Hired a string duo to play the ceremony. They were very professional, sounded great outdoors, and even played well with someone singing (without a rehearsal).
We went the inexpensive route and hired school buses for wedding transportation. Not the classiest thing but it has a certain charm. It was cheap, easy, and the buses were clean and nice; however, the bus driver left each stop too early and didn't return so some guests were left stranded. On the other hand, they put up with a lot of drunk people who I'm sure were annoying at the end of the night and didn't complain a bit.
We wanted an fun, informal rehearsal dinner. We were able to rent the second floor for free since it was off-season and we took over the whole space. Food was great but simple and the price can't be beat.
Somewhat pricey but worth it. The staff members were incredible and everyone loved the food. They did everything we asked and made the whole planning process a lot of fun. Having a great caterer is more important that I realized - a good point person practically runs the whole reception behind the scene and can keep everything running smoothly.
This is a Boston band that we hired for the cocktail hour and reception but they traveled down to CT for no charge. They were great: everyone was dancing, everything was on schedule, great songs, etc. I really can't say anything bad about them.