Our wedding was amazing and everything we dreamed, and that's due in large part to the help and advice I got here on The Knot. I'd like to share my thoughts and reviews and hope it helps future brides as much as you all helped me!
The venue was absolutely perfect and Brad was incredibly easy to work with. We had 50 people, which fit beautifully in the main dining room, but for larger parties, they put up a tent on the front lawn. The food was incredible, the staff was amazing. Due to rain the morning of the wedding, we weren't sure we'd be able to get married on the beach. Brad was in touch all morning and let me know that he would take care of making the Inn ceremony-ready with only 15 minutes lead time. Great food, great people, great venue. What more could you want? (They also do off-site catering! Seriously, call them, you won't regret it.)
Ceremony: Crosby Beach, Brewster, MA
Just a head's up for those of you considering getting married on the beach- Brewster requires an insurance policy and a massive amount of forms that need to be signed by seemingly every department in town and you cannot get married on the beach until after Labor Day. Make sure you have plenty of lead time to get the forms done. Our ceremony was officiated by a friend.
Flowers: Flowers by Mary, Orleans, MAMary was amazing. I just wanted a simple bouquet for myself and my MOH, and she put one together right in her shop that I literally could have walked down the aisle with that day. I wound up adding more flowers to my order and everything came out beautifully. She even ordered 36 hydrangeas for us to make our own centerpieces. Her prices were incredible. Highly recommend.
Jackie opened the salon especially so my MOH and I could get our hair done. She did a great job! She made sure our curls were really, really tight, so by the time we got to the ceremony, the curls were loose and gorgeous. My hair stayed all night and, (mostly,) survived a drunken swipe by the best man.
DJ Ken Drew is AH-MAZING. I cannot stress enough how great he is. He dealt with many last-minute changes, (last minute as in, AT the reception,) easily and with good humor. I gave him only general guidelines for the cocktail hour music and I felt like every time a new song came on, I exclaimed, "I LOVE THIS SONG!" Our wedding skewed a bit older, so I was concerned no one would really dance, but he read the tone of the crowd perfectly and after the older relatives went off to bed, us younger people rocked out.
If all that isn't enough, he provided music for the ceremony. On the beach. In the drizzle.
AND- he took snippets of video throughout the day and sent me a 6-minute mini-video of the reception that is just my favorite thing. It was such a perfect, touching surprise. Oh, and his prices cannot be beat. DJ Ken Drew is the best.
Megan is great and the cake was great. We had marble cake with chocolate icing inside and buttercream frosting on the outside. It was delicious. When relatives found out we had leftover cake the next day, their faces lit up like kids on Christmas. Cottage Street Bakery also made a carrot cake for our rehearsal dinner, which was moist and delicious and now I want cake.
Do you love cupcakes? Go see Heather at Hopkins House bakery, (open weekends,) and enjoy the best cupcakes ever. We had 2 dozen at our rehearsal dinner and my guests were fighting over them. They were so good, several guests stopped by the bakery to get some before the wedding ceremony the next day. All of their baked good are amazing, by the way.
Rehearsal Dinner: Ardeo's, Brewster
They have a lovely back deck, perfect for a gathering of 20-40. Unfortunately, that's the best I can say about them. The pizza was OK, but the staff acted like every request was either stupid, ("can we have pitchers of beer?") or annoying, ("can we get a few more chairs?") Instead, I'd recommend...
When my husband's family showed up on Thursday night and said, "so what's for dinner?" we panicked a bit. We weren't expecting to feed them and where could we go with a group of 20 last minute? The Lobster Claw to the rescue! It's one of my family's favorite restaurants anyway, but we were worried about having the rehearsal dinner there because my husband's family is from the midwest and we weren't sure how they'd feel about mostly fish options. Not only did the staff at the Claw throw together seating for 20 in the back room in 30 mins flat, they did it with a smile and made it look easy. When my FIL asked for separate checks for EACH COUPLE/FAMILY, (how embarrassing!) they acted like that was the most normal request in the world. My husband's family all ordered lobsters and had more fun taking them apart and trying to get the meat out. We had a great time, and the owner came over twice to make sure we had everything we needed. I wish we'd had the actual rehearsal dinner there.
Dress, Davids Bridal, Danbury, CT
I love, love, love my dress, and Rebecca was an amazing consultant. BUT- get your alterations elsewhere. For the love of Pete, I paid as much for alterations as I did for my dress, it was utterly ridiculous AND they altered it wrong, (at the Torrance, CA location.) My best friend bought her dress at Davids Bridal and had it altered locally and spent 1/4 that I did.
The suits we ordered for my husband and father came in completely wrong, despite the fact that they were both measured. The seamstress on site made sure to make all the necessary adjustments within an hour so we wouldn't have to come back, something we had no time to do. She was great!
If you're traveling with your dress, like I did, this is the place to go. They hand-press every gown on site. It came out BEAUTIFULLY.
Our out-of-town guests on both sides of the family stayed at the Old Sea Pines Inn. They're one of very few Inns on the Cape that allow children. They have a separate building with family suites equipped with fridges and microwaves and playpens. In addition, they have a lovely dining room and outdoor area where our families could have breakfast or just spend some time together.
My BILs and their families got hung up in Boston because their rental car agency screwed up, so they called the Inn to let them know they would be checking in quite late. Not only did the Inn make sure someone could get them keys, they left complimentary champagne in both their rooms because they figured they'd all need a glass after their long day of traveling. Everyone raved about their stay.
My husband and I rented a great little cottage by Crobsy Beach for the long weekend. If you have out-of-town guests coming for an extended time, this is a really great option. They rent up and down the Cape.
Sorry this got long, but I wanted to share my experiences so other out-of-towners could benefit as much as I did. Please feel free to email me at apappadake@gmail.com if you have any questions or want more info.
Happy Planning!