Day-of coordinator
Andria Medeiros – Infinite Events: A+
If there is one thing I recommend to you brides is that you hire a day-of coordinator. Our wedding would have had a very different feel if we hadn’t hired Andria. She did all of our setup, transformed the ceremony space into a dance space, ran the show that night in coordination with our caterer and DJ and, when it was all over, packed everything up in boxes she had labeled for us. We didn’t have a ton of interaction beforehand, but we met the week before the wedding and everything ran smoothly at rehearsal (she even brought my dress to the hotel so it wouldn’t have to sit in a car during RD) and during the wedding. She was everywhere and on top of everything. I was sitting with some friends in the tent when I saw her come out to talk to Bryan and I said to my friend, “It must be 8:45! Time for our last dances!” and I was right; she was on top of the schedule from start to finish. I recommend her very highly. When you think of all of the money you are spending on a wedding, directing a small percentage to a DOC is a no-brainer. When my MIL offered to help clean up, Andria insisted she go enjoy the party. Our families were very impressed and, most important to us, they got to sit back and enjoy the party instead of running around setting things up or breaking down chairs after the ceremony. Ours was a wedding on a serious budget, so I considered this a bit of an extravagance, but in actuality it was a necessity for us to have the kind of day we had.
Officiant
The Rev. Todd Stange: A
In the event anyone here is getting married at Emanuel Lutheran in West Warwick, I figured I’d include a review of Pastor Todd. Emanuel is my MIL’s church and, when she heard we’d be getting married off site, she asked that we use her pastor, which was fine with me. We met with him three times before the wedding: the first was just a quick meeting with the date and details, the second was to get to know us and the third was to go over the ceremony. He delivered a personal ceremony with a great homily that had our crowd laughing. A lot of people came up to me after and talked about how great the ceremony was and asked where we’d found him.
Ceremony musicians
Emily Chen and Morgan Santos, La Bella Musica: B+
Everyone says they were great; I didn’t hear much of them, but what I heard sounded fantastic. I’m so glad we went with live musicians. The only reason for a B+ is that I thought they were playing the wrong recessional because it started differently than the song typically does, so every recessional pic of me has that “they’re not playing the right song” look on my face. It would have been nice to know that in advance. Also, we paid for an hour and they were supposed to play 15 minutes of postlude, but it seemed like they packed up pretty quickly. We hadn’t even started our family photos yet and they were out of there. But, still, highly recommended.
Makeup
Kerri Parks of Skinplicity: B
Kerri did a nice job and has a great, calming personality, but I think the look was a little more dramatic at the trial than that day, and my makeup didn’t really last very long. I’m glad we did pics before the ceremony. Also, I was a little irked that as I was running out the door to the limo, she asked if I wanted lip stuff to reapply later and she sold me a lip pencil and a gloss for $20. When I pulled the gloss out to reapply, it had TESTER marked on it and there was not much left in the tube. I never used the pencil at all. It was a waste of $20. That was pretty disappointing.
Flowers
Samsclub.com – D
After getting quotes from five florists, I decided to do my own flowers, as we didn’t have a wedding party and I just couldn’t justify the cost. I bought dozens of milk glass vases from Salvation Army locations across the state and ordered flowers from Sam’s Club online, based on many positive reviews. On the Thursday before the wedding, I got a call that most of my order was delayed and would not arrive on time. The flowers that did arrive on Friday were the wrong color, but at least they were here so I made do with them. With two days to go, I had to look for Plan B. For my centerpieces, I bought large mums and terra cotta pots, repotted them and tied a navy ribbon around them. Done.
Whole Foods, Cranston – A-
After the flower debacle, I called Whole Foods in Garden City first thing Friday and spoke to Sarah, who commiserated with the situation and said they could absolutely help me. I went over that afternoon and met with her and Karen and we talked about flower types, etc. The best part is that my bouquet, two clutches for MIL and my dad’s wife, a wrist corsage for Bryan’s grandmother and three bouts cost $94. I was stunned. I wish I had gone there first. The only reason they don’t get an A is that I had said I didn’t want yellow flowers in my bouquet and there were a bunch of yellow mums. It’s the kind of thing nobody would notice but me, but still …
Baker
A&J Bakery, Cranston: A+
If you need nut-, dairy- or gluten-free baked items, this is the place for you. We did a six-inch cutting cake (chocolate with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting) and 70 cupcakes in mixed flavors/fillings, all dairy-free, and they were a hit. In fact, we (well, mostly me) have been noshing on our cutting cake all week. It’s so good. And all that cost a little more than $200, which included a $40 delivery fee to Tiverton.
Transportation
Salon Salon Limo: A
Bryan’s aunt arranged the limo, so I have no idea what it cost, but Ray picked me up at the hotel on time and brought me to the Meeting House, where Bryan and I did our first look, then drove us to a couple of sites around Tiverton for photos before the ceremony. It was just what we needed.