I just got married at The Essex Inn and Spa on 8/6. It was an AMAZING wedding. I couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. I stayed in constant communication throughout the process with their event manager Emily. As I got closer to the wedding, I started working with the day of coordinator (Monique) who guided me every step of the way. She made sure that no detail was overlooked and made me feel confident going into my wedding day.

On Friday 8/5 we had our rehearsal and Monique did amazing dealing with our rowdy bridal party. Monique was patient and gave us enough practice rounds to make sure everyone knew what they should be doing. Monique didn’t miss any detail from how the bridal party was positioned, down to making sure all the guys had their hands the same way.

After rehearsal we had our rehearsal dinner in their backyard area. Out of all their options for rehearsal dinner packages, this turned out the best in my opinion. We had a buffet style dinner outside. They set up a bar outside just for our party. We opted to purchase drink tickets for our guests and then cash bar afterwards. The entire dinner was very relaxed and enjoyable. After dinner we could enjoy the backyard games, fire pit and goats.

On the actual wedding day.. minutes before the ceremony started, Monique came to me and let me know that rain was expected. I made the decision to move the ceremony inside. I’m glad we did, because it started down pouring minutes later. The staff at The Essex were SO quick in making the transition from outside to inside. My guests were amazed at how quick they were able to pull it off (like 5 minutes). As the bride, it was a little disappointing to not have the ceremony outside, but Monique and her staff made it a seamless transition that I didn’t feel one ounce of stress. The ceremony took place in the Atrium (where my reception was) and it was just as beautiful. They even brought in the arbor!

After the ceremony, The Essex staff had my entire reception area back to the way it was in another 5 minutes. By time I got back from family photos (which were quick btw), all of my guests were sitting and enjoying the cocktail hour.

The reception itself was flawlessly executed. I luckily picked vendors that have worked with The Essex and so the communication between everyone was on point. I also felt supported and never felt the need to watch the clock to make sure everything was happening when it should (I’m a project manager with a type A personality.. so that’s saying a lot).

For the food - we picked steak, salmon and a mushroom ravioli. We were able to taste all of the food during a private tasting months before our wedding. The chef brought in each entry separately followed by different cake options that we were able to mix and match. It was such a fun experience that my spouse and I were able to enjoy with our moms. We left the food tasting very full and excited to serve our guest the food on our wedding day.

Overall it was an amazing weekend! About 80% of our guests were from out of state, so it was nice that everyone could stay at the venue and not worry about driving after the reception.

Overall 10/10.

VENDORS:

Photography/Videography: Todd Stoilov - Still In Motion 10/10
DJ service: Top Hat Entertainment (Darren was our DJ - also 10/10)
Photo Booth: Top Hat Entertainment 10/10
Flowers: Flowers by Nicole (Nicole Nappi) 10/10
My Hair/Makeup (10/10): I worked through Amanda Hopcroft Hair and Makeup Artist. The actual artist who did my hair and makeup was Sarah Crowley from Finishing Touch VT.

I also worked with Amanda Hopcroft for bridal party hair/makeup. The actual artist were Jodi Anthes (independent through Amanda Hopcroft) and Rheanna Gaudette (Elan Hair Lounge)

Table cloths - The Linen Company

Emily Ellis and Julia were amazing coordinators! The process of settling all the details was easy with them in our corner, and they really go above and beyond in every way to make sure you feel special, stress-free, and so helped with everything! They even helped me stuff welcome bags and set up the gardens for our rehearsal dinner cocktail hour since the weather was nice! The venue is beyond gorgeous. the gardens and grounds were immaculate which is saying a lot since we had our wedding later in the season after so many weddings all summer.. but you would never have known! Many guests told my husband and me that it was the most fun and beautiful wedding they have ever been to, and a lot of that is kudos to the venue for making it that way!

Shana Farer-Feld was our wedding planner and we couldn't have been happier! We got married over a year ago but the day is still fresh in my mind. She was so responsiveness during the planning months, very willing to entertain ideas about food/beverage/setup in order to accommodate our budget, flexible and attentive on the big day (she did a lot of the table setup herself!), and just a plain joy to work with. She understood our needs and NEVER made us feel rushed or judged. It was truly a calming and effortless process to work with Shana during the prep week and of course the wedding day itself...she even brought us drinks right after the ceremony knowing we'd be too busy to get them ourselves. We'd get married again next year just to work with Shana and the folks at The Essex again! (*I think Shana now works at The Stowe Mountain Lodge, so if The Essex Resort isn't your style, look her up in Stowe.)