The Lakewood Inn Restaurant, Madison, ME - C-
Though the area is gorgeous and the location was exactly what we wanted, the service really wasn’t. They cut us off a half hour early for our reception and didn’t give us any heads up, I was not impressed. Katie Quinn, the restaurant manager, is not the easiest person to get along with and was very rude and bossy towards me and my mother as well as the bridal party during the rehearsal. FI and I had been to dinner there a few times and had done our tasting and chosen our menu options. Well, when the wedding day came around, the dishes were nowhere near what we had selected, nor would we have paid the price we did for the food we received. We also noticed that some of the apps that were supposed to be out during the cocktail hour weren’t. Katie was almost impossible to contact for questions, unless it was something she needed from you. Overall, the scenery and the atmosphere really weren’t enough to turn this one around. We did have a fabulous wedding and a good time, but I would not want to deal with them all over again.
The Colony Inn, Madison, ME – A+
The night before the wedding, my bridal party and many members of my family stayed at the Colony Inn. They have 2 private cottages on the lake and I believe 4 or 5 rooms in the Inn. The Inn is run by an older couple who were both very nice. We used the cottage to get ready in the day of the wedding and we had free range of the grounds for pictures. I figured they would just serve a continental breakfast, but instead they served a really nice breakfast of French toast and bacon, and it was the best French toast I ever had.
The power went out right before our wedding started due to an accident on the Main road, the own of the Inn let us use his generator for the ceremony and first part of the reception, which was a life saver. Overall it was a great experience, and I would recommend them even if you’re just looking for a nice little place by the lake to get away for a few days.
Portland Photo booth Co., Portland, ME – A++
Seriously the best $150 I ever spent! Justin was awesome to work with and all of the guests really enjoyed his personality. He helped them all find outfits and props for the wedding. All of the guests really enjoyed the photo booth and had a great time. It was definitely the hit of the evening! We only had it open for 90 minutes (less actually due to the venue kicking us out early). I get the CD copy of our photos in about a week and I can’t wait. We also had a scrapbook by the booth so guests could put their photos in and leave a message. But honestly, anyone who can get my grandfather in a pimp suit is a rockstar in my book!
Generations The Salon, Newport, ME – Brooke Mountain – A+
Brooke and I went to high school together, so it was easy for me to trust her when my original plan fell through. Brooke came to us at the cottage and did 7 girls in about 3 ½ hours! Her prices were very reasonable and she only charged $10 for trial runs, which was good because I needed 2 of them. She was really easy to work with and to help each girl figure out what it was they wanted done.
The Bankery & Fleuriste, Skowhegan, ME – A++
I cannot say enough good things about this place. Mike has amazing talent and the cake itself was delicious! Mike took my inspiration and went with it and the results were awesome! I could not be happier in my decision to use them! We also had a pasty platter for the day of and it was super tasty, everyone loved it! Darcy did my bouquet and the garland for the wedding, both came out really nice. Also, because we ordered our cake there, we got a 10% discount on the flowers!
Sams Club, Online Bulk Floral – A-
We ordered white roses in bulk for the centerpieces and arrangements; I also order 12 of their white rose heads for the cake stand. The rose heads were not as open as they appeared to be in the picture online, but they served the purpose they were needed for. The 200 long stem roses came in right on time, I prepped them to the best of my ability as they did not come with instructions like they are supposed to. I received them on Wednesday, but Thursday they were opening up quite nicely and on Friday and Saturday they looked amazing. Everyone kept asking me where the flowers came from because they looked so nice. I am so glad that I decided to go with them instead of having a florist do this. It saved me a ton of $$$$.
Andreas Bridal, Portland, ME – A+
I worked with Julia and Laura at Andreas Bridal and they were both extremely helpful. The bridesmaid’s dresses looked amazing and they were the perfect shade of purple for the wedding. The dresses came in right when expected and everything was correct. They allowed my bridesmaids to do a payment plan, which was really helpful to them. Because their service was so great I wished I had waited to pick out my wedding gown and that I had gotten it at Andreas instead.
The Bridal Gallery, Bangor, ME - C
It was so long ago that I got my dress now that it’s hard to remember everything that happened, but I do remember it being a nightmare. My dress came in 4 months late, and the service there was not up to par. I felt like some of the people who worked there didn’t have any idea what they were talking about. I would not recommend using them, instead I would say go to Andrea’s, you’ll thank me.
Are you ready to Party? Waterville, ME – B
We ordered our PA system, chairs, and lighting from them. Their prices were fairly reasonable, which is why we ended up going with them. However, when we were trying to decide on things, there were about 7 employees standing behind the counter talking about last Saturday, and none of them went out of their way to help us. Eventually an employee did come over but she didn’t know the answers to most of our questions. Their pick up and return policy was very flexible. However, they did give us the wrong PA system.
Strictly Formal, Bangor, ME – A
Everything came in on time and correct and they were very understanding and did not charge us when a family emergency prevented some of the tuxes from being returned on time. The girl that we worked with was very nice and helpful, and she seemed to keep everything pretty organized.
The Heritage House, Skowhegan, ME – B
The food is amazing! In the past when we have gone to dinner there, it usually takes a while as service is spread out over time to allow you to enjoy each course without the next one pushing it aside. We chose this location for the rehearsal dinner because it was close to the venue and the food was good. However, it did take 3 hours to serve 30 people salad and dinner entrees (apps were stationed when we arrived). Though the servers were really nice, things were just making it out of the kitchen really slow and we had a lot of guests who had to travel an hour or more home.