10.23.10 Wedding Reviews

cicconesp

Sorry in advance for all the long reviews.  Over the past year I found the post wedding reviews from brides to be incredibly helpful so I spent a lot of time on mine.  We had an amazing day and amazing wedding and wish all future brides the same!!

Venue - Newport Yachting Center – A

I broke out the venue and the caterer separately because as many of you know Blackstone which originally managed the Newport Yachting Center venue was bought and is no longer part of the Newport Harbor Association.  As a result they will no longer manage the Yachting Center.  The venue was absolutely beautiful and we were so happy with how everything came out.  The tent is huge and was perfect for our 200+ person wedding.   Our DJ provided some up lighting around the walls of the tent which I would definitely recommend.  It helped soften all the bright whiteness of the tent.  We had our sunset ceremony outside on the dock overlooking the water and the Newport Bridge (thank goodness Saturday was about 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the weekend.) All and all we were thrilled with the location. 

Caterer – Blackstone – A+

I cannot say enough about Blackstone and Karen Conley . They were amazing.  5 Star all the way!  The food and service was incredible.  It was a chilly night so Karen had a few surprises that blew us away.   Karen surprised us by serving hot apple cider while guests arrived for the ceremony and she handed Pashmina’s for all the ladies who were cold.  There was always a staff member nearby bring us Hors d'oeuvres or filling drinks while we were taking pictures and even making sure I had a shawl or something to warm me up.  The food was tremendous! They even packed up all the extras left over from the table and managed to locate the toasting glasses which had been left who knows where. They took amazing care us all night.  Cannot say enough about them!!

Viking Tours – Trolley – A

Fabulous job.  Incredibly  professional.   We had the trolley for 7 hours running a route between the hotel our venue.   The driver took excellent care of the guests  we couldn’t have been happier. 

DJ Ramu & the Crew – A+

All I have to say is WOW what an amazing find!  We actually had DJ Ramu’s brother, DJ Imho who was phenomenal.  Very professional and yet at the same time knows how to keep the party going.   I had so many people compliment the music and honestly the dance floor was never empty.   His package is all inclusive, he doesn’t have any up-sells which was awesome.  He provided up-lighting around the tent as part of our package and a flat screen TV that played videos from us, music videos and more.  He had a fantastic  assistant that would go out in the crowd and dance with some of the guests to keep everything flowing which was an awesome touch.  He actually ran out of business cards because so many folks asked for his contact info.  Awesome job!! 

cicconesp

B&B – Pearls of Newport – C+

This was a very difficult review to write and the only part of our wedding that I really had any reservations about.  I’m going to break it down by location in Newport/Price which I give an “A” and Service/Responsiveness which I give a “C-“.   We booked the entire B&B which was just half a block from downtown Newport on Pelham Street.  The rooms are beautiful and you cannot beat the location for a Newport Wedding.  The problem was with the owner, who is a very nice person and a good host when you’re onsite but unfortunately we had a lot of issues along the way.  Our original agreement when we booked in Dec 09 was that the FI and I would put down one night deposit and the owner would call everyone on our guest list at the B&B and get the first night deposit from them and then refund us our deposit.  We contacted him several times when that didn’t happen and he assured us every time he would get to it soon.  When he finally called all our guests in August he revealed that he no longer accepted credit cards and that everyone needed to mail him a check.  Needless to say I was livid.  I asked him not to contact our guests and I worked out a new deal where I had everyone pay me via Paypal and then I wrote him a check directly.  I did this not only for our guest but also because I was afraid we’d never see the $3000 deposit we had paid in Dec.  The other issue was around the rehearsal dinner.   When we booked he assured us that the property was ours and we could have rehearsal dinner onsite and there wouldn’t be an event fee.  We just couldn’t use the kitchen to cook food.  About a month before the wedding I emailed him and asked if could stop by for in two weeks when I was in town to talk about the rehearsal dinner logistics.  There was no response which isn’t unusual via email unless you are talking about making a payment.  It was also almost impossible to reach him via telephone because he often didn’t answer the phone and the voicemail was almost always full.  So two weeks later since I was in town I showed up to discuss rehearsal dinner logistics.  He started asking questions in the hallway of the B&B right in front of other guests and when he found out that not all the guests of the rehearsal dinner were guests in his B&B he started implying that there would be an event fee.   Thankfully my DOC and FI handled that one for me because at that point I had truly had enough.  When they told them there would be less than 10 people who weren’t hotel guests he said it would be fine. 

Finally fast forward to Friday the day before the wedding.  We stopped by around 1:00pm to drop off stuff in our room and for the rehersal dinner and no one was there.  We thought perhaps since check in was at 3:00 maybe he was out running errands.  Turns out when we finally tracked him down after 4:00pm he was in Boston for a family emergency.  He had not left any notice with any of us nor told my DOC whom he spoke with that morning.  Thankfully the B&B was completely open so my FI greeted everyone and showed them to their rooms and our Aunt who was making all the food for the Rehearsal dinner went and made herself at home and started setting up.   When he finally got back around 6ish he seemed stunned that we were already serving dinner… but I’m not really sure what he expected us to do.  Bottom line he is a very nice man and a great host when he’s around.  He made excellent breakfasts and offered to drive folks places if their cars were blocked into the parking lots.  The rest of the weekend went relatively fine and there wasn’t anything we couldn’t work around.  It was just frustrating because I felt like I got very little and often no response unless I was processing payments or he was trying to upsell me.  I felt like when he realized he wasn’t going to make anymore money off us other than the rooms that we just weren’t a priority.  If you are interested in this location I suggest highly that you read the Trip Advisor reviews.  I can honestly say from my experience they are all true.  The great 5 star reviews as well as the negative ones and then you’ll know in advance what you’re signing up for. 

 

Hotel – Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina – Sales POC A+ / Hotel A-/B+

We had a lot of out of town guests so in addition to the B&B where the family and bridal party stayed we had a 20+ room block at the Newport Harbor Hotel.  Sue Swenton was our Sales POC and she was absolutely wonderful to deal with.  Because of the size of our room block she  comp’d us a room which we stayed in Thursday night and she sent up champagne and fruit and cheese.  The lower marks on the hotel are because we had a few issues with the front desk.  I originally had a ten room block and we would add rooms as they filled up.  However if for some reason the rooms filled before we added more rooms to the block the front desk staff refused to give them the discounted room block price until Sue added more rooms.  This was a bit frustrating for our guests.  Also the price point on the rooms is a bit high but you’re really paying for location so as long as you realize that it’s a great stay.   The rooms were clean and nice, nothing fancy but comfortable.    All in all I was happy and would absolutely book  with them again.

cicconesp

Dress – Wishing Well (East Providence) A-

For those who haven’t been Wishing Well Bridal is a small shop that has about twice as many dresses as anywhere else.  Their prices are amazing.  I got a Maggie Sottero Dress at a trunk show and paid less than anywhere else.  I’m a huge fan of buying online for cheep and I checked with halfbridal.com, netbride.com, jaysbridal.com and a few other places and no one could beat their prices.

I think the owner is Pam, at least she’s the one who’s always there, and she was wonderful to deal with.  The only reason they’re not an A+ is that the as I mentioned the place is small and always packed.  They don’t do appointments so you always kind of feel like you’re being rushed out when the next bride comes in.  Also I would recommend you don’t go during prom season or at least go when most of the girls are in school. 

Make Up & Hair – Jennie Kay Murphy – A+

Jennie Kay and her sister Christie are just fantastic! They came at 9:30 and I had 3 girls for hair and 7 of us for makeup.  They did an amazing job and were incredibly prepared for everything.  We had plenty of time for everyone including touch ups at the end. Most of us opted for the natural look which they pulled off flawlessly.  I had never worn fake eyelashes before but they really do make the eyes pop without looking too done up.   Everyone looked beautiful and we had so much fun getting pampered. 

Hair – Shannon (Carols Salon in Mystic CT) A+

Shannon is my regular hair dresser who I’ve been with for about 6 years and she is AMAZING.  She did my hair, my mom’s, and two of my bridesmaids.  She spends a lot of time on each person and everyone came out just stunning.  For my hair partially up, partially down, curls everywhere style and I loved it.   She has a very calm demeanor makes you feel very comfortable.  I never had an issue saying I didn’t like something or I wanted to change anything.  She encourages feedback to make sure you’re completely happy.  My hair was perfect and it lasted all night. 

Bridesmaid Dresses – White Dress by the Shore in Clinton CT – A

For those of you near the Southeaster CT area who are hunting for a dress or bridesmaid dress you should experience White Dress by the Shore.  The location is beautiful and the staff is phenomenal.  It’s a renovated house and each bride gets her own private room.  Outside they renovated an old carriage house where they have all the bridesmaid dresses.  It was nice to be in a private area with all the girls, away from all the other brides.  They’re on the pricier side but they definitely make it a fun time.  Girls were dressed in Pricilla of Boston Vineyard dresses for aprox $200 each. 

Photographer - www.kharberphoto.com/">Krzystyna Harber Photography – A

I haven’t seen the pics yet but I didn’t want to leave Krzysyana out.  She was a true professional, she came early, stayed late and was very unobtrusive.  She had a sweet and calm demeanor and I cannot wait to see the pictures.  I’m hoping for a sneak peak soon! 

Flowers – Robin Hollow Farm – A

Absolutely gorgeous flowers.  Polly is the owner of an organic cut flower farm and that also does bridal arrangements.  I wanted to do my own centerpieces with flowers in bud vases so I ordered about 230 cut flowers along with all the bouquets  and boutonnieres.  The flowers were super fresh and gorgeous and absolutely beautiful and her prices were great!  I loved my bridal bouquet which was a soft orange mix of roses, Calla Lilies, and dahlias. I love the girls flowers too which were smaller darker versions of mine, she really did an amazing job.  Polly was an absolute pleasure to work with which made the experience perfect. 

Custom Newport Maps – NattyMichelle on Etsy – A

I had a custom watercolor map created by NattyMichelle on Etsy.  She sketches the map based on a screen shot of google maps that you give her and then adds in all kinds of fun details.  She was a pleasure to work with, very quick to respond and did a great job.  They were the perfect addition to our invitations.  http://www.etsy.com/people/NattyMichelle?ref=ls_profile

Flower Girl Dresses – Babybeenos  on Etsy – A

While in another store I saw the sweetest flower girl dresses made with a blue toile fabric.  The price at the store was $250 which I thought was crazy for little girls.  I did some searching for custom clothing creators on Etsy and found Babybeenos.  I contacted her she was so helpful and responsive.  We went through a few ideas and then ultimately agreed on a design using the toile fabric for $50 each for two dresses.  She even sent me pictures and added a ruffle that I requested after the fact at no extra charge.  The dresses came out gorgeous, just perfect for a Newport Wedding. 

Wedding Cake – Fatulli’s Bakery (Middletown, RI) – A

I really wasn’t worried about anything fancy I just wanted it to taste good.  I got a 3 tier vanilla cake with butter cream frosting and fresh strawberry layers along with back up sheet cakes.  The cake was delicious and the price was great.  We actually had way too much and ended up taking almost the entire three tiers home with us. 

Officiant – Reverend Skip Sweeny – A+

I found Skip through the board recommendations and he was truly great.  He’s very professional and very good at what he does.  He covers every detail with the wedding party including when to take my flowers, how the best man holds the rings, and so much more.  He spent a lot of time with me on the ceremony and was very receptive of my changes and additions.  Skip went a long way in keeping things running smoothly and helping manage the nerves.  Couldn’t have been happier.

DOC – Jessica Castiglia Events  A+

I saw a review on the boards last month that called her a wedding Ninja.  I’d also like to add Therapist to that title.  Jessica was amazing in helping keep both of us calm and happy.  If there was an issue it was amazing to be able to just call Jessica and it was magically taken care of.  At one point I had to send her to calm my Fiancé who was freaking out  about the B&B (see Pearls review) and that in itself was worth every penny.  I would highly recommend her to everyone.   Her calm demeanor, attention to detail, and professionalism made for the perfect wedding day. 

amylydia23

Do you mind PMing me your officiant's contact info?

ttiernan

Hi There! Thanks for the great review! I have been having trouble getting any reviews to this is great! Would you be willing to share any of your pictures? I totally get if you are not comfortable doing that, I would just love to see some with the uplighting.

Thanks again!