“The use of predominantly pastel centerpieces had a significant impact on the look of the room and was entirely inconsistent with the vision the plaintiffs had bargained for,” contends bride/attorney Elana Glatt in her New York City suit, which also says the pink and green hydrangeas in the 22 centerpieces “were wilted and brown, and arranged in dusty vases without enough water. … The flowers cost $27,435.14.” “My father used to tell me, ‘Don’t deal with the lawyers,” said florist Stamos Arakas of Posy Floral Design in Manhattan, the defendant in the suit. “Maybe he was right, God bless his soul.” (“NYC bride sues florist, saying wedding flowers were wrong color”, AP/Newsday, Oct. 16). More details: NYTimes via Lat.
And: many interesting comments including the following, from “tp”, responding to a suggestion that the florist had substituted less costly blooms:
I too am a wedding designer. I can assure you that pink/green hydrangeas are NOT cheaper than “rust” hydrangeas.. actually, they are the same hydrangeas, but at different stages… the lighter being less mature, which all depends on climate and cooling conditions of the air. The rust are matured and this happens due to air temps. …
I am sure this designer ordered the correct color, but due to the extremely warm temps, the flowers have not hit that stage. Nothing either party could do (wholesaler/retailer). …it is hard to substitute different or new flowers (if they show up the wrong shade, etc) in such large quantities, a day before the wedding! These flowers need to be treated and designed. …He did not do a “bait and switch” nor make any extra money here, he probably LOST money trying to correct the problem …
The tale has stimulated many hundreds of comments at other legal blogs.