Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

L&L: The John Peters Estate is a stunning wedding venue located in Blue Hill, Maine. Please share the history of this property.

JOHN PETERS: The home was built by the John Peters family in 1815.  John Peters was one of the founding fathers of Blue Hill.  A wing as well as the swimming pool was added in the 1920′s.  The home is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

L&L: What would you like couples to know about your venue that makes it unique?

JOHN PETERS: The John Peters Estate is a destination wedding/vacation venue for couples and their family and friends.  It is 22 private acres of rolling fields located on Blue Hill Harbor with majestic views to Blue Hill Mountain.  In addition to the pool there is a tidal dock for boats, a ramp to launch kayaks/canoes and a pond to watch wildlife.  The water front is a great place for lobster bakes.  The estate is within walking distance to picturesque Blue Hill Village.

L&L: Do most people have the ceremony and reception at the Estate?

JOHN PETERS: Yes. We have a beautiful, spacious front lawn area that is flat and overlooks the fields and harbor.  There is enough room to accommodate the ceremony seating and the reception tent.

L&L: How many wedding guests can you accommodate? Overnight guests?

JOHN PETERS: The estate can easily accommodate 250 wedding guests. For overnight guests at the estate the main home will sleep 13 with 7 ensuite baths.  Also available on the grounds of the estate is Waterfield Cottage.  It will sleep 7 with 3 ensuite baths.  Waterfield Cottage by itself is available for weddings of 50 and fewer wedding guests. There is also a large Maine barn with 2 conference rooms, bathroom and caterers prep area.

L&L: Where is Blue Hill exactly? What kinds of things are available to explore nearby?

JOHN PETERS: Blue Hill is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the Maine coast, just 45 minutes to Bar Harbor. The Village is known for its historic homes, art galleries, antique shops, and cultural events.  There are classical music concerts, a steel drum band that performs on the waterfront, and lectures by celebrities, authors and world travelers.  The farmers market offers fresh organic meats, vegetables, flowers and local arts and crafts.  Beautiful Blue Hill Bay, and nearby lakes and rivers, offer sailing, power boating, and kayaking/canoeing. A hike to top of Blue Hill Mountain offers spectacular views of the surrounding area and coastal waters.

L&L: What kind of services do you offer for the bride and groom as they plan their special day?

JOHN PETERS: Professionals are readily available to make their wedding day special and unique.  Planners, caterers, florists, tent supply, musical groups, horse and carriage rides, white doves, and fireworks are all available.  Whatever your dreams are, we will help you make them come true.

L&L: Are you open year round, or only through the summer months? When is your busiest time of the year?

JOHN PETERS: We are open June through mid October.  The busiest time of the year is August.  (Special rates are available June, September and October).

L&L: Tell us about a favorite wedding memory at John Peters.

JOHN PETERS: One of the most beautiful ceremonies was the bride and groom releasing white doves as they finalized their vows.  Another was the bride and her father arriving at the estate in a white horse drawn carriage.  The carriage also carried the newly married  couple away to the water front at the conclusion of their service.  Yet another memory was a simple ceremony where the bride, lovingly escorted by her father, walked from the main house to the rose beds, as a string quartet played classical music.  After the service the bride and groom strolled through the field of blooming, white queen annes lace.  Other memories are a beautiful sunset on the harbor and wedding music drifting across the estate on a perfect summer evening…

L&L: What “must-see” places and eateries do you suggest to folks from out of town check out while visiting Maine?

JOHN PETERS: Acadia National Park is nearby (45 minutes) where you can drive up Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the East coast.  You can also hike miles of trails, bicycle carriage roads or take a carriage ride through the park. Another favorite is to take a scenic drive to the working waterfront town of Stonnington.  There you will find a harbor full of lobster boats and views to some of the most beautiful islands in the world.

There are many restaurants in the area that feature everything from lobster take-away, pub food with locally brewed beer to homemade ice cream for dessert.  The Arbor Vine and Blue Hill Inn offer wonderful fine dining.

L&L: Thank you for giving us an inside peek into The John Peters Estate. If readers want to get in touch with you, what is the best way for them to reach you?

JOHN PETERS: We invite everyone to view our website at johnpetersestate.com.  For additional information and availability please contact Melone at 207-374-0900 or melone@slavenrealty.com.

We would be happy to extend a 10% discount when renting the entire estate (main house and Waterfield Cottage) when you mention Love & Lobster if you book by December 31, 2011.

credits (clockwise from top right): Pica Press, Home Sweet Love, Emersonmade, Home Sweet Love, Erin Hearts Court, J Crew (dress), BeeGee Bags (clutch), Cunningham Photography (bridal party), Stephanie Williams Photography, Cunningham Photography

Most of you know what makes Maine such an ideal summer destination — cool ocean breezes, unbeatable natural views, freshly caught seafood. But there’s one pitfall of the Maine outdoors you may not have considered when planning your summer ceremony — mosquitoes.

The balmy summer season brings with it those biting, relentless bugs half-jokingly referred to as Maine’s state bird, along with their equally aggravating cousin, the black fly. Worst in damp, wooded areas, mosquitoes and black flies can turn a relaxed outdoor meal into a swatting, itchy bonanza.
Luckily, a few simple steps can limit your exposure:

• Avoid a dusk ceremony. The bugs will be at their worst as the sun goes down, so aim for an earlier hour to exchange vows.

• Breezes off the ocean or large lakes can deter bugs, but watch out for smaller ponds and pools of standing water where the insects breed. Moving your event a few hundred yards away could mean sidestepping swarmageddon.

• Since “bug dope” probably isn’t the perfume you had in mind for your wedding day, choose a formulation that’s designed to smell nice. One tried-and-true option: Avon’s Skin So Soft; your skin will love it, skeeters will hate it. Essential oils of lemongrass, lavender and catnip (seriously) also have proven bug-fighting powers.

• Make a few bottles of bug repellant available in bathroom baskets and outside. Offer both DEET and non-DEET varieties, so your guests can choose. DEET, the active ingredient in many sprays, has been linked to some health risks, but its bug-fighting powers are tough to beat.  Natural formulations are also readily available, as are bug repellant wipes (shoot for clearly labeled wipes like these, so guests don’t confuse them with wet naps).

• Citronella candles also deter mosquitoes, but give them a quick sniff before buying in bulk to make sure you don’t mind the scent. Rather than placing them on tables, where they might bother guests, put a few candles in lanterns or in tiki torches around the event area.

• Use the power of plants. Mosquitoes despise the smell of marigolds, both the French and African varieties. Use them in your bouquet or scatter them around your venue.

• If you do get bit, try the itch-erasing After Bite instead of calamine lotion. A stained dress and pink-splotched skin in your portraits? No thanks.

There are more drastic mosquito-battling measures, such as CO2 machines and insecticide bombs, but talk to your venue about whether they’re really necessary.  With a few simple steps, you can ensure the buzz about your big day has nothing to do with flying insects.

A wedding requires endless choices. Cupcakes versus a cake, an outdoor ceremony or indoor, veil or no veil, and on and on. But among the many items on a bride’s checklist is one decision that has lifelong implications (besides picking the lucky guy): whether to change her last name.

About 90% of brides today give up their maiden names after getting married, whether out of respect for tradition, a desire for cohesiveness or even to avoid having to explain family relationships, especially after children enter the picture. A 2007 survey by The Knot of 18,000 couples found that 9 out of 10 women planned to take their spouse’s last name, and research by the University of Florida back in 2005 showed that 108 out of 135 women took their husband’s name.

But there’s no doubt brides are opting to use their maiden names – as more than just a password hint for online accounts – these days. As more women postpone marriage until after their early 20s, many feel reluctant to give up the identities, both personal and professional, that their names represent. Particularly for women who are the sole remaining bearers of a name, taking a spouse’s name poses difficult cultural and generational questions. Still others just aren’t moved by the “togetherness” of sharing a last name, or balk at the prospect of taking a day off from work to wait in line at the DMV and Social Security office to fill out the required paperwork.

But bureaucratic and similarly pragmatic reasons can also sway women in the other direction. Hyphenating has become a popular alternative, though many parents are reluctant to then saddle their children with clunky last names that bust out of application form boxes. Both bride and groom can keep their original names, but having to repeatedly explain “Yes, John Roberts is really my husband, even though I’m Emily Jones” can make a person crazy. Blending last names to create an entirely new one has a certain fresh start appeal, but means both people lose the history of their last names, and requires a bit of luck to avoid an awkward construction (John and Emily Robones?)

If such considerations seem thoroughly modern, they actually date back to the 1850s in America. Suffragist Lucy Stone was the first recorded woman to retain her last name after marriage, and is quoting as saying, “A wife should no more take her husband’s name than he should hers.” Little did she know, some husbands today choose to do just that. Her stand inspired a group known as the “Lucy Stoners,” who continue to advocate for “name choice equality” to this day.

Stone didn’t insist on using her maiden name immediately upon tying the knot, however, referring to herself as “Lucy Stone Blackwell” in her wedding announcements. No word in the history books, though, about whether she chose a monogram or floral motif to adorn her paper stock.