Martin's Restaurant
Regulars know to get to Martin's before noon, as this bustling brunch spot, with its no-frills menu and attitude-free staff, always fills up fast. Guests doodle with crayons on paper place mats—the best are hung on the bulletin boards—as they wait for custom omelets with homemade hash browns or French toast topped with fresh fruit. And just so lazy latecomers don't miss out, the restaurant serves brunch until 3 p.m. 49 Railroad St., Great Barrington, MA martinsgreatbarrington.com.
Feast & Fettle
Work, school, soccer practice, dance, repeat: When life gets too busy to spend time in the kitchen, Feast & Fettle is there with fully cooked, locally sourced, restaurant-quality meals. Born from a chef’s desire to nourish busy families, the service caters to all needs and appetites with flexible delivery plans, allergy-conscious options, and kid-friendly menus. Bonus points for an eco-friendly delivery model that leaves customers with zero (yes, zero) waste thanks to reusable delivery containers. feastandfettle.com.
Chive Events
Drawing from an arsenal of locally sourced produce, Chive whips up such mouthwatering dishes as apple-and-wine-braised short ribs and decadent cocoa-caramel cream puffs. Need another reason to book? To avoid wasting food, the company delivers leftovers to local composting businesses. Virtue never tasted so good. 30 Rantoul St., Beverly, MA 01915, chiveevents.com.
Saltbox Kitchen
Chef-owner Ben Elliott, whose grandparents started the family farm in the 1940s, grows garden staples and lesser-known heirloom veggies and raises sheep for meat, chickens for eggs, and bees for honey, which translates to the freshest ingredients possible on your wedding plate. His stint as chef de cuisine at Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park, meanwhile, translates to creative, beautifully plated dishes—from wild striped bass with tomato agrodolce in the summer to handmade tagliatelle with white-wine-braised rabbit and charred baby onions in the fall. 84 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, MA saltboxkitchen.com.
Boston Unique Events
It's your wedding and all you got was this lousy, rubbery chicken. Make your special day special by hiring Boston Unique Events. Owner Susan Callender puts together wedding menus with a chef s eye, and her seasonal dishes lemon-marinated grilled scallops, warm pumpkin-ginger bisque, seafood crêpes with thyme cream made with fresh ingredients and plated with a subtle flair, ensure the food looks as good as you do. 498 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA bostonuniqueevents.com.
James O'Donnell & Sons
Tim O'Donnell believes in exiting with style. He considers a wake de rigeur, and, on the day of the funeral, is resplendent in top hat and cape. The only thing missing is the Mormon Taberenacle Choir singing "Dies Irae, Dies Illae." 276 Pawtucket St., Lowell, MA .
Uva
We've always loved the Nauset Beach Club, on the Cape, which is owned by Campbells' parents, so we were very happy to see the kids come to Boston. 1418 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton, MA .
Union Oyster House
Oysters on the half shell at the Union Oyster House, 41 Union St., Boston. Straight from the Cape, fresh daily. Stay at the raw bar ($2.95 for six); upstairs they cost more. 41 Union St., Boston, MA .
Max Ultimate Food
The sadly standard wedding victuals (banal cheese selections, limp veggie platters) find no place on the menus of MAX Ultimate Food, provider of both impeccable service and outstanding cuisine. The company's repertoire marries the creative with the classic: grilled shrimp with blood orange glaze, roasted duck and caramelized shallot tartlet, and lobster blini tied with chive. There's no taste too exotic, no request too outlandish for the indefatigable crew headed by good veterans Neal Balkowitsch and Dan Mathieu—from tiny weddings to big fat Greek blowouts. 100 Magazine St., Boston, MA maxultimatefood.com.
Nouveau Fashion Gallery
Wallflowers need not apply: Made from materials such as Lucite and even recycled paper, the bold, chunky necklaces at this Copley Place boutique owned by the ultra-stylish Ophelia Bakon and her sisters are conversation pieces that can turn even the simplest outfit into a showstopper. Throw one on with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt or your favorite LBD, and you’ll be hearing “Where did you get that?” all day long. Copley Place, Boston, MA 02116, stylenu.com.
Crane & Co. Papermaker
Dalton-based Crane's 100 percent cotton paper has been used exclusively to make U.S. currency since 1879. And while your wedding invitations may be slightly less official than that, they're no less important—and should be no less grand. Crane's seasoned staff sees to it that your stock and print quality are the finest possible, and that you've got everything covered, from save-the-date cards to envelope linings and thank-you notes. Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St., Boston, MA crane.com.
The Bite
If the location in Menemsha's western cove feels a bit desolate, rest assured: The Bite's bright blue picnic tables will beckon like a desert oasis. You'll quickly find yourself tearing through brown paper bags turned translucent with grease to get at overflowing cartons of oysters, clams, zucchini, and shrimp delicately fried to a flavorful crisp. Grab a cup of the creamy quahog chowder to complete what might be the quintessential summer meal. 29 Basin Rd., Chilmark, MA 2535, thebitemenemsha.com.
Long's Jewelers
The 900-pound, umpteen-carat gorilla of the region's jewelry scene, Long's caters to North Shore treasure-hunters with 12,500-square-foot showrooms in Burlington and Peabody—and that's on top of five equally brilliant locations elsewhere in New England. With the 130-year-old company growing strong, customers reap the benefits in the form of a dazzling array of designer jewelry (John Hardy, Marco Bicego), rock-solid Swiss timepieces, and gifts that now include the famed Shreve gurgling cod. 35 Cross St., Peabody, MA 1960, longsjewelers.com.
Ski Market
Year after year, we find new winter gear we can't live without. So year after year, we revisit Ski Market. The store caters to everyone from bunny slopers to the black-diamond crowd with snowboards, snowshoes, and skis from A-list manufacturers like Salomon and Rossignol. It also carries sleek wear from the North Face, Burton, and Nordica that will keep enthusiasts looking cool—no matter how often or hard they fall. 860 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 2213, skimarket.com.
Waterworks
Essentially a shrine to all things bath-related, Waterworks stocks handcut crystal sink accessories, refreshing grapefruit and ginger soaps, seductively quilted robes, and chrome faucet spouts so shiny you can see yourself in the reflection. With everything from cast-iron claw foot tubs to matte nickel toilet-paper holders, it's little wonder this temple of clean calls its tempting contents "jewelry for the bath." 103 Newbury St., Boston, MA .