Vendor Reviews, Part 1
I got ambitious and started my vendor reviews! So here goes Part 1. I tend to be a bit long winded so sorry-- but I hope this helps other brides J
We were married on 8.25.12 and had amazing weather (which was silly now that I stressed so much over it!) the day was 78 degrees and low humidity! We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day!
We were married at South Ferry and took photos outside the church, and along the way at the bird sanctuary (beware if you want to have photos done here!! I loved this spot for photos but there were tons of red ants there!! Also, when I moved into the shade I was bit a ton of times by mosquitos and ended up with huge welts on my back and one on my face! Thankfully the trolley driver had alcohol swabs. There were like 10 dead mosquitos in my veil that my husband and mom picked out- totally gross!)
The Cocktail hour was outside at the Towers and everyone raved about how nice it was! And the reception was upstairs in the Towers. Everything looked gorgeous and the little things that went wrong no one noticed by myself, the planner and my groom. So overall I don’t have one complaint about the day, except at how fast it went by- it was like a dream and I can’t believe it really happened!
Here are some preliminary vendor reviews, I will update these once I get things like pro pics etc. I went in order of how our day went.
Dress:
Bridal and Gift, North Attleboro
I have to say, I literally went to every single bridal store in RI and some of MA and I couldn’t find anything. I am really picky, not your typical size 6 bride and wanted something “different” than what I had been seeing on a lot of other people. I had a REALLY hard time finding a dress. I actually wrote a blog post about my search for the dress on my blog www.weddedeverafter.blogspot.com which reviewed several bridal shops in the area, if anyone is looking for recommendations.
I was nervous to go to Bridal and Gift because I had purchased a bridesmaids dress there a while back and the alterations done were not done well. I also knew that they had a LOT of gowns but that they are all crammed into these rooms in a house which could be kind of stressful. Anyway—When I went for my appointment, I ended up getting the room downstairs, which I recommend!
It was much larger and less cramped down there. Looking around I could see a lot of the dresses they had downstairs were exactly the types of dresses I was looking for. I tried a bunch of Justin Alexander and mentioned I saw a dress online from them I really liked. Bridal and Gift carried the sister dress which basically meant it was the version from the year before with some different detailing but the same silhouette. I tried that on, and ended up ordering the 2012 version of it (the one I had seen online) . It came in in 6 months and was gorgeous.
It needed a lot of work (which I was a bit upset about because I had paid an upcharge to have the dress custom made to my measurements). Mostly in the bust and the hem. I had a large train and the dress was made of Raw silk so it was very delicate and needed a 17 point bustle. The alterations were a bit pricey and I had about 5 fittings but the dress fit perfectly on the day of. My aunt is an amazing seamstress (but lives in Florida so she couldn’t do the alterations) and she complimented the work of my dress , the detailing and the alterations and said it was done by a “real pro”. I can say I was a bit frustrated that we had to take the dress in and out and have many rounds of alterations for both myself and my mom, but in the end it looked perfect and the seamstress never charged me extra.
I know its cramped in there and it gets a bad rap for that, but honestly, it’s just because they have so much selection. The owner Linda is a total sweetheart! It was a long process but I loved my dress on the day of and it def. showed!
Hotel Stay:
Hampton Inn
The Hampton inn in South Kingstown was very accommodating for our guests. It was the perfect spot and much cleaner and nicer than other hotels in the area. There was a pool and hot tub and a cute outdoor seating area. The hotel itself is newer and that was nice because everything was in good shape. The staff was helpful, our point of contact was Robyn. She was nice and always quick to answer my emails. I ended up having people that booked inside and outside the hotel block- which made it confusing for handing out information and OOT welcome bags- but the hotel was very accommodating. They made sure everyone got their bags and the designated amount per room. Also, on the day of the wedding the meeting room downstairs was open and they offered it to us free of charge to us (usually its $250 to rent it for a half day). This allowed us to spread out for hair and makeup. Even though the cleaning staff was “off” for the day after a certain time, I asked they clean my room after we left for the wedding at 2pm. The night of the wedding I went back and the room was totally clean. They even made a special arrangement to let my parents into our room so they could decorate it with flowers and banners and champagne.
Other great things: The breakfast is great, it features a full breakfast with eggs and fruit salads, a waffle maker etc. They let guests that weren’t staying at the hotel join us the Sunday after the wedding for breakfast at no additional charge as long as it was only a few guests. They had a safety deposit box that we could rent in the office so that was a great place to keep our rings and jewelry before the wedding and cards after the wedding. We also had some pastry and coffee delivered from Brewed awakenings (which was a great choice and they were really helpful too!) and they kept it in their fridge and brought it in when we asked for it. I know the boys came back from the after party the night of the wedding at 1 am and were sitting in the pool drinking and having a few more beers and no one complained.
I would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone! Every time I would walk in the door they would greet me by name or say congratulations or asking how the “bride was doing”. We had a blast!
Makeup and Hair
Kristin Greene and Sam C
KRISTIN
I can't not write enough nice things about Kristin or give her enough glowing reviews that would show how much I appreciated the work she did!
I used Kristin for my makeup and my Mother's makeup and hair and MIL's hair. My makeup came out incredible! It was exactly what I had envisioned. My mom, who is a bit picky and can be pretty demanding loved Kristin. She looked amazing! Her short hair that seemed hard to work with came out great. My Mil just gave kristin creative license and she had her looking amazing as well! Everyone loved her hair!
Kristin is not just a vendor, she is like a long-lost friend you just want to catch up with. She keeps you sane during your planning. We had a lot of laughs of diet cokes and hair and makeup both at her home and in her new beautiful (and soothing) studio. I would recommend her to anyone hands down.
I can’t say that Kristin was one of my favorite vendors to work with. She treated me like she had known me for years and that my wedding was the most important moment of her day. She even snuck shots of me getting my flowers and seeing them for the first time- and I love those photos 
Kristin is the best! She isn't someone you think twice about booking!
SAM C
We used the elusive Sam C for my hair and my bridesmaids hair. She did, as everyone says she does, an incredible job. Everyone’s hair looked amazing- plus she is totally affordable! She is tough to find contact information on, so if you need it please let me know and I will pass it along. Feel free to email me at Jcorvese at gmail dot com.
Sam did myself and ended up doing 4 bridesmaids hair. She came to us and we were able to have a big room so her and Kristin could work together (and they work awesome together), which made the process even more fun. She was able to copy my bridesmaids photos exactly to perfect their looks. My MOH told me she loved her hair more for my wedding than she did for her own wedding day- that it was just as she imagined it!
I can’t believe that Sam was able to do everyone’s hair in around 4 hours, but she did, she works magic. She didn’t even take a break to grab a cup of coffee or run to the ladies room lol!
We had a blast with her. In the fury of my morning I totally forgot to give Sam the tips from all the girls—whoops! And when I texted her to tell her I was sorry I had something to send her I forgot to give her on the day of she was super nice and said “you were a gorgeous bride!”. I don’t think you can beat the value that you get with Sam. She is a fun, nice person that is really talented!
Transportation: Rockstar Limo
We used a trolley from Rockstar Limo for the transportation which was also our guest shuttle. Meaghan at Rockstar is a complete sweetheart and is super nice. I had actually been traveling overseas when I decided for sure we were going to book them, when I called a week later the trolley they had was already booked. On the verge of tears Meaghan told me not to worry and she would figure it out. Turns out they are able to rent trolleys from other companies but have their drivers drive them. It’s a long story about a confusing schedule but I guess the guy they get the trolley from already had a wedding so the only way I could get a trolley was if the other 8.25 bride was ok with using the white trolley from the other trolley guy so he could do two weddings and then we could take Rockstars. So a big thank you out there to the bride that was flexible to change her trolley. J I have to give 5 stars to meg for all the work she did to juggle everything around.
The driver arrived on time, and even though we brought on a container with Champagne and waters, I was surprised to find our driver Kelly had already a bunch of bottles of water on top of her own emergency kit! Kelly was awesome. She told me I was one of the most calm brides she had seen and told us funny stories about having to use her smelling salts (which she actually had on the bus) to calm me down before I walked into church she even had my bridesmaids and mom sing “going to the chapel” and led the girls in song. It was so adorable.
Her emergency kit came in handy when I was attacked by about 10 mosquitos and she happened to have alcohol swabs to dab the bites with and bring down the redness and swelling so that they were nearly non-existent.
We had extra time after taking some photos so she suggested we go to Pier 5 to take some photos on Monahan’s dock and we got some really pretty photos there. Thanks for the suggesting Kelly!
I can’t believe how nice the ride was, how nice and friendly the driver was. She didn’t just drive-she was really part of the day. From carrying my train to wiping away my mom’s tears!
At the end of the night we ran a little late but I never received any kind of flack or frustration from the driver-and on the ride home she handed out glow sticks and was pumping the music so we all had a good laugh!
I cannot rave about Rockstar enough!
Church: South Ferry Church
We booked the church early on, even though most people use it as a rain backup. There is something so quaint and really New England about it. My guests said that when I came in in the white dress with the pale backdrop of the church and the light shining through the tiny stained glass windows that it was almost ethereal! KC Bishop who also runs West Bay Gourmet runs the South Ferry Church and I will say that she is nearly impossible to get in touch with. The day before the rehearsal I called her to confirm the time of our rehearsal and ensure the doors would be unlocked and couldn’t get in touch with her. So I called West Bay Gourmet and they said she was on vacation. In a fit of anxiety and tears I ended up tracking down the number to Dave the man that is the caretaker. Within 5 minutes he called me back to say I was all set and both days the church would be unlocked and clean and ready for the rehearsal and the wedding…
I will say that after I left KC the message she did get back to me to tell me I was all set and not to worry. I just wish she had emailed me BEFORE she went on vacation to tell me that so that I wasn’t freaking out the day before.
When we arrived for both the wedding and rehearsal the church was unlocked and clean and gorgeous as I remember. The acoustics were awesome, which made the music sound beautiful. It is a darling little place, and is incredibly affordable to rent!
Ceremony Music: La Bella Musica
We used Emily and another player from La Bella Musica. They are really easy to book since it’s all done through gig masters.
I didn’t get a chance to really hear any of the music since we didn’t have any musical interludes throughout the ceremony but I could hear them playing the entrance song from outside and it sounded beautiful. Tons of guests came up to us and raved about the music and said they were super talented. They said that the songs were great and that they were really set the tone for the ceremony and created a nice ambiance-which is a great compliment to them! At the end of the ceremony both Emily and the cellist (not sure of her name) came up to us to congratulate us and they were truly professional and genuinely happy for us. My mom said that at one point in the ceremony she looked over and thought the cellist was actually crying! I was a bit nervous since all our correspondence was via email but they were there, dressed and looking great, playing their beautiful music and that was all that mattered. Plus they were much more affordable than other places I had inquired with so that was a plus! I would hands down recommend them for your ceremony music!
Officants: Rev. Charles and Cheryl Cavalconte http://weddingministersri.com/
Charlie and Cheryl were great! They created and awesome personalized ceremony for us. For me, it felt like it was a minute long so I know it went by in a flash but from what I do remember (and from watching some video) it was light hearted without being too fluffy and was very nice. My bridesmaids all loved the reflection that he gave and it was nice to have a married couple doing the ceremony. The meetings with them were easy and seamless because they are so well organized. When we met with Charlie in the weeks leading up to our wedding he went through the entire ceremony minute by minute which really helped me visualize the day. They were there on time and ready to go and organized all the groomsmen and readers on the day of. Although they didn’t attend the rehearsal they gave us a paper with the line up and seating for all the readers so that everyone knew w hat to do, so it was very easy to follow. I love people that are perfectionist and they really are. My husband said on the morning of they went around rearranging the church so that everything would be perfect in photos, I thought it was nice they kept things like photography in mind when working on the layout. I really loved their ceremony (even though I just remember walking down the aisle and leaving!) and when we went to get our marriage license everything was filled out and done promptly by Charlie and Cheryl. I felt like I knew them for years, they did an incredible job creating a personalized and meaningful ceremony for us!