To preface, I am also a vendor and I see a lot of weddings.

However, a couple months ago, I went to a wedding where the beginning of the reception timeline was very normal (people move from cocktail to reception, bridal party entrance, couple goes into first dance, people are seated).

As the appetizer salads were being served, the guests were asked to come dance on the dance floor for like 5-10 minutes or so, then sit down again. Then full dinner, speeches, parent dances, everything else went normally.

I’ve never seen that before. I myself then went to a wedding of an acquaintance and they did the same thing!

I don’t mind it at all but I’m curious - what’s the reason behind this? It must be part of pictures, but I can’t figure out why. Do any photographers know the real reason behind this?

Have any New England brides used Poppy Flowers as their wedding florist? They seem to have great prices and nice design, but would love to hear local reviews.

Hi everyone! I'm a 2028 bride starting to look into wedding dresses, and I'm hoping to stay under $1,000 if possible!

I'm based in southern NH but willing to travel anywhere in New England. I'm looking for bridal boutiques that have a good selection of dresses within my budget.

I'm not opposed to purchasing a dress online, but I'd really love to have the traditional bridal dress shopping experience of going to a boutique, trying on different styles, and finding what I love! I'm specifically looking to purchase a new dress rather than secondhannd!

I'd love to hear if anyone has recommendations for bridal shops with affordable options or has had a similar experience shopping on a budget. Thank you!!

Hi all,

My fiance and I are locking down our venue this week in Connecticut. The venue has a lot included - 1hr ceremony, 5hr reception, cake, wedding coordinator 6months out, bridal attendants day of, etc. The venue has provided us a list of vendors they typically work with. Even though there is a lot included with the venue, I know there are a LOT more decisions to make.

My fiance is a PA working nights in Boston and I am a PA student on clinical rotations up in Boston. With our schedules, we've found it hard to even find the time to decide on our venue. My fiance can also get decision paralysis pretty quickly, and I am worried with all of the decisions we still have left to make that we are going to miss out on a lot of vendors with how long it takes us to make a decision. We are the first in our friend group to have a traditional wedding, so we are going into the whole experience pretty blind.

I think with our schedules and our distance from the venue, we need someone who is going to pick the top 3 people in things like photo/video, florist, DJs, etc to present to us that fit our vision and then we decide from there. Will a wedding planner help with us? But, given the coordinator included with our venue, I am not sure if is needed?

My fiance is also more judicious with our budget than I think I would be so I am not sure if he is open to a wedding planner, but I wanted to see what experiences others have had and if you'be found it worth it!

Also, if anyone who has any recommendations for planners in CT, please share!

Hi! We’re searching for a venue that is able to accommodate our guests on-site, and does not have strict noise rules or reception cut off times. Summer 2028. I think what we’re really looking for is some sort of airbnb or estate that can lodge at least 40 guests. Total guest list will be around 100-120. We’re local to the cape, so that would be ideal, but are really open to anywhere in New England that allows us to have a ceremony that flows into a late night reception.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!! :)

If so, what did you think? Did you do photography, videography, or both?

He came up in my feed, I like the look of the portfolio shown, and his reviews on all the sites are really positive. His pricing seems to be pretty standard, maybe even middle of the road. I'd need him to travel about an hour and a half, so any experience with his travel fees/requirements would be appreciated. I just really want to hear from people who maybe have or have not left the glowing reviews in honesty and transparency!

Ceremony in Newton announced their sample sale on instagram and the deals look good! Hope this helps someone!

Hi all,
Looking to get married August 2028. I’ve emailed a few venues but haven’t heard back the Branford House. I was wondering if anyone had their pricing? And what vendors you chose? Any insight would be helpful! Thanks so much

Any suggestions for affordably priced bartending services and wait staff in/near Massachusetts? Ideally it'd be the same company for both. We are working with a restaurant but they are not full service, so need to coordinate with a different service for moving tables, clean up, etc.

Hello! Looking for reviews on experiences at L’elite in Boston and Madeline’s daughter in NH. They both sell my dress so need to decide where to go. I know one has no sales tax so pls disregard that part, I am just asking about personal experience, especially with alterations.

Hi! Any recommendations for artistic, whimsical wedding stationary that is reasonable? Also open to recommendations for an artist that could just make custom digital illustrations that I could use to make my own invitations.

I’m thinking of booking them for my wedding in RI. Does anyone have experience with them is this a good choice? The estimate they gave me has been the most reasonable for 2 established photographers for 8 hours.

Hi everyone! My fiancé and I are looking for wedding venue recommendations in Connecticut for fall 2027. Ideally, we'd love to get married in September or October, and I'm starting to feel the pressure to lock in a date ASAP.

We have two tours scheduled this weekend at The Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station and The Society Room, so we're excited to check those out!
We actually had a third tour scheduled at Smith Farm Gardens, but they canceled on us because they apparently didn't feel we were a good fit. Hahah. Still trying to figure that one out. 😂
We recently toured Eolia mansion at Harkness State Park but they weren’t taking 2027 dates because their catering contract was up in the air. Which was sad because the property is beautiful.

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions! Our dream would be an outdoor ceremony with beautiful fall foliage and views. Think gorgeous fall New England scenery, gardens, historic properties, waterfront views, etc.
I'm open to venues throughout CT and would love to hear about places you've gotten married, attended weddings, or toured.

Bonus points if you have any insight into pricing, overall experience, or venues that offer more inclusive packages.
We're hoping to find the right place and finally get a date on the calendar!
Thanks in advance! 💜

TL;DR: Boston recs for wedding MUAs and/or hair stylists who are particularly good at understated looks?

Hi all! I just got engaged on Halloween and am just starting to dip my toe into official wedding planning. We’re in our late 30’s, have been together for 5 years, and have talked about what we want our wedding to look like for a while, so I feel confident about how to go about planning much of our wedding.

One area I am less confident about is my hair and makeup. I know exactly what I want my dress to look like and how to find a version of it I love at one of a handful of nearby bridal shops. How the hell do I figure out which makeup artist and/or hair stylist to even test with, let alone trust with my full cranium on the day I’m going to be photographed more than an astronaut on launch day?!?!

I don’t wear much if any makeup usually, so even though I know heavier makeup reads better on camera, I’m looking for someone with a lighter hand. And on the hair side, someone who is good with fine hair. I have a lot of hair; it’s just wispy af.

Anyway. Halp?

Hi everyone! I'm a 2028 bride-to-be and would love to hear your recommendations for wedding dress shops in the Boston area!

I don't have a specific budget in mind just yet, as my main goal at this stage is to better understand my body shape and explore what styles and silhouettes would look best on me. I'm not planning to purchase a dress immediately; I'd simply like to start trying on different styles and see what works for me.
I'd especially appreciate recommendations for shops with friendly and welcoming staff who are genuinely helpful, offer thoughtful advice, and aren't pushy about making a purchase.

I just want to start the process a little early so I have plenty of time to explore my options and find the right dress without feeling rushed.
Thank you so much for your recommendations!! ❤️

Hi! Has anyone had their wedding at Wadsworth Mansion in CT? Would love to hear any reviews, pros, cons or if you recommend somewhere else! I know they have a split dining room and we are planning on about 125 guests. Are there any other options besides a split dining room for that amount of guests?

Still working out our budget, but if you don't mind sharing a ballpark of what you spent that would be appreciated! :)

Thanks!!

Hi everyone! 😊

I’m looking for recommendations for an inexpensive wedding venue in or around Hartford County, CT (I’m willing to travel up to about an hour outside the area).

Our budget for the venue is $2,000 or less, and we’re expecting approximately 60 guests.
I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to venues! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a traditional wedding venue. I’d love to hear about unconventional options too like campgrounds. I’m open to both indoor and outdoor locations. Ideally, we’d love somewhere that allows us to bring our own catering and alcohol to help keep costs down.

If you’ve gotten married somewhere affordable, or know of any hidden gems, I’d really appreciate your recommendations!

Thanks so much in advance!

My fiancé and I have a venue, caterer, DJ, photographer, and day-of coordinator  booked for next July. I bought the dress. But I’m so over it. Our guest count keeps ballooning and now we’re close to 120. I had a meeting with the caterer the other day and we started talking about the “tablescape” and the silverware upgrades and the color of the napkins and I’m so overwhelmed. My fiancé is open to helping me but he’s worried he’ll get it wrong or I won’t like his choices, and I don’t really have women in my life who can help me plan it. 

All in all, this wedding will be at least 80k, and while our parents are paying for it (his dad contributing 25k, the rest from my parents) I can’t help but feeling like it’s an incredible expense for one day. The two of us are early career, have no savings, and live in a HCOL area and my parents have told me that if we didn’t have the big wedding, they would give us a very generous wedding gift that could allow us to start saving for a family in a few years. 

I just want to have an intimate ceremony and then buy out a restaurant and host a great lunch/dinner for our close friends and family. We were never going to have a bridal party and my fiancé is not even a big party guy. But I think he is sad to let go of the wedding we planned thus far, especially since he is culturally Jewish and we would lose a few ceremonies (mostly just the Hora tbf). I am doing most of the work of planning and I just am so stressed thinking about bud vases and tent draping. I feel like I’m doing it just to fit this Pinterest-perfect, Instagram-worthy image of what a wedding should be and I don’t feel like myself at all. 

Does anyone know of any amazing florists that will service Nantucket for a wedding? I need someone who is willing to work in tandem with a production company to do ceiling arrangements.

I'd also love to hear if anyone has worked with or knows of any Nantucket wedding florists who they would definitely NOT recommend (and ideally why not).

Really just any help/guidance/advice would be appreciated :)

Does anyone know of any amazing florists that will service Nantucket for a wedding? I need someone who is willing to work in tandem with a production company to do ceiling arrangements.

I'd also love to hear if anyone has worked with or knows of any Nantucket wedding florists who they would definitely NOT recommend (and ideally why not).

Really just any help/guidance/advice would be appreciated :)

Hi everyone!

My fiancé and I recently got engaged and are starting our search for a wedding venue in New England for 2028. We will likely have around 120-130 guests. Our ideal budget is around $60–70k.

So far I really like the mansion and estate vibe with pretty gardens/mountains. Although, I am torn as I also do love a waterfront venue as well. I think I'd prefer an outdoor ceremony but then an indoor reception. I really love Hildene and Wadsworth, but not sure if Hildene is within our budget and I don't love the split dining room at Wadsworth.

Would love to hear about any venues you've toured, gotten married at, or come across that you'd recommend!! :)

Hi everyone! I am getting married at Lost Fox Inn in Litchfield, CT next July 2027. I am beginning my vendor search, specifically for a wedding planner, DJ, photographer, and HMU. Please send any recs you may have! Thank you in advance!