Vendor reviews for my November 3rd Wedding in Newport. I am happy to pass along more info on any of them!
Ceremony-Kay Chapel: The Kay Chapel was a great spot for the ceremony, beautiful and simple, fit just over 150 people very comfortably. Linda Ferguson was our contact and she was great to work with, very responsive and helpful.
Minister-Rev. Andy Gregoire from Emmaus Ministry: I loved our ceremony and we got many compliments on it. Rev Andy was great and was willing to tweak any parts of the ceremony wording and helped us to choose readings. He was not the easiest person to get a hold of, but was organized and on time. He gave us a great ceremony that brought in different religions and suited us well.
Reception-Officers’ Club, Naval Station Newport: Loved the reception location, of course beautiful views of the water and Pell Bridge. They are not known for their food, but my guests really enjoyed the food as did my husband and I. Everything ran smoothly, including getting all the guests through the security gate. Wendy and Shawna were extremely helpful and responsive to any questions or concerns. We were very happy with our choice for this venue.
Transportation-Sentinel Limousine and Coach: We rented the Limo Bus/Coach for our wedding party. We had a football team-like wedding party and it was the only thing that would hold all 16 of us. I was worried it would be cheesy, but theirs was nice and more elegant than what most companies had for options. Price was reasonable, we only did a 3 hour rental since we only needed it for pictures between the ceremony and reception. The driver was accommodating and friendly and the coach was clean and nice to be able to stand up in with my dress.
Cake-Diane’s Delectables: Diane was awesome to work with and her cakes are amazing! We got many compliments on the moistness and flavors. Diane works out of her house and is very reasonable with price. We did a dummy cake for display and sheet cakes to serve and it worked well and was much cheaper than many other options we looked into. I have had her do a birthday cake as well and will be using her again for future cakes.
Flowers-Golden Gate Studios: I did Gerbera Daisies and had pretty simple arrangements, but everything looked fresh and beautiful. I loved Jay from our first meeting and although he was not the cheapest option (not a big price difference though, still very reasonable and under my expected flower budget) his personality and personal touch was great and worth it! He has a lot of great ideas and helped me from making bad decisions, but also kept my image in mind and would adjust accordingly. I heard they were a little late showing up to the reception for set up, but by the time I arrived it was set up and ready to go!
Hair/Make-up-Kristin Greene: Kristin was great, I loved my hair and make-up and it held up all night which is a great feat! It was great to have her and an assistant come to the hotel and take care of us. She enjoys her work and was fun to have around while getting ready. Kristin is very sweet and easy to work with.
Day of Coordinator-Jen Strunk: I had wanted a DOC so I didn’t have to worry about anything, but didn’t think I could afford one. However, I finally found Jen and she was less than half the cost of most and WELL WORTH the money. I was pretty organized and didn’t need a lot, but Jen took care of everything: she steamed the pashminas for my bridesmaids, did coffee runs, made phone calls when a vendor was running late, confirmed our ride home when we had sort of forgotten about confirming it, paid vendors, took care of getting rings/license/personal items where they needed to be, made sure the reception ran on schedule, packed up everything at the end of the night etc, etc, etc. She was really great to have around and such a sweetheart. I highly recommend a DOC and I highly recommend Jen!
Hotels-Hotel Viking: Newport hotels are not cheap, and the Viking is not an exception, but the hotel is beautiful and worked great for pictures and proximity for the ceremony. I stayed in a suite, which was expensive be was perfect for me and my bridal party to have our hair/make-up done and get dressed. We utilized the hotel bar after the rehearsal dinner and the reception and was overall very happy with the hotel. They charge to deliver out of town bags though ($3.00 per bag!).
We also had guests at Best Western and Residence Inn: Hotel blocks worked out great, no complaints from our guests about accommodations and they were both great about taking OOT bags at the front desk and handing them out upon arrival of the guests (no fee).
Seamstress: Sewing Creations by Rose: Rose is one of the only people recommended in the RI area and after working with her, I know why. She is such a sweetheart and does amazing work. My dress had lace and satin and many unique features and she handled them perfectly, my dress looked amazing! The bustle was easy to do up, looked great, and held very well, even with being stepped on and through a lot of dancing.
Photographer-Valentino Photography: We haven’t seen our pictures yet, but we enjoyed working with Valentino! Their pricing options are great and include a lot and they are willing to work with you and be accommodating. We took Kim and Bev to NYC for our engagement shoot and were very happy with the photos (you do have to pay for each print though on the engagement photos unlike the wedding ones). They were easy to get a hold of and very professional at our wedding. I can’t wait to see the pictures! Kim did well rounding up our large wedding party and keeping things moving. They were flexible with the pictures we wanted and where we wanted to go to take them. They did well ensuring to cover all the “must have” photos on our list before they finished.
Rehearsal Dinner-Lucia’s Italian Restaurant: Not one I’ve seen listed on these boards so I wanted to mention it- we LOVED it. They serve very fresh, homemade pasta. Lucia was great and very accommodating to allergies and changing numbers. It was a family style dinner and she gave us a room to ourselves (~30 people). It is on Thames and we walked to it from the Kay Chapel after the rehearsal.
DJ and Ceremony Music were done by family friends who are in the Boston area. Both were awesome if anyone needs people for up that way.