Hi! We just got married. Everything went so well, and was perfect... and even though I've been laying low for the last couple months (too many other things going on!), I did want to share my vendors/experience with everyone. I found these really useful from other brides, so I hope it helps someone else as well!
We had a daytime wedding (ceremony @ 10am!), and wanted things to be simple, maybe a little eclectic / vintage, and meaningful / authentic to who we are as a couple. So,... keep that in mind as well when reading.
Church - First Baptist Church of East Greenwich. A+
It was really important to us to be able to use our own officiant (we are protestant, and have a relationship with our pastor... so didn't want to use a stranger to marry us... but our church doesn't have a building, so we still searched for a location). We looked seriously what seemed like forever for a good location w/ a good rain option, and finally (afraid of rain), decided to look at traditional churches. After many awkward conversations with other churches, we finally found this church with a simple but beautiful sanctuary who allowed our pastor to marry us. They were really kind, the fee was minimal, and they treated us like family. I don't know if anyone is in the same position, but if so, I recommend this church if your reception is in the area.
Reception - Quidnessett Country Club. A-
On our tour, we loved the drive to this place & the view. It is stunning & decidedly new england. However, we had a lot of misunderstandings early on with this venue that caused huge headaches... so my recommendation to every bride (no matter location) is to read the contract 3 times before you sign, ask more questions than you think you need to (even 'stupid' ones), and get the club policies about EVERYTHING in WRITING. That said, day-of, everything went super smoothly, the service was great, and our guests loved the food. Despite the planning headaches (which I was not impressed with), we're really pleased with how everything turned out in the end, and the club seemed to try and listen reasonably to our concerns and was willing to negotiate, even after our contract was signed (we ended up with a second). So, we cannot rate them less than an A. We are the only people I've ever spoken to with less than glowing things to say about this venue, so I'm sure our experience was an anomaly.
Flowers - Wholefoods (Waterman Street / East Side). A
Shelbie is fantastic... I came in with a limited budget & a really vague idea of what I wanted. She was able to help me solidify what I wanted, work with our budget, and help me brainstorm about creative (multifunctional) centerpieces that contained minimal flowers. The personal flowers (bouquets, corsages, boutonnieres) were beautiful & exactly as we discussed. The only reason I did not give her a + is because our centerpieces were not exactly as discussed when they were set up. It wasn't a big deal, I was probably the only person who noticed... but I know for more picky brides, that could be a problem. If I'd had more time, I would have given her a picture of what we had discussed w/ specific instructions... but I didn't... so maybe that is a recommendation for more picky brides looking for great value in flowers. Shelbie is great!
DJ - Sidney from Deejays Etc. A- to B+
We were really impressed with Sidney's professionalism & affordability... and off the bat, decided to book him because we decided that music is music and we needed our budget $$ for other things. So, all of those things held true through the wedding. He's super professional, and we had several great meetings with him. The big key songs (first dances, cake, etc) were still there. I took down his rating because, day-of, he played all our "requested" songs (a mix of modern & more classic songs) during the meal, and played a lot of old fashioned / classic songs that we didn't request during the dancing/mingling. That said, no one seemed to notice except us. And people still danced & mingled, so again... we can't really complain. We would book him again, we just had different ideas in our minds about how the music would go.
Alterations - Sewing Creations by Rose. A++.
I cannot say enough good things about Rose. She really is fantastic, and does great work. My dress was perfect except the neckline, and Rose changed the dress to look like it was created that way. Flawless. I don't really know what else to say, but if you have any questions, let me know.
Dresses - David's Bridal. A-
My dress and all my BMs dresses came from here (I had 7 girls). They each had a different dress in the same color (their choice), but DB was horrible about communicating their options with them, so I had to do it. I got my dress online (different than store selection) for a bargain & had it altered to look like what I wanted... so for the money, I can't complain.
Photography - Stephen Savard Photography. A
To be fair, we have not seen our pictures yet, so I held off on the +/- rating. We know Stephen through a friend, and loved him as a person from the moment we met him. We feel super comfortable with him, he is very authentic in his personality and style (photographically), and he was completely willing to work with our schedule and budget. We can't wait to see the pictures.
I worked really hard to find affordable centerpieces & purchased the pieces through other brides (on this board, thanks!), amazon, pier1 clearance, and the christmas tree shop. I got my girls' jewelry and my hair piece through vendors on Etsy (loved these, feel free to ask if you need a couple etsy recommendations), and borrowed A LOT of things for my "outfit" from friends, or found them on clearance at random stores. Thanks to this board for planning help. It was super valuable. When I gather my thoughts after the honeymoon, I will have some of our stuff for sale.
If you have any questions about these vendors, please don't hesitate to ask. We were genuinely happy with everyone's work and felt like our day went really smoothly. Hope this helps some of you ladies (or gents!) in early planning stages. Let me know if you have any questions!