Another Wedding Wednesday, another blog and another featured bride. Alyssa and Josh were married in 2016 and were happy to offer us some insight on how they chose the vendors for their wedding day. As always, first we will get to the know couple and then I will let Alyssa explain how she and Josh chose each vendor. Let’s get started with the fun stuff- Their love story!

 

Their Story:

 

According to Alyssa, when she and Josh first met it wasn’t your typical fairy tale beginning. This is not a “love at first sight” love story. Both Alyssa and Josh attended Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) and while they lived in the same town, they didn’t meet until 2010 while both working at a store on the CCSU campus. At first, Alyssa wasn’t feeling Josh. He would tease her and she didn’t like it.

They ended up taking the same Art History course and would study together, despite her disapproval of his teasing. During this time they realized they really had a lot in common. Turns out, similar to little kids on the playground, he was picking on her because he had a crush on her! It wasn’t long until they were going on dates to art galleries and museums and spending time working on their art projects side by side. They even co-curated a few local exhibitions and participated in art shows together. Safe to say, they ended up liking each other quite a bit. One thing leads to another and they were engaged in December of 2014 and added a puppy to their little family in 2015. After their wedding, they added another furry friend to the family, Gus.

Now, Alyssa and Josh live in a house they bought together and turned their extra room into a shared studio space. Alyssa and Josh both still enjoy working on their art, but as new homeowners have come to love gardening and working on DIY home projects together. Not only are they husband and wife, but they are best friends, artists, and pet lovers. A match made in heaven!

Now that you know how Alyssa and Josh fell in love, we will dive into how they chose their vendors for their big day. Alyssa and Josh, like many people planning a wedding, chose their vendors based on three criteria: quality of work, professionalism, and budget. CT offers a plethora of wedding professionals, so you won’t be short of options. One tip though? Try to only look at three possible vendors for each before hiring the one you will use on your big day. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting caught in Analysis Paralysis and it will make it much harder to make a decision. The sea is full of fish, but you don’t need to talk to them all!

 

How did you choose your venue?

We visited a total of 3 venues. The first was pricey and included nothing but the space. The 2nd was modestly priced and included everything, but wasn’t what we had envisioned. The 3rd was The Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station and it was just right. The venue itself is actually gorgeous, and that is an understatement. The price was on the higher end of moderate, but it included so much that it was definitely worth it. Catering, open-bar, ceremony space, a choice between 2 cake artists, both an on-site coordinator and a bridal attendant were all inclusive. What stands out above all is the quality of service, professionalism, responsiveness, and attention to detail. The Riverhouse staff truly goes above and beyond. When you think of something that could possibly go wrong, they are 2 steps ahead of you and have already taken care of it. I can honestly say I did not have to worry about something going wrong at all on my wedding day. When Josh and I left the venue after visiting the first time, we were on our way to visit another venue, but we were so amazed and convinced that The Riverhouse was right for us we cancelled our other meeting and went back to reserve our date!

Venue? Check! A venue often should be the first thing that you check off your planning checklist. Your venue can dictate many things when it comes to your big day. While many venues have “preferred vendors” some have required vendors. Some venues also have built in services including cakes, linen rentals, and DJs. It is important to be sure you need a cake decorator before you hire one! Get a feel for the venue and their rules before you get too far into hiring outside vendors.

 

How did you choose your photographer?

3 seemed to be the magic number for a lot of our vendors. Sam Chyung was the 3rd photographer we met with. We found him by searching through probably 30 photographers’ pages on The Knot. We were so impressed with Sam’s photos on his website. Josh and I were looking for a photographer who could capture the story of our wedding day. Sam has such an attention to detail and amazing eye for candid shots. When we met with him, he was so interested in learning more about us both individually and as a couple. I think this helped him capture our personalities in both our engagement and wedding photos. He actually brought a finished album with him to show us examples of his work which we thought was very professional and not something we had seen with other photographers we met. On our wedding day, of course we had some posed portraits, but for the rest of the photos, we did not even see Sam catch the amazing candid shots he did! His technique allowed us to feel very natural, even during some of the posed shots, he has a very calming presence. We are so pleased with the work he did, and have even more photos than he promised!

With the photographer picked for the big day, next up is your hair and makeup team. If you invest in a great photographer, you want to make sure you look your absolute best. Wedding photos are something you will look back on for years to come. Time to pick the beauty team that creates the flawless look that lasts all day.

 

How did you chose your makeup team?

Finding a makeup artist was not one of the things I was looking forward to when it came to wedding planning. Pam at KiSsandMaKeUp was one of the last vendors I booked, and I felt like at that time I was exhausted from searching for all the other vendors! I had no idea how much makeup should cost, what kind of makeup I needed, and I was so nervous I would end up looking like I was wearing a mask. I’m so glad I chose Pam. From the start, she was very professional and just so easy to talk to. During my makeup trial, Pam assessed my skin and its needs and was able to determine what would work best for me, while still being open to my requests. What I really liked is that my wedding day look did not look “fake.” Pam was able enhance my features and add just a little bit of drama which is exactly what I wanted. All of my bridesmaids absolutely loved their makeup, and I couldn’t be happier with how everyone’s makeup turned out.

Planning a wedding is a lot of work and every bride wants that moment where everything comes together and their day looks and feels just like they imagined while planning it. With the right team behind you, you will be comfortable, beautiful and stress-free on your big day.