Amy Kate Designs/Golden Hill Farms — Local services in Elk Rapids Township

Choosing to work with Amy Kate Designs was the biggest MISTAKE and REGRET I have throughout the wedding planning process. To all brides looking for Florist's for your special day, please read this review in its entirety, as I would like to save you the trouble and stress of dealing with this unprofessional woman like I had the displeasure of doing. Long story short, Amy Kate contacted me directly 2 weeks before my wedding in regards to the pricing and her design board for my wedding. Up until this point, I have had no contact with her, as I gave my wedding coordinator full reign on the floral decisions. This design board and pricing is not what my coordinator had discussed with her, and Amy Kate was trying to manipulate the situation by coming directly to me in hopes I would just agree and pay. Amy Kate also raised her prices significantly in that last 2 weeks, above a budget and pricing we set with her from the very beginning, to price gouge us in hopes that there was nothing we could do about it 2 weeks before my wedding. We tried to give solutions and options to Amy Kate, and she was unwilling to budge or change her pricing, even after we took off thousands of dollars in rentals, she refused to change her price. At this point we had a contract and a $1250 deposit, so we proposed a scope of work for her on the day of the wedding to fulfill our end of the contract. 3 days before my wedding, she emailed me (she didn't even have the decency or manners to pick up the phone and call) stating that she would not be doing the work and that she would be keeping my $1250. She broke her own contract that she put in place! Within her contract, she also wanted us to sign over our rights to review her company. I have never in my life experienced a service that would not allow you to provide a review and try to take away my freedom of speech; she obviously knew how badly she messed up and we knew at that point that she was not going to follow thru with the quality of work we were expecting. Anyways, wedding planning is stressful enough, and only a person without a heart would contact a bride 3 days before their wedding to tell them you would not be providing the service you agreed upon. In my opinion, she never intended to do the work, she just wanted to pocket the $1250 and call it a day. Brides place a lot of trust and vulnerability to vendors when they have to give these deposits, hoping that the work will be what they want and that they won't take advantage of you. In my opinion, if you are looking to work with someone with integrity and honesty, Amy Kate is the complete opposite of that; she completely lacks a moral compass, she has a serious character flaw, and has zero compassion or empathy for others. It is hearsay that Amy Kate has also been removed from the "preferred vendors" list from many of the most popular wedding venues in Northern Michigan due to her "challenging nature and tired attitude." Amy Kate should be so ashamed of herself for what she did in this situation (and the many others that are out there that she ensured legally could not review). Thinking about Amy Kate today still makes me sick to my stomach about how she treated me and my coordinator, she is simply vile. In my opinion, greed and her inflated ego will eventually catch up with her, but in the meantime, as a Bride, I would not want anything to do with this morally...

We met Amy last year on our one (and only) trip to Torch Lake to planning our wedding for the following summer. Amy came highly recommended by other vendors we have spoken with over the phone, and it was clear why. On our first meeting Amy came out to the home where we were getting married and offered us endless advice on local vendors, wedding timelines, staging, and decor. Amy created an amazing concept that helped us pick other decor for the wedding, but also helped us our guests pick coordinating attire for the wedding. We referred back to the concept often for inspiration as we continued planning. Fast forward to the weeks before the wedding. Amy answered every panicked email I had about color pallets and arranged several calls to ensure the decor, flowers, pricing, and timeline were all exactly what we were looking for. While other vendors often get too busy and are unresponsive during wedding season, Amy was always on top of it. On the day of the wedding, we had a few expected hiccups, but Amy and her team were there to assist. The flowers and decor were incredible. The attention to detail could be seen by all of our guests. I always had a vision for what my wedding day would look like, and she made sure everything came true. We really got both the gift of Amy's knowledge from working in the wedding industry as well as the amazing creation from her and the team. Thank you Amy Kate. We loved working with you and your team, and will look for to seeing you...

Ahhhh Amy!! Where do I begin?! I have the privilege of living in the same small town as Amy, so not only have I admired her work over the years, I've also heard wonderful things about her as a person. But I had no idea..... When my daughter got engaged in April and set a wedding date for September, the first call I made was to see if she was available and thankfully, since the wedding was on a Sunday, she was! Her calm demeanor immediately put me at ease from the first time I sat down with her and then through all the meetings, emails, texts and panicky moments (that she assured me all mother of the brides go through). Her knowledge of all things wedding related and her amazing creativity , helped me to relax and realize she had it under control and it was going to be beautiful. The wedding day came and brought with it torrential rain. We had to move the ceremony from the golf course to under the reception tent. As we battled the water blowing under the tent, Amy and her team set to work transforming the place into something magical. From the tables, to the arch and the bouquets and everything in between, Amy added special details to make it the perfect day for my daughter and her new husband. Through the months of preparation, Amy was so welcoming and patient. She made me feel like a dear old friend and I am...