the day before because he had so much to do, and when I told him that wasn't possible he responded by saying he would need to get into the building as early as possible Saturday then, which I was happy to do! So I paid an extra $200 to get the venue at 9am and when did Russ show up?11:30! Our cake was delivered before he was there and they had to wait for him to get there because he had all the linens!!! Along with this the week of the wedding he called the venue to see if he could get in early and they offered him 1.5 hours of free work time in the building because nothing was going on that week. But because the venue wouldn't give him 3 hours of time free he rudely refused leaving me to apologize on his behalf to the venue. The floral arrangement he designed for the church altar was half of what his drawings showed he would provide. He Over-promised and under-delivered on almost all of the church items. I wish I had more room to vent but this is all that fits.

Lisa Sent on 07/16/2013

1.4 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
2 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
2 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Russ was very enthusiastic, and had a number of unique ideas, but he was also overwhelming for a young, inexperienced bride-to-be. He was late getting the wedding invitations to us, so they were a week and a half late going out in the mail. When people started receiving them, we found out they had the wrong date listed, a word was spelled incorrectly, the wedding time was listed as 'afternoon' rather than 'evening', and there was no mention of the dinner/reception to follow the wedding. When my daughter called him to talk to him about the errors, he suggested the she just tell guests about the corrections when they called to RSVP. He wasn't going to fix his mistake until I went to his shop in person. Needless to say, we were unsure whether we should trust him to do the flowers and photography! Russ did however do a very good job with the flowers, but we have not yet seen the pictures from the wedding. As the mother of the bride, I felt Russ was more interested in showcasing his tastes rather than those of my daughter and her fiancé.

User2241775 Sent on 03/24/2016

1 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
1 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
1 out of 5 rating
Value
1 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
1 out of 5 rating

Horrible. Makes you feel like he will do what you want (even writes down the detail), colors you want, flowers you want and then when you get them it's too late to fix everything being wrong! Does what ever he wants! Don't be fooled. He takes great notes, you think "how could I get anything other than what I want, he wrote it all down", but not the case. Don't waste your time, energy, or money!

User2629508 Sent on 05/31/2016

0.9 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
1 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
2 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

I feel as if things with Russ, the owner of Changing Seasons, were so hot and cold. My husband and I knew we wanted an outdoor wedding, but I was looking for something quirky...something like us. I thought I'd found the best thing ever when we happened upon Changing Seasons. It was a faerie garden with winding paths, whimsical decor, and it was just beautiful. That never changed. Whatever the ups and downs with Russ, the venue is beautiful.
Plus, in the end, my wedding was successful because my husband and I wouldn't let anything ruin the joy of our marriage. Our families had fun on the big day and the other vendors were great (except the bartender).
But...Russ didn't deliver on promises he made during our planning session. He promised a custom bar he'd built if we used his preferred bartender (Chad). We agreed and I spent the next 6 months trying to get Chad to contact me back. We decided to go w/a different bartender and reported it to Russ, only for him to call and scream at me for almost 20 minutes. At the end of the argument, I agreed to use Chad if the guy called me that day; he did and he was rude to me the entire time. Our bar was a folding table with a tablecloth on it.
Russ promised full use of the venue - part of it was closed off. Russ promised we'd light a paper lantern in honor of my dad who passed away - that didn't happen. Russ promised an email of our contract - never happened. We bought the full package from Russ, including photography. He was an hour+ late or didn't show to every meeting we had with him. Almost all the photos at the altar are blurry. And he yelled at me again during the wedding rehearsal - for almost an hour. Both my mom and my father-in-law had to step in to get Russ to listen to me.

User1263020 Sent on 07/29/2013

0.5 out of 5 rating

Quality of service
0.5 out of 5 rating
Average response time
0.5 out of 5 rating
Professionalism
0.5 out of 5 rating
Value
0.5 out of 5 rating
Flexibility
0.5 out of 5 rating

Awful!!! Promises the world and delivers nothing. You get a 'spreadsheet' not a contract so you have no legal standing once they have ripped you off. Used wedding planning services & 'free' photograhy. Just because you have an expensive camera doesn't make him a photographer. He didn't even take the traditional groom & bride holding flowers picture (the one every married couple has)...he forgot. Gave pictures to us on 4 cd's in a folded piece of paper stapled on the sides. We ordered all round tables. We got round tables by the dance floor and long table everywhere else. he said he had to have a 'balanced room' but we paid for all round along with centerpieces for those tables. Long tables did not have elaborate centerpieces we ordered. Promised a 'crew' would be there and Russ was the only person there. When asked where crew was he said, "I'm not making enough money from this wedding to have a crew." We paid in full 6-months prior to wedding and they entire time all we heard was how he and his 'crew' would take care of everything. Our out of town family guests had to help set up the receiption!!! $12,000 is alot of money to us and he wasn't making enough off of the wedding so instead he cheated us out of everything that was orderd!! He said he's done million dollars weddings for celebs and rich people. That must have been 20 years ago because what he gave us wasn't even close to what was promised or ordered. He's a fast talker and promises the moon but don't believe him. We found out he has done this to many brides.

Changing Seasons Floral Reviews

Reviews

Changing Seasons Floral