Hi girls!
I know I didn't post super regularly in the months leading up to my wedding (which was seriously the best day I could have ever imagined) but reading vendor reviews of past brides was incredibly helpful for me, so I wanted to review some of my vendors. Most are in CT but a few work in RI, too.
A quick note – my wedding was a little different in that I had a simple, small, at-home wedding. My parents have a very large yard so we brought in a tent, catering and a dance floor. It was exactly the wedding I wanted.
Rentals: Arrow Paper Party Rental – A
We used Arrow Paper for the tent, tables, chairs, linens, and our dance floor. They set up when they said they’d set up, broke down when they said they’d break down, and did exactly what they promised as outlined in our contract. No complaints here!
http://ez2party.com/
Catering, cake, and floral: McQuade’s Marketplace – A+
We got a deal for using McQuade’s for all 3 services, and I couldn’t be happier. We did a spread of cheese, crackers, fruits and veggies, then set up a buffet and pasta station for dinner. The food was delicious. The cake was soo good (we did a golden vanilla cake with chocolate mousse filling and vanilla buttercream icing with fresh flowers cascading down the side). For floral, the arrangements were exactly what I wanted. Simple roses, hydrangeas, and peonies for my bouquet and my MOH’s bouquet, plus matching centerpieces for the tables, boutonnieres for the men, and corsages for the moms.
http://www.mcquadesmarket.com/
Photographer: Sacha D Photography – A
I haven’t seen the photos yet but I loved working with Sacha. She’s so sweet and funny and really put me at ease. She was there for the whole day, constantly snapping photos. Her rate is very reasonable. The photos of other weddings that she has up on her facebook are really beautiful, and I’m dying to see mine!!
https://www.facebook.com/PhotosBySD
DJ: Zach Dauphinais – A+
Awesome DJ, great guy, was one of my favorite vendors. He definitely does not hog the microphone, there is no “cheese,” and he played a great mix of music. I don’t have a big party crowd and the reception was over by 8pm, but everyone had a wonderful time. He understood that my wedding was a little different. Small, at home, and intimate were the key words, and I never once felt like he tried to turn our intimate party into a club. He *got* what we wanted.
http://www.musictogoct.com/
DOC/Invitations: Jen Strunk – A+
I think I would have been super stressed out without Jen. When Arrow Paper and McQuade’s were coming in and setting everything up, she was supervising to make sure it was how we wanted it to be. She kept an eye on everything so the moms didn’t have to worry about whether things were going right or not. I totally lost track of time the whole day and she kept things running on schedule for us. She also made all of our paper goods, which we got tons of compliments on. She did our STDs, our invitations, and our table numbers, and they were exactly what we wanted, plus she gave us a deal because we used her for DOC, too. For an at-home wedding I think it was really worth it to have a DOC.
http://www.designerjen.org
Dress/Veil: The Trinkett Shop – A
My dress was a Maggie Sottero VD7118 and I had a great experience there. The only reason I didn’t give them an A+ is because I was a bit sticker-shocked over the price of alterations. The dress fit me almost perfectly, but it was still $200 for a hem and to have the flowered strap shortened by about an inch. 2 little things, $200. Ouch. Otherwise I was happy there.
http://www.trinketshoppe.com/
MOH Dress – David’s Bridal Manchester - B-
It’s not that we had any problems there, but we were ignored by sales staff and the racks of BM dresses were messy. It just wasn’t a lovely time. However, my MOH picked her dress, paid, and it arrived shortly thereafter. Done deal.
Tuxes: Men’s Wearhouse, Manchester – B+
I let my husband (not used to that yet!), his best man and father deal with the tuxes. There was one snafu where a pair of pants was too short, and someone’s cufflinks were missing, but the store sorted it all out and all was fine in the end.
I think that is all of the major vendors. Hopefully this has been helpful and best of luck to the rest of you planning your weddings!