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

The Essex Culinary Resort and Spa is ANAZING! Monique has our hearts forever and always. Thank you for helping turn all our dreams into reality!

We got married 8/3/24 and had a fantastic weekend at the Essex's new venue, the Farmhouse! It is a beautiful venue that is modern and specious, but still has a Vermont feel. We loved that everything could be on site from the rehearsal dinner through the reception. Being able to stay on site with our guests added to the fullness of the weekend and made it easy to transition between events. All the staff worked hard to make our day go smoothly. Our day-of-coordinator, Cindy, was great. She was organized and helped the day flow smoothly and made sure to take care of us. As expected based on the tasting, the food was delicious and they were able to adapt to all of our guests' dietary needs. We would highly recommend the Essex and the Farmhouse to other couples!