Hi everyone! So my wedding was this past Saturday in Kennebunk at On The Marsh Bistro. I have to say that it was absolutely the most incredible, perfect day of my whole life. I could't stop smiling all day, and haven't stopped since it ended! All of our vendors were just incredible, and I can't praise them all highly enough.
The weather started off POURING rain in the morning and I was totally freaked out by the forecast, but true to Maine style, the clouds parted around 1pm, and by the time the ceremony started at 5:30, the sun emerged from behind the clouds and lit our ceremony space in a gorgeous way. Everyone partied until midnight, and we got so many compliments that it was the best wedding people had ever been to, which made me feel so good!
OK, here are my reviews of our vendors:
On The Marsh Bistro (venue):
I can't speak highly enough of this place as a gorgeous spot to have a wedding. They have some space limitations, so it's probably best if your guest list is <100. We wound up with about 86 people, and it was a perfect fit in the upstairs dining room. The food was just incredible. People told me the steak just melted in your mouth, and the fish was so good. Also, the coordinator there, Amanda Johnson, just blew my mind. She kept things running very smoothly from the rehearsal through the end of the reception, and was totally unfazed by any of my crazy requests. She also made herself available throughout the year whenever I wanted to meet with her, which I really appreciated. Grade:A
Dwight Phetteplace (music):
I can't say enough great things about Dwight. I loved all my vendors, but Dwight really went above and beyond for us. He played guitar and sang for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and then plugged our iPod into his speakers for the reception. I don't think anyone even noticed that we didn't have a DJ! His price is also incredibly reasonable. He was willing to learn songs that we wanted played during the ceremony, was early for every meeting, and was just all around great to work with. Grade: A+
Fleurant (florist):
Fleurant from Kennebunk did our flowers, and they were gorgeous. We had a very specific idea of what we wanted, since we were doing an Alice in Wonderland theme, and they really ran with it. Each centerpiece was unique. They filled some teacups that my mom and I stacked together with roses, mosses and succulents, and each one looked like a work of art. They were also willing to work with our budget, which was awesome. Melissa Fleurant is really busy, so it's definitely important to make appointments before you head over there. They also have the cutest shop in Kennebunkport for gifts, if you're just hanging out in the area! Grade: A
ConfectionArt (Cake):
Owen Dyer of ConfectionArt did our cake and it was truly the most amazing cake I've ever seen, or tasted, in my life. He did a topsy turvey cake, and topped it with the most amazing sugar flowers that were an exact replica of my bouquet. People couldn't believe they weren't real flowers. He even carved a little sculpture of our dog out of modeling chocolate that looked exactly like her! Also, the cake was SO delicious. He uses all his grandmother's recipes, and almost exclusively works with buttercream frosting, so we had hardly any fondant on the cake. It really was a work of art. Grade: A+
Alexandra Daley-Clark Photography:
Alex is an incredibly gifted photographer. From our engagement shoot in the Old Port, to the day of the wedding, she really rocked it for us. We haven't gotten the full set of photos back yet, but here it is 3 days after the wedding, and she has already posted a blog with about 65 photos that look incredible (the link is at the top of this post). She and her assistant, Kelsey, stayed with us ALL day, and I never felt rushed, and hardley even noticed them during the reception. Grade: A+
Bull N' Claw Restaurant:
This is where we had our rehearsal dinner, so I thought I'd post about them as well. We were so surprised by how great this place was for a rehearsal dinner spot. We wound up inviting about 60 people since our wedding party was ginormous and we had so many out of town guests. We were able to have an entire lobster dinner, including clam cowder, mussles, salad and dessert for under $1500 there. That is amazing. I would even venture to say you could have a wedding reception there. The staff was just wonderful, even when we had some guests change their mind on what they wanted to eat at the last second, they didn't blink an eye. Our guests couldn't believe how good the food was, and the wait staff even gave us some great marriage advice! Really, if you're looking for a great southern Maine rehearsal dinner space, this place is awesome. Grade: A+
Maine Limo:
they provided a limo for us to get from where we were getting ready to the ceremony, and then a 14 passenger van to safely get our guests home at the end of the night. They were definitely the most reasonably priced out of all the limo companies I contacted, and they were totally great to work with. The limo showed up on time, and the driver waited for us since we were running a bit behind schedule. He helped me in and out of the car, and laid down a little red carpet for us to walk on out of the limo. Our ride was short, so we didn't get to enjoy the champagne, but the groomsmen had a great time drinking it on their trip! Grade: A
Sorry for the long post everyone. I hope your wedding days turn out just as wonderful as mine did! I have some stuff to sell, so I'll get those photos posted shortly.