Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

There’s just no beating Mother Nature when it comes to wedding inspiration.

In Maine, that means rocky beaches and wide ocean views. The historic Cliff House Resort & Spa in Ogunquit has plenty of both, plus some advice for making the most of the environment on your wedding day.

Perched on Bald Head Cliff, the resort has served as a romantic getaway for more than 140 years. Charlene Banulis, director of sales and guest services for the Cliff House, offers these tips for a nature-inspired event:

Marry outdoors

Look for a venue with ample seating, level ground and proximity to amenities such as a kitchen, drink service area and powder rooms.

Keep it local

Eco-minded venues can help couples find local food and blooms for the big day. At the Cliff House, that means dishes like seared Atlantic salmon and Maine citrus shrimp. Spa treatments incorporate blueberries, wild roses and stones from nearby cliffs.

Go green

Not necessarily in color, but in practice. The Cliff House uses energy-efficient lighting, a green touch that helped the resort earn certification as an environmental leader. Also consider wearing an heirloom gown or incorporating a vintage cake topper, rather than buying new.

Whether you’re a black diamond pro or a newbie on the bunny slopes, a Maine ski resort can make for the perfect wedding locale.

Actually, you don’t need to ski at all to enjoy a resort’s alpine scenery and full amenities, even long after the flakes stop flying. Several ski mountains in the state cater to weddings year-round, offering hefty discounts to couples willing to visit during the warmer months.

Sunday River

One of Maine’s most popular mountains, Sunday River provides four wedding packages at a range of price points. Grooms will love the option to play a round on the mountain golf course, and guests enjoy welcome baskets upon arrival. The resort’s Grand Summit and Jordan Grand Hotels boast a variety of indoor and outdoor ceremony and reception venues.

Sugarloaf

Another western Maine favorite, Sugarloaf is discounting June and July weddings by 10% if you book by March 15. The resort’s most popular venue is the “Bridal Bridge,” a quaint wooden span surrounded by rock walls and lush floral landscaping. Other sites can accommodate up to 500 guests.

Shawnee Peak

Shawnee is Maine’s longest-running ski area, conveniently situated just an hour from Portland. The peak’s wedding options keep an eye to affordability, with two reception spaces that couples can book for the whole weekend. Lodging onsite includes a 10-bedroom guesthouse, or, for more rustic types, yurts and cabins.

Saddleback

Another alternative to the larger resorts, Saddleback hosts wedding events in an elegant post-and-beam lodge than can comfortably fit up to 250 guests. Picture wild lupines in summer, colorful autumn leaves or cascades of white winter snow as a backdrop.

Would your nearest and dearest skip the Super Bowl to attend your wedding? According to a new survey, one in five would rather watch Tom Brady put a ring on his finger than a loved one.

That’s right, 20% of U.S. adults would skip the wedding of a close friend or family member to attend a Super Bowl game featuring their favorite NFL team.  We can only guess how many couples would dare send out save-the-dates for Super Bowl Sunday.

As it turns out, guests aren’t the only ones pledging their devotion to the sporting event of the year. A bride-to-be from New Hampshire just postponed her own wedding to go to the game. Sandy Jones had planned to tie the knot on the Saturday before the Super Bowl and then jet off for her honeymoon in Mexico the following Tuesday. But when her brother scored tickets to Sunday’s matchup, she couldn’t say no.

Weddings are just one major life event football fans would miss out on for the Super Bowl. Nearly as many said they’d skip the funeral of a loved one to go to the game, and 15 percent would miss, get this, the birth of their child. Almost a quarter would ditch out on a vacation or important work responsibility.

Some people are just, as they say, married to football – until death do they part.

Is it wrong that we’ve got chocolate on the brain with still more than a week to go before Valentine’s Day?

Truth be told, whether it’s milk, dark or white, chocolate is never far from our minds. The same can be said for many wedding guests, too, which is why chocolate makes for such a popular favor. It’s affordable, indulgent and comes in enough varieties to suit any sweet tooth.

We’ve found a few Maine-made delights that go way beyond your basic boxed chocolates:

These candy seashells from Stonewall Kitchen evoke the sea life of Maine’s rocky coastline, with the added bonus of a chocolate coating. Piled in a pretty clear bottle, they’re favor-ready with hardly more than a ribbon or custom label.

For a vibe that’s more amusement park than sandy beach, go for shamelessly sinful chocolate-dipped Twinkies. Package them in cellophane for a take-home treat, or set them out at the reception for some late-night snacking.

What food isn’t better dipped in chocolate, really? How about salty, crunchy potato chips covered in divine milk chocolate from Dean’s Sweets? If that pleasure has you feeling too guilty, opt for their brandied orange peel in dark chocolate instead.

For a sweet with some pop, order up individual bags of Coastal Maine Popcorn’s divine chocolate caramel and sea salt popcorn. They’ll even add a personalized label. Do yourself a favor and taste-test a bag (or two, or three…) yourself first.

Project Runway alum Christian Siriano has never been known for his subtlety.  The designer recently set the fashion world abuzz by tweeting about his new exclusive wedding collection for Nordstrom, then mysteriously deleting the post.

The resulting rumors were, as Siriano would say, “ferosh,” but Nordstrom has confirmed that he designed two wedding gowns for the department store that will go on sale in March. Nordstrom released just one photo from the collection, of a strapless silk satin gown with a two-tiered skirt and sweetheart bodice that will retail for $2,375. The store indicated a second dress will also go on sale, but declined to dish any details until the launch. A search of their website, however, turns up this dreamy draped tulle gown with a more affordable price tag of $1,920.

Siriano, who won Project Runway in 2008, may be best known for his asymmetrical haircut and sassy catchphrases, but this isn’t his first crack at bridal wear. He designed a full-skirted princess gown for his sister’s wedding in 2010, and for other private clients before hitting it big on Runway.

We’ll have to wait until spring to catch a glimpse of Siriano’s full line for Nordstrom. But we have a feeling those gowns will be fierce!

Plenty of couples would shake in their boots at the thought of planning a wedding for hundreds of guests. Many others would shudder just contemplating the unique challenges of an island wedding. Newlyweds Allison and Matt, however, did both.

Perhaps it’s no surprise. As we learned from their love story featured in November, Matt’s not afraid to go after what he wants. This past summer, the two lovebirds invited 400 of their friends and loved ones to their nuptials on Long Island, a special locale where Allison spent much of her childhood swimming in the surf and playing with relatives.

So how did they manage to feed and entertain 400 people on a narrow strip of land off the coast of Maine? Allison gave us the scoop on the logistics, food and decor:

The couple rented a barge to transport the following from Portland to Long Island:

• the caterer’s van filled with catering equipment
• a box truck filled with the tent, tables, and chairs
• four 12-passenger rental vans to transport guests from the ferry landing to the wedding
• brother’s pickup and sister’s van
• 8 portapotties
• 10 kegs
• 10 cases of wine
• 1,000 lbs. of ice

The caterer, Sam’s Great Northern Lobster Bakes, arranged to have all of the food delivered fresh 2 hours before the wedding via lobster boat. Sam’s served up lobster with drawn butter, steamers, sweet corn on the cob, red potato salad, and sliced watermelon.

As with the food, the décor was inspired by the ocean. Allison and her mom sister decorated hurricane candle centerpieces from sand and periwinkles they collected from the beach. They also gathered mussel shells for the place cards, which were tied together with yellow and blue ribbon.

Famously unpredictable island weather almost put a kink in their plans, so Allison and Matt got creative. With the wind threatening to blow over their arbor, the couple grabbed some lobster traps to hold it in place. Another lobster-themed touch was their “buoy toss,” a game similar to horseshoes, placed near a fire pit to entertain guests.

If a couple can pull off this kind of feat together (and still want to marry each other), they surely have a happy road ahead. Congratulations on a beautiful wedding, Allison and Matt!