Wedding Blog
Thanks to all the readers who’ve sent in links to news articles and blogs featuring the Manhattan lawyer who’s suing her wedding florist.
(image via nypost)
Elana and David Glatt are charging that Posy Floral Design Studio ruined their color scheme and caused them extreme distress by providing inexpensive pastel pink and green hydrangeas instead of the more expensive dark rust and green hydrangeas that had been agreed upon. The Glatts also charge that wilted and brown flowers were used, some centerpieces were not filled with water, and dirty/dusty vases were used.
The flowers for the event cost $26,435.14, but the Glatts are suing for $400,000 for restitution and damages.
So… what do you think?
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if the florist broke contract then they have every right to sue. This was a huge expense and not at all what they were contractually supposed to have. I would FLIP out!
my friend had a nightmare, her bouquet was supposed to be compact, white roses, white freesia and lavender and when it showed up it was this long cascading pink, purple and white THING. she was pretty cool about it. I would have had a melt down.
No one tried to remedy this (the coordinator/planner) before the bride and groom saw? That’s a hefty flower bill for dead flowers.
I doubt I would file a lawsuit. But I would ask for money back.
Following a few of the links, I read that there was no contract. $27k worth of flowers with *no* contract. And, according to the florist, the bride sent 200-250 emails in the days before the wedding, changing up her requests. I think there’s more to the story than what the Bride is alleging.
It looks like the bride wanted just $4k back, a small percentage of their total bill, too bad he ignored them….
“He said that before filing the lawsuit, Ms. Glatt sent him a series of e-mail messages demanding a $4,000 refund. He said he and his wife ignored the e-mail messages because “we thought they were so insulting they didn’t dignify a response” and because it “felt like extortion.”
I would never have the heart to sue for any more than the actual cost of the florist. I think if youre seriously that livid, I could see asking for a partial refund…if youre ballsy, a full refund, but to think that she actually experienced $400K in “damages” is ridiculous…after all, its not like the bride is unable to lead a normal life after this wedding.
I just wonder what the bride feels like here “damages” are…is she seriously traumatized by her flowers?
Suing for $400,000 is absolutely ridiculous.
well, as a lawyer - you have to sue for that amount - for “wiggle room” or sometimes just enough to get jurisdiction in different courts.
$26,435.14 for flowers…wow. Yeah, I’d expect a whole lot more than wilted or brown blooms. Boy this could get ugly. You could too easily stereotype both parties: Bridezilla on one side and skinflint on the other depending on where you stand on the issue and if the media is reporting it fairly. I agree with andrea in that it should have been noticed by the coordinator (assumming they had one).
I’d be interested in hearing how other florists are reacting to this and if the bride’s family feels equally jilted (no pun intended).
WTF were any of them thinking with no contract for a $27k transaction?
If they’ve got the money to spend and it’s worth it, more power to them, but no way I’d drop the price of a car on anything without a very detailed contract.
I’m with Lani — $26K for flowers?!?! WTF?!? If you can afford such things, I certainly don’t begrudge you indulging your whims, but I think that much money on flowers really is out of control.
On the other hand, I do think that if the vendor didn’t fulfull what they were supposed to (and the whole contract thing Lucy mentioned is nuts when you’re talking about that much money), whether it’s $26 or $26K, you’d better get your money back. But I don’t think you’re entitled to more than the bill. Puh-lease…I totally get being ticked off that you didn’t get what you wanted, but it won’t kill you or cause permanent mental trauma!
Without having any info on how she came up w/ that number, I think suing for $400K sounds ridiculous. I’d understand if she asked for her money back. I’m surprised there wasn’t a clause on the contract that stated the liability of the florist.
I think it’s pretty crazy to spend $26K on flowers, but if you’re going to go ahead and drop that kind of cash on them, then she obviously really valued the flowers for her big day and is understandably upset that they were not at all what she wanted. I would fully understand her wanting a partial or full refund.
Asking for $400,000 in damages, however, makes me hope she doesn’t see a penny of it back again. That is pure greed, and the definition of a frivolous lawsuit. It makes me think she’s not upset about the flowers on the big day so much as seeing this as an opportunity to make a killing.
I’d love to hear an actual florist’s take on this topic as well! Anyone?
I didn’t read any of the articles, I guess I’ll go back. But it’s not the $26K that’s crazy to me (we can all spend what we want or are able to) but the no contract part. Something seems a little off. And to sue for that much doesn’t seem right. The damages and distress certainly don’t add up to that much! (Though, I’m guessing she’s arguing the whole wedding was ruined and the whole wedding cost $400,000.)
listen, you guys are taking it personally about the amount of money that she spent. shrink the numbers and pretend she is suing in small claims court — does she have a right? of course!
If you complained and a vendor did nothing to make it right, you have a right to something in return.
Jen has a point…if my $600 flowers (just guessing since they were a gift) didn’t come through how I wanted, I’d still have the right to be upset. It’s still a vendor not fulfilling their end of the deal.
I’ve heard a few horror stories about vendors and brides. My question is what can a couple do if a contract isn’t fulfilled? Is this how it’s handled?
Lani, I’m trying to imagine Judge Judy handling this…what a picture! 
Wow. I guess this just shows that it’s a good idea to get a contract and not make a lot of last-minute changes. I’m surprised a lawyer who specializes in litigation would not get a contract. I’m also surprised the florist wouldn’t want a contract to protect their own interests.
Suing for $400K is way too much, even if it is just a technique for getting attention on your case. Sure, maybe the florist didn’t fulfill the contract exactly as planned, but they did show up with the right number of flowers.
Sigh. I hate to see these “bridezilla” stereotypes in the media. Most brides (and grooms) aren’t like that!
Well yes, she has no contract, but neither does he. At this point, he was unjustly enriched — trust me, the lacks of a formal contract will quickly become a quasi-contract issue, as there was a verbal contract and a number of written assurances.
I tend to agree with the bride. I know that my florist delayed my wedding ceremony by almost a full hour. He blamed it on traffic, but he was more than 3 hours late than our agreed upon time. I didn’t have a budget of 26K, but there were definitely missed photos prior to the ceremony because of it, and delayed our reception and shortened our 1 hour open bar. The only way i was able to get a 10% refund was to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I suggest that everyone should check the BBB website before signing a contract with any florist.
“…caused them extreme distress…”
Extreme distress? Really? Extreme distress is how I would describe something like illness or death in family, not a situation in which I was given the wrong flowers for my wedding. I’m sure, like any bride, I would be upset if something like this happened…but I hardly think it warrants a 400,000 dollar lawsuit. I completely agree with Miss Penguin and Lani’s first posts. Some people need to get their priorities straight.
Is 26k too much for flowers? In my book yes, but if others want to/can spend that much and not have to hock their first-born male then more power to them. We spent a whopping $600 and our flowers were nothing short of incredible.
Anywho, there are two sides of this story - well, three if you add the media. Doubtful we will know all the details…
I actually got a quote from that florist! My mom met with her and said she had beautiful stuff and was a really nice person, but the quote was almost double what we wanted to pay. I’m shocked too they didn’t have a contract.
I also wonder why her coordinator (which I’m sure the bride had) didn’t intercept the dusty and dying flowers. As for the wrong color scheme, the bride should suck it up and enjoy her day. I’m sure no one noticed.
I know people are really fixated on the amount of the flowers, but really it isn’t about the cost of the flowers. It’s about the fact that the florist didn’t do what was agreed, and I think she had every reason to be upset.
People shouldn’t have to settle for less than stellar customer service, especially for their wedding. If I go to a restaurant and my $15 dinner isn’t right, I will complain. If I spend $26k on flowers, darn right I am going to complain! The woman had every right to want to settle matters.
She requested $4,000 back, which is a completely reasonable request considering the issues. However, the florist refused to even consider it, and now he has a bigger issue to deal with. If it helps teach the florist a lesson, then good. It means that other brides, whether they are spending $1,000 on flowers or $26,000 on them, they won’t have to deal with a situation like this.
it’s not so much requesting even a partial refund that’s out of the ordinary but the fact that she’s demanding $400k for her “extreme emotional distress” that’s appalling.
sure they’re both wrong. they should have both written up and signed a contract, something a litigation lawyer should be prone to doing anyway, right? second, what if the florist’s supply of the rust-colored hydrangeas didn’t come in? wouldn’t the bride be even more angry without any flowers at all? florists make last minute subsititions when the situation calls for it in cases of unforeseen incidents to the best of their abilities right? you can’t predict how a particular crop will be a year from now. and yeah, the florist probably should have responded to her request for the partial refund, just a hunch, but i’m sure there are better avenues to fix this.
but now that it’s all over the internet [because now we know who she is, what she looks like, where she works and her work email address, as well as some nice tidbits of office gossip PLUS what they registered for - serious, it's insane] the bride is gonna be PICKED APART for the rest of the week. you know how people love frivolous lawsuits brought up by lawyers. it makes you think if almost half a million bucks in retribution for 27k worth of flowers is worth having your professional reputation sullied in this manner.
First — I’d bet, that if you asked 10 guys what color “rust” was, half would say “orange” and half “brown.” And maybe a salmon flower is orange or pink. All I mean is that those flowers probably looked just fine, if she wanted ones that looked “orange.”
I think that it is no small coincidence that the bride has also helped to represent Britney Spears in a lawsuit. Could be that she’s picked up some diva attitude from her former client?
Beccs, i don’t think it’s fair to take someone to court with a request for $400,000 in “damages” to “teach someone a lesson.”
it seems like these are ridiculous people who are behaving outrageously.
it’s not at all fair to potentially bankrupt someone with such a lawsuit (attorneys are a lot of money!). if the couple was really serious AND reasonable about their case, they should have gone to small claims court.
there are definitely civil and reasonable ways to get what you want and to be treated fairly. this is not one of them!
It’s definitely less frivelous than suing a dry cleaner for $67 million over a pair of lost pants.
LOL Beccs! I agree with the majority. The most insane part is no contract, the rest is pretty much what I would expect these days in all its ridiculous glory. 
who cares!!!
beccs, that’s true! :@)
i own a floral design company in chicago.
1) the floral design company was foolish not to have a contract. in my contract, both parties are aware that sometimes substitutions need to happen. why?
a) sometimes what i order does NOT come in. no matter how specific i am with pictures and notes and fringed with threats. when i order green hydrangeas from Holland, i’ve gotten pink ones; i’ve ordered red hydrangeas and received green. we are at the complete whim of our growers and the growers are at the complete whim of what their crop produces. and the grower, on the whole, DO NOT CARE that you are pulling your hair out in distress.
b) what i order DOES come in, but it looks like CRAP. i would rather use good fresh flowers in your colors than crappy flowers in the flowers the bride requested.
2) the floral company should have refunded the $4000 or at least tried to negotiate something. if there were dead-looking flowers noticed at the beginning of the wedding, then i would have provided some compensation. if there was a drastic color scheme change, i would have considered compensation as well. it just depends on the situation. sometimes, it can be pretty impossible to get rust-colored green hydrangeas. or just rust-colored flowers in general (especially last minute). in that case, it’s out of my hands, and the bride needs to be flexible. i am not God - that’s the guy you’d have to ultimately sue.
i think the $400,000 lawsuit is extreme. even if it was only the $26,000 demanded as refund, it would hurt. the florist still rendered a service - albeit imperfect. flowers were provided, and i’m sure on the whole, looked beautiful - just not to the bride’s taste. the florist paid for the flowers, the labor of several people, the gas to deliver it, the time to set it up and break it down…i personally think this woman is unbelievably unreasonable to sue for that huge sum (even with the “cushion” a fellow lawyer mentioned above).
but again, the florist was dumb not to have outlined some of this in a contract and protect themself.
Thank you, Grace; we were hoping to get a florist’s view on this.
You should also see the comments here: http://www.abovethelaw.com/2007/10/an_update_on_hydrangeagate_1.php#more , describing how she paid $1000 for mockups and picked that florist based on his representations that is what she would get- but instead florist pulled a bait and switch. I agree the numbers here are ridiculous (cost of flowers and the damages she’s asking for)- but there are two sides to this story. It just sounds like they both happen to be bad.
my friend bought 3 dozen roses as centerpiece for each table and she only got 28 roses per each table. The florist gave her some crap excuses and offered $200 refund. She is thinking about to sue them as well.
liz, if the guests were so bored that they were counting the flowers in the centerpiece, this marriage has bigger problems.
bridezilla! she’s THAT upset about the flowers, even after the wedding? Post-wedding is supposed to be happy honeymoon time, not suing-florist time. this marriage has big problems ahead.
I would personally be really, really annoyed if the centerpieces I had based my florist decision on, were radically different than what I’d bargained for. Like, if you’d paid for cymbidium orchids and got pink carnations. And I think she was justified in asking for a $4K refund to begin with.
The $400K might be insane, but a lot of states have consumer fraud statutes that allow for treble damages, and one could definitely argue that given the cost of the flowers she’d be entitled to almost $100K if it was shown the florist intended to run a bait-and-switch.
Sad to say but it sounds like a set up to me on the part of the lawyer. A litigation lawyer (my sister is one) would never dream of dropping any amount of cash, especially 27K, without a written contract. It’s what they’re trained to do for heaven’s sake! By not writing the contract, I think she might have been setting this all up to happen so that she could reclaim wedding costs. Just an idea…. I hope I’m wrong, but something in my gut tells me I’m not!
well, they are suing for the money spent on flowers, plus the cost of a new house! Just kidding - seriously, I can see asking for the money back, but $400k is so over the top….I mean, no one notices any of the details we all put into a wedding, or at least they don’t remember any of it the second they leave! I read they didn’t have a contract, so really, its their own stupidity! If they had that, specifically saying what they wanted, then I can see getting their money back. But if not, too bad for them. Who the h spends that much money on flowers anyway?!?!?
My flowers were wrong on my wedding day, and I was very upset!!! But in small print, the florist said “WE CAN CHANGE THE COLOR OF THE ABOVE FLOWERS AS NEEDED.” Well, they did. And the $400 centerpieces were just 2 little pieces of hydrangea and 6 roses each, in a candleabra. It looked ridiculous. My advise is BE SPECIFIC in your contracts!!!!
Oh, and one more thing… people on other sites are saying they hope she loses, because otherwise she’ll ruin the florist. It’s not like it’s an all or nothing situation– she can win and still get damages much lower than the $400K. Heck, she could win and get $1. I think people need to stop focusing on the amount and think about liability. Did she get what she paid for? If not, she was entitled to file (and win) a lawsuit. The amount of recovery is up to the jury…
While $400K sounds ubsurd, the cost of the lawsuit, fees, and the likes can add up and quickly. It is not like the couple didn’t try for a civil resolution to the matter. The florist chose to ignore this, so to slap them with a lawsuit is the next logical step. The lawsuit, I think, is more than money. It is giving someone what they paid for and to run a business as honestly as possible.
Actually, isn’t the final amount of compensatory damages up to the judge at sentencing (after the jury has ruled)? Or is sentencing only in criminal court?
I question the lawyers intelligence and wonder if she should be practicing. Seriously, if she’s a lawyer, one would think she would be intelligent enough to have a contract if she was spending that much money on anything.
christigpa - there is no way that this is going to a jury - it will settle way before that. And there is no sentencing in civil cases, just criminal.
To everyone else - the contract actually hurts the florist, not her. As I’m sure most of you know, these contracts include provisions for the vendors, like Mary listed above. He didn’t protect himself.
People with a lot of money act in disgusting ways sometimes. Personally, I think it’s repulsive that 26 or 27 K was spent on flower arrangements for one day. Think about that for moment: That money could’ve been put to a billion better uses–maybe contributed to a good cause?
I agree that the no-contract thing is a huge issue, but you can’t honestly say that someone would intentionally OK the order of wilted flowers and dirty vases. I just hope lots of pictures were taken so the judge can see that no matter what was agreed upon, what was provided wouldn’t cut it at ANY wedding.
I don’t care about the money amount because no two brides will ever agree completely on any aspect of a budget. But please keep us posted Mrs. Bee on the outcome!
It’s BS. Whether she paid 500 or 500,000 for flowers, she is entitled to what she ordered. If the florist didn’t deliver what was promised, he should have refunded their money.
These upper east side florists are quick to point fingers at their high end clientele, but the florists themselves can often act obnoxious and entitled.
Go get ‘em Elena! I hope you get your 400k.
I asked the site administrator to remove my comments for personal reasons.
I agree with Emily - she’s a lawyer and didn’t demand a contract? That’s a little fishy.
Seriously, this whole thing sounds crazy and like a very weird litigious situation. Bridezilla and poorly planned florist. That said, I wish people would stop writing about how disgusting all the money is. I don’t read weddingbee to talk about money. I read weddingbee because it is a website where we don’t talk about money and we don’t judge. Sorry, it’s off topic. My two cents though.
Ladies: … A few comments…
It should be all too obvious the intelligence of both the parties by not having a contract, especially that of a lawyer client?! Cummon … would any of us actually hire her knowing she didn’t have a contract for $30k, whether it be floral work, roofing, construction, banquet food, new car, etc….
A few helpful hints:
-Always get a contract from all the vendors you are working with
-Notify your florist of all items and details IN ADVANCE. (Not the week or two before your wedding!)
-Understand that mother nature does play a role in final colorization of SOME flowers. THe exact same variety of hydrangea can appear more pink or purple, depending on the climate conditions the growing season provides itself with.
-Use reputable vendors ladies. As an example, if youo go to a bridal show, reasonable intelligence will have you understand who is in it for the dollar, and who really cares. Gut instinct is your best asset in your selection.
-Understand that no vendor wants to make anyone unhappy on their wedding day. While the floral end is much more work than an average person realizes, much of the reward is in having extremely happy couples enjoy their day with a finished product that exceeds expectation. Again, look for vendors with passion, not just a cash register sitting on the counter.
-As to cost, everyone has different price points, especially in New York. So while some brides might see such as over the top, by NY standards such is reasonable, especially if there is any desire to “show off” a bit.
-Understand that with the varities of floral, the different grades available for each variety, and the cost variances of the different purveying methods available to get “just average” to “tremendously fresh” product, it truly is one area of weddings that, no matter what anyone may think otherwise, is indeed impossible to compare apples to apples. As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for!” If you understand such, and use your instinct, like most brides you will fair just fine!
When I read this article my eyes probably grew to twice their size because her situation sounds very similar to my own (well, without the $25k flowers.) I, too, ordered a specific color of bright pink hydrangeas, with no greenery (which he “understood” and made no mention of them potentially being green), for my BM bouquets, only to have them arrive and be almost 100% green, with only pink on the edges. They looked completely ridiculous with everything else. Was I ticked? Incredibly! But seriously. $400k. Get a clue. I got (mostly) over it and went on with my life.
Does anyone else find it funny that the bride wanted rust-colored flowers and ended up with brown?
As a florist, I was shocked to hear that there were no contracts in place with this bride. Whether the amount was 26K in flowers or $26, there always has to be a contract in place. This not only protects the florist, but also the customers as well. Within our contracts, we state that we will try our darndest to get the brides their specified colors and flowers — however, there can be no guarantees on the actual wedding days. Sometimes, flowers get ruined en route, not available during a particular time, etc. Those are things we cannot control — and thus, we will do all that we can to replicate the look and feel without jeopardizing what the bride wants. We had an incident where we delivered flowers to a br ide at a church andshe left it sitting in the heat (church had no water or heat on this day) and at the end of the day complained that it wilted too much. As a florist, up until the point of delivery - we don’t have much liable over the conditions of the flowers due to the extreme climate or mishandling of the flowers. However, because she voiced her disappointment, we gave her a slight refund back (even though it wasn’t our fault). That is what the NY florist should have done — given a small percentage back to the bride before this happened. It takes more time and effort to gain a new customer than to keep the current ones happy.
anyone else read that the florist insisted on a cashier’s check for the remaining balance rather than credit card as the B + G were hoping to use?
fishy!
hm, i see that my comments are now in moderation.
can you at least email me back regarding whether it’s your policy to give out email addresses to your bloggers? i cc’d you on it.
sarah - many comments automatically go into moderation because our spam filter is pretty aggressive and what ends up there is often arbitrary. we clear it 30+ times a day.
and bees do have access to your email when you comment on one of their posts.
Another florist pipes in:
Re: Cashier’s check two weeks prior to wedding. A credit card transaction of that size would significantly reduce the profit margin for a florist. Believe it or not, we don’t make that much profit on wedding flowers. We have to over order, bring in extra paid staff, pay top dollar (not supermarket prices) for wedding flowers and put in lots and lots of hours just in planning, not to mention execution. I’ll bet the florist spent hundreds of hours working on this wedding (200-250 e-mails?) that’s a lot of detail work and changes.
A personal check can bounce. I won’t accept one less than four weeks before a wedding.
Final payment with a cashiers check two weeks prior to the wedding is normal.
Re: Expectations. The florist stated that the bride requested very elaborate centerpieces which the mother-in-law (who was paying for them) significantly scaled back. In my experience, if a really demanding bride is dreaming bigger than her budget, she will not be satisfied by anything less–even a $400 arrangement.
Most brides are fun to work with… they’re happy and excited and they love the creative process. Budget brides can be the best, because they are so happy when we can collaboratively come up with a really gorgeous wedding that is uniquely personal and makes their special day memorable.
Re: Colors. Hydrangeas are notoriously unpredictable. They can start out all green in the morning and be white by the time they open up in the afternoon. I always have second choices for flowers and colors worked out in advance with the bride. Sometimes third choices too if the bride is being very, very specific.
I always place multiple orders for flowers from two or three different vendors. Even then, you don’t always get what you want.
Re: Contract. Duh! =)
My daughter got married this past weekend. The caterer had an outside contractor prepare the cake, and it was not the cake that was ordered. We ordered a yellow cake with a white chocolate filling, and got a CHOCOLATE cake with vanilla frosting! - How much should we sue for? - LOL!
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Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
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