Just got married 2 weeks ago! It was a wonderful day- no snags, nice weather. I live in NYC, grew up in RI, so clear and easy communication was a huge factor in picking my vendors, since I could only visit RI a handful of times before the wedding. xposted to WeddingChannel
Venue
Kinney Bungalow at Sunset Farms- A
Loved it! Brandi, the coordinator, was always easy to get in touch with through phone or email, and was very helpful in making a layout and arranging rentals. The venue itself is absolutely gorgeous and doesn't need much in terms of decoration, but it is a little oddly shaped. I think the layout makes it a little more intimate. We had our ceremony in the yard in the back, and the reception inside. We had 65 guests, and had plenty of space for dancing/tables/milling around.
Catering
Tom's Market Catering- A+
Amazing food! Very reasonably priced, and excellent service. We did a heavy cocktail style reception, with passed hors d'oeuvres, and everyone remarked on how good the food was. They like to act as a day-of-coordinator, and were very helpful throughout the whole process. Easy to get in touch with, which was a huge plus.
Flowers
Golden Gate Studios- A-
Jay and Tai were a pleasure to work with, and they really did a lot with our low flower budget. There was a little initial miscommunication, but the final centerpieces and decorations were gorgeous. I do think my bouquet was too large, it was pretty heavy and cumbersome, but super pretty and held up well.
Dresses
White Dress by the Shore (Clinton, CT)- A-
I wanted a tea-length dress, so I had to shop around a bit. WDBTS had a large number of amazing, unique, quality dresses. The salesperson was great about working with a different look, and wasn't pushy at all, and I walked away with a sample dress that I was thrilled with. However, my bridesmaids dresses took FOREVER to come in- we did dresses earlier than recommended, so it worked out ok, but I would've been sweating otherwise. Amazing bridal experience, though!
DJ
Moondance Productions- A+
Alan did a really good job- he kept a nice flow to the evening, was low key, worked in a bunch of great songs at the right time. The sound was good, both inside and outside, and my family actually danced!! It takes a very good DJ to get my side of the family to get up and boogie. Overall, he was great to work with, and was very nicely priced.
Alterations
Sewing Creations by Rose- A+
Took a size 10 sample down to a perfectly fitting 4/6 in 2 visits, was a total sweetheart, and by far the best value of any of the vendors I worked with.
Photographer
Gabrielle Marks Photography- A (pending)
Great to work with for complimentary engagement photos, and I'm super happy with our sneak peek photos. She and her assistant/husband, Matt, were inconspicuous but always around during the ceremony and reception, and I'm really looking forward to the final product!!
Hair and Makeup
Sara Faella- A
I'm not a fancy hair/makeup kind of person, so I knew I needed someone to help me out on the day of. Sara was a pleasure to work with, although she can be tricky to get in touch with sometimes. My hair looked great and stayed put pretty well throughout the night. She did makeup for me, my bridal party, and my mom and MOG, who all have a variety of skin tones- we all looked our best! She's super peppy, and it was a big stress relief to have someone take care of our makeup.
Officiant (Justice of the Peace)
Peter K. Rosedale- A
Gave a very nice, thoughtful ceremony, and worked with us to personalize it.
Day of Coordinator
Couture Bridal- B-
I'm a little biased, since my mom hired her, but I didn't think she was particularly necessary. Most of the vendors already did what she offered to do (layouts, assisting in setup/decoration, running errands on the day of, timelines, contacting other vendors), and she was pretty pushy about her versions of things, even after I had made decisions. It just felt like another person to be kept in the loop, and she was frequently difficult to find during the actual reception and shrugged off some of the groom's requests. My mom regretted the contract due to the additional stress. It was helpful to have her help clean up the venue after the party and haul away things, though, but not worth the money.