Hello All! I am a first-time poster in the DC area. We are getting married in August 2013 and have started looking at decorators for the Hindu ceremony/reception. The first decorator that we met with refused to give us a quote in writing. She showed us pictures of Mandaps and reception tables/rooms, told us to choose some that we liked, and (verbally) quoted us a price based on an idea of some of the ones that we liked. She refused to e-mail us with an itemized quote and stated that she will do that when we sign a contract. According to her, she has been in the business for 9 years, and I can't find any reviews or mention of her work on-line anyplace. I've tried googling everything, and the only thing that I get is her website.
Is this typical?? We have other meetings set-up with more well-known decorators, but I am curious to know what everybody's experience is with this. Are there certain things I should ask about/look out for when hiring a decorator?? I thought about posting her name and seeing if anybody has used her from here, but wasn't sure if that was allowed...