Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Though chance of rain loomed large upon the horizon on Tess & James’ wedding day, the couple’s sunny disposition won out, and the weather obligingly turned pristine. This beautiful outdoor ceremony took place at the coastal French’s Point estate in Stockton Springs, Maine.

French’s Point served as both a home state wedding venue for Tess, who is from northern Maine, as well as a knockout destination venue for James’ family, who calls England home. Not only do Tess and James herald from entirely different continents, but they met on a third while Tess was singing in Hong Kong! The couple decided to have a travel themed wedding in honor of how they met, their international guest list, and the fact that both Tess and James travel for work (Tess is a singer and James a pilot).

Christina Grimsley, the couple’s event coordinator, recalls how much she liked the flow of the event. “We were able to unfold one event at a time, keeping the guests and the couple themselves looking forward to what was next! The ceremony was held at the gazebo, with cocktail hour following on the terrace. Guests were then invited inside the estate for an underworld sea-life experience. After dinner guests danced the night away in our sailcloth tent to the Larry Williams Band.”

Christina’s comment highlights one of French’s Point’s best features: the ability of the estate to offer multiple spaces for a single event, making it possible to have every part of your wedding at the venue without it ever feeling old or crowded. This is partly due to the fact that the venue rents out the entire estate to a single event at a time, meaning that guests can have the run of the entire complex, which includes not only a gorgeous multi-story estate house complete with a wood-paneled ballroom and granite-tiled bathrooms, but also the ability to freely explore the grounds of the estate, which are replete with little hideaways like rows of Adirondack chairs overlooking Maine’s rocky coast and a secluded rope-swing. From May-Oct, French’s Point also offers a luxurious tent that can fit up to 300 guests, has poured concrete floors that mimic the texture and color of wood (so they’re both beautiful and perfectly level for dancing!) and has a built-in area for caterers. The perfect combination of elegant form and function!

As you can see from the pictures below, Tess & James took full advantage of this stunning Maine venue, utilizing all parts of the estate while filling it to the brim with love and laughter, as well as Tess’ gorgeous jazz singing when she serenaded her new husband!

Congratulations to Tess & James, and a huge thank you to Cuppa Photography for sharing these swoon-worthy photos with us and to Ready Set Film for their fabulous video, which can be seen directly below!

Venue: French’s Point
Event Cooridnator: Christina Grimsley, French’s Point
Invitations: Minted
Hair & Makeup: Jessica Candage
Transportation: Cyr Bus Line
Officiate: Family Friend
Ceremony, Cocktail, Dinner & Dancing Entertainment: Larry Williams Band
Flowers: Chapel Hill Floral
Designer: Brett McCormack
Dessert: Nothing Bakes Like A Parrott
Photographer: Cuppa Photography
Videography: Ready Set Film
Venue: French’s Point

At it’s core, the most important thing that your save-the-dates and wedding invitations can do is to tell your potential guests the time, location, and date of your wedding. But a wedding invitation is so much more than just that! It’s also one of the first public communications about your wedding, and it can help your guests know what to expect when it comes to the tone and style of your wedding.

For instance, pick a card that looks like this, and you’ll be telling your guests to get ready for a fun, quirky, and casual time at your wedding.

Pick a card that has this look and feel, on the other hand, and you’ll be prepping your guests for a more formal occasion (though no less fun!)

Wording also matters greatly in setting the tone and formality of your wedding. Keep it traditional by using proper surnames and the third person. Or make it more personal by using “we’d be honored” and nicknames or fun wordplay.

From the paper weight, to the font style, your choices in your invitation say a lot. But don’t get too caught up on any of the details! In the end, invitations are only one aspect of your wedding and will not make or break your big day. Whatever style invitation you end up going with, however, make sure to do your guests a favor by having a clear call to action on your invitation, such as RSVPing or inviting them to visit your wedding website for more information.

Are you looking for a wedding website for your upcoming New England wedding but overwhelmed by all the choices? We’re here to help. We broke it down to a few important questions you need to ask yourself, along with different websites you can use.

Start by asking yourself, “Do I want to pay to for my wedding website?” This question also goes hand-in-hand with having a custom domain name (Example: ourlastnamewedding.com). Chances are, if you want a custom domain name, you gotta pay, but there are plenty of good free sites to choose from as well. Here’s the break down:

Squarespace.com : Easy to use – drag and drop style, minimal & clean, two weeks free trial & a custom domain name. Browse Squarespace wedding templates here. ($14/month, no coding needed)

Wix.com : Completely customizable & user-friendly, hundreds of templates to choose from and a custom domain available in paid option. Browse Wix wedding templates here.  (free – with a paid option, no coding needed)

WeddingWire.com : More than just a website; it also comes with free wedding planning tools (checklist, budget, seating chat, guest lists & more). 400+ website designs, browse here.  (free, no coding needed)

Now of course, these are just a few of the many options available (like all things wedding related!). But, with our years of experience in the wedding industry, we have found these to be the most popular and easy-to-use.

So once you’ve chosen which platform is going to help you build your website, you have to begin thinking of what you want to include. This is where the Dos & Don’ts come in.

Do’s & Don’ts

• Add your engagement photos and your love story. Unlike Facebook, your website is a place where you don’t have to worry about “over-sharing.” The people visiting your page want to know more about you and your fiancee.
• You can even add an “about the wedding party” section. This is a fun way to introduce who will be taking part in your big day and gives your guests a chance to get to know them.
• While it is still seen as unacceptable to add your registry on your invitations or save the dates, your website is a great spot to share your registry information!
• Add travel information for guests from afar. Where can they stay? What is there to do in the area? This will help these guests make travel arrangements in advance. And they are more likely to come if they can make a mini vacation out of it!
• If you choose to blog about the wedding planning process, remember to stay positive! Adding rants or complaining is only going to create drama and steer away guests from your site.
• Create your site as early as possible (before the save the dates if you can). By sharing the word about your big day early, you’ll be able to iron out all the details in the upcoming planning faster.

Hope this post answers a few questions you have been debating. Happy website building!

Danielle & Josh enjoyed their engagement session on a beautiful fall day walking across crunched leaves at Gilsland Farms, part of the Maine Audubon Center, and finished their session snuggled on the coast at East End Beach. Bethany & Dan Photography captured the epitome of a perfect Maine engagement. The couple even got to include their fur-baby: Sophie! From the radiant light shining through the trees at the farm to the purple and pink sunset along the beach, these photos are truly breathtaking and capture the love between this gorgeous couple.

Thanks again Bethany & Dan Photography for the stunning images!

How they met, in their own words:

Our story begins in Costa Rica in January 2013. As an AP environmental science teacher, Chip was bringing a group of students to Costa Rica for a high school leadership summit in April. Shawna was helping with the public relations surrounding the summit, and we had four days of orientation for teachers and staff in January.

It was a hot day and we were about to embark on a two-hour bus ride into the rain forest. Shawna asked if any of the teachers would like a bottle of water, and Chip eagerly raised his hand. Shawna tried to get him one, but the bus had to leave. She explained to Chip that she couldn’t get him a new bottle of water, but asked if he would like to share hers. He said sure.

And the rest is history… After sharing that bottle of water and talking non-stop for the two-hour bus ride, we spent the weekend exploring the rain forest, zip-lining through the trees, drinking Imperial and dancing to Foot Loose. By the time we had to say goodbye on Monday morning, we vowed to give our relationship a shot – both knowing that we had met a very special person.

Chip immediately booked a flight to Boston, and we went back and forth between Boston and DC for six months. When it came time to look for a summer teaching job, Chip landed a position at Harvard Summer School and we knew it was our best chance to be in the same city together. Despite getting the stomach flu during our first road trip from DC to Boston (isn’t that some de facto relationship requirement?), we spent the summer picnicking on the Charles River, eating lobsters and oysters at the beach, playing in a kickball league, and discovering our shared love for Kennebunkport, Maine.

Shawna & Chip decided to tie the knot in their favorite town, Kennebunkport, ME. Here is the love story of their wedding day captured by Emilie Inc.

Photographers: Denise and Megan, emilie inc. photography •

Preparations: Breakwater Inn, Kennebunkport

Coordinator: Jenny McClain, Boston

Ceremony: St Ann’s Episcopal Church, Kennebunkport

Caterer: On the Marsh Bistro, Kennebunk

Flowers: Snell Family Farms

Band: Soul Sensations

Cake: The Winey Baker

Hair/make-up: Fringe Hair Art

Transportation:Ogunquit Trolley

Gown: Bella Sera Bridal at Allure Bridal

Gals: J Crew

Guys: Vera Wang

Invitations: Paper Source andDayTrip Society

Honeymoon: Amalfi Coast, Italy

Choosing the right vendor can make or break your wedding day. There are many things you will need to ask and pay attention to when making your decision. Here a few tips to help you choose the right vendors for your big day:

1. Prioritize Your Budget: If a vendor is way out of your price range, you will likely end up having to turn them down. When researching weddings vendors online, make a list of the vendors that match or are under your budget. Only contact vendors that make this list.

2. First Impressions Matter: Pay attention to how potential vendors interact with you when you contact them. A professional wedding vendor will respond to your requests quickly and do their best to accommodate you from the start.

3. Request the Contact Information of Recent Clients: Although a bride from 5 years ago gave an excellent review online, a wedding vendor’s resources and staff may have changed since then. By chatting with a few recent clients you will get a much better idea of what the vendor’s services are like today.

4. Pick Vendors That ‘Get You’: Your wedding day should exemplify your and your soon-to-be-husband’s love. You want to make sure that your vendors “get you” as a couple and respect your budget. If something feels “off,” trust your gut and keep searching for other vendors.

5.  Don’t Be Afraid to Negotiate: If you’ve found a vendor that you love, but they are slightly over your budget, examine all of the products and services the vendor offers. If you feel a product or service is too expensive, consider negotiating. Once you have agreed on a negotiated price or service, get it in writing.

By following these tips, and your gut, you can rest assured that your wedding day will be a success. Do you have any tips for finding the right wedding vendor? Leave us your tips in the comments below.