Thanks

Dress/Veil: Madeleine's Daughter A+

I was anxious about finding "my dress"...I'm not a tiny girl, and I didn't want to look like a giant creampuff walking own the aisle. From the first appointment through the final dress fitting, Madeleine's Daughter was fantastic to work with. I found the dress and veil within the first hour I was at their store. It was actually less money than I had budgeted for, and I felt beautiful in it. They're very busy, so you may need to fit in a dress fitting or two during normal working hours, but it's worth it.

Wedding Venue: All Saints Chapel, Orr's Island A+

I grew up on Orr's Island, and spent summers going to this little Episcopal chapel, where my parents were married 42 years ago. To get married there was a no-brainer.

Reception Venue: Orr's-Bailey Yacht Club A+

Again, I grew up here, so I know the location well. The yacht club was beautiful and affordable, and guests got to enjoy a stunning sunset towards the end of the evening. We couldn't imagine doing a traditional lobster bake wedding reception anywhere else. The nice thing about OBYC is that they have their own tables and chairs too, so we only needed to rent a couple of additional serving tables.

Flowers: Flowers Etc., Brunswick A+

Monica Theberge is great. When I first met with her a few months ago, I had no idea what kinds of flowers I wanted for the ceremony. She helped me hone in on the colors and flowers that would work best, and what would be most available/affordable for an August wedding. We received many compliments from guests on the flowers, which turned out to be a mix of yellow/ivory roses, dahlias and berries.

Makeup: From this Day Forward A+

I was very lucky to find Cyndi, who is based in Rockland. I was looking for a traveling makeup service that could come to our house, so that we didn't have to trek into Portland on a hot summer day. Cyndi came to my aunt's cottage and did my makeup, my bridesmaids and my mother. She advertises a natural look, and that's what we got. I'm very fair skinned and always look overdone when people have tried to do my makeup, but the job she does is very elegant. She knows exactly what features to emphasize. She's also reasonably priced. I would definitely use her again.

Hair: Asia Bojarksa, J Henry Salon in Portland A+

I've known Asia a long time, so even though she doesn't do "wedding hair" anymore, she did a classic chignon for me. For anyone looking for a good hairdresser, I'd also recommend Michael at J Henry Salon. I have friends who go to him, and I watched him do someone's hair for some big occasion recently and the woman looked stunning.

DJ: Greg Young of Northeast DJs A+

I can't say enough good things about Greg. My husband and I took a loooong time to decide between using a DJ and a band for the wedding reception, since we'd heard horror stories about hokey DJs who talked too much and played music your grandmother would be embarrassed by. Greg was affordable, very professional and helpful from the start, making suggestions on everything from music selection to a reception timeline. He also made a special trip out to Orr's Island from Lewiston a few weeks before the wedding (no short drive) to make sure his equipment would work at the yacht club, to test it out, etc. We were also able to put together an online request and "do not play" list for the reception, which was great because we like a lot of indie music that doesn't necessarily get played on the radio. He was able to incoroproate a lot of it, and we had guests - both young and old - out on the dance floor all night. Even my 70-year-old aunt who had hip and knee replacement surgery last year was out there having the best time!

Caterer: Sam's Great Northern Lobster Bakes C+

While the food was good - lobster, mussels, clams, potato salad, coleslaw, etc. - we eperienced a few problems with Sam's. First, they showed up very late - just 10 minutes before our guests began arriving at the reception. Perhaps because they were rushed as a result, they plunked the appetizers down on a table, leaving them covered in aluminum foil. Yes, it's a lobster bake, but it just wasn't the presentation we expected for a wedding reception. They also forgot the list that told them who had ordered what for the reception (since there was a steak and chicken option too for non-lobster eaters). Not only did they forget the list, but they had no idea what we were talking about when we asked them about it. That may be one reason why they ran out of food early. We literally had a couple guests who didn't get a meal. They brought a crew of 3 instead of the 5 people we were told would be there. Also, the woman in charge asked me if the plates should be stacked at the end of the night --- something we had already discused with Sam's owner. Yes, I said, they were to stack the plates. This was something my mother reiterated to them as well. Instead, they left the dirty dishes on the tables and left. Finally, becaue Sam's does not provide their own linens, we had to rent additional tablecloths for the serving tables. They were so dirty that we ended up having to reimburse the linen rental company for them. So again, while the food was good and for the most part our guests had no idea about these behind-the-scenes issues, I would not use Sam's again.

Cake: Noting Bakes Like a Parrott A-

It's true that Jessica is sometimes difficult to get a hold of - you might wait a week or two before she's able to email you back - but be patient because it's worth it. I met with her a few weeks ago with some photos of cakes I liked, and talked to her about our vintage theme and colors. I knew we wanted a three-tiered cake and a small dessert table with a vintage-y look, but she really pulled it all together. We ended up with the most beautiful cake/dessert table I've ever seen, and our guests could not stop talking about the cake pops, oreo truffles and the cake itself (vanilla with Maine blueberry filling, buttercream frosting). Everything was delicious!!! She's also less expensive than other cake makers we initially considered.

Taylor Rental, Brunswick B+

We rented our tent, linens, glasses, a couple of serving tables and water pitchers from Taylor Rental. For the most part, the experience was a good one. They're not open Monday-Friday, so they were sometimes hard to get a hold of. You just have to be patient to get a call back. During the setup, we also noticed that a couple of glasses had lipstick stains on them, so they had to be washed. Otherwise, everything was fine and we had a good experience working with them.

Susan Mullen Photography A+

While it's too early to see the pictures Susan took at the wedding, we enjoyed working with her. I researched a lot of photographers in Maine, and she was the most affordable. She had also photographed a friend's wedding on Orr's Island a couple years ago, so I knew her work was good and that she'd be familiar with the location. She also did our engagement photos in Portland's Deering Oaks Park back in February that came out wonderfully.