Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Alex and Norah

September 10, 2011

Private Residence ~ Little Compton, Rhode Island

The best part of our wedding was that all of our friends and family contributed to making our dream wedding become a reality. Everyone brought their individual talents and creativity to the table the weeks leading up to and the day of the event. Friends from all stages of our lives were coming together with family members to setup for the wedding- and it was a blast! All of the worry and stress went out the window the morning of the wedding, it was just a beautiful day from start to finish. Seeing family and friends all working around the house I grew up in was just such a perfect image.

There had been a hurricane the weekend before, which we usually look forward to (my husband and I, as well as most of our friends and bridal party are surfers), but this was a little close for comfort. It rained everyday for a week until the wedding, and the forecast called for rain the day of. I had to make the call about the ceremony tent (whether or not to have one), on Wednesday. It was raining and my maid of honor and I had just unloaded a truckload of mulch for the house, which my sisters in law were spreading with us. I’ll never forget that.  The morning of the wedding we woke up to the radio saying…”it’s a picture perfect day.”

My favorite movie is Jurassic Park… so I had the string duo play the theme song as I walked down the aisle as a surprise for everyone.

The bridal party came from on top of the hill in the yard, but made a surprise entrance with my dad up from the beach where Alex proposed.

photography: Olivia Gird Photography
catering: Easy Entertaining RI
florist: Sayles Livingston Flowers
music: Felix Brown Band

Shayna + Michael
8.13.11
Deer Isle, Maine ~ St. Mary of the Sea Chapel and Edgewood Farm

How We Met
Michael and I grew up one town away from each other, but didn’t actually meet until high school.  We took the same classes, ran cross country and track together, and (we discovered later) harbored secret crushes on each other all four years.  After high school, we went our separate ways; me to university out of state, him to the Army. 15 years went by.  We met again when I finally finished graduate school and moved home to Maine.  I took a job working at a school for children with autism in my hometown, and, much to my surprise, Michael worked there as well.  We went out for beers after work, talked over our lunch breaks, and slowly got to know each other again.  We decided to run a 5k together on St. Patrick’s Day, and as we were standing behind the finish line, he asked me to dinner.  I think my initial reaction was, “Really?  But I’m all sweaty and yucky!” After that, we were pretty much inseparable.

Our Proposal
Michael knew I had been working some long hours, so when he suggested a weekend away with a ‘fancy dinner,’ I was all for it.  It was November, but we decided to go to the Samoset Resort in Rockport anyhow – we figured it would still be beautiful, and it was.  After checking in to our lovely suite, Michael suggested we take a walk on the breakwater.  In my defense, it was about 15 degrees outside and the wind was blowing (and I didn’t suspect anything was afoot), so I nixed that idea and told him I’d rather go shopping in town instead.  My very patient husband indulged me and, his plans being ruined, had to find another moment.  He ended up proposing over a glass of wine in our room after dinner.  It was perfect – private, comfortable, and very ‘us.’

Planning the Wedding
We knew we wanted to get married where we grew up – near Mount Desert Island.  However, when we went to look at venues for our midsummer date, we found them either already booked, or out of our price range.  We broadened the search and found Edgewood Farm just down the coast on Deer Isle.  It was just what we wanted, a lovely old saltwater farm with an antique-filled barn and a relaxed, settled atmosphere. We then drove down to Stonington to look at the Catholic church.  It exuded the same feeling as Edgewood – very classically New England, white clapboard siding, Maine granite altar, very simple, vintage and calm.  We loved it.

Our venue decisions were the easy part – then came the decoration.  I wanted to do much of the decor myself, and thus was born a six-month craft binge.  We folded, glued, strung and beribboned our way to the wedding of my dreams. We scoured antique and thrift stores for depression glass and antique plates.  Much to Michael’s dismay, I took over the garage and recovered chairs and a couch for an outdoor seating vignette.  The whole thing was a ridiculous amount of work, but I loved every minute of it.

We bought most of our other wedding items online, including the flowers, my dress, Michael’s suit, and the lace for my veil.  I had originally intended to wear my grandmother’s sweet juliet cap veil, but it was too fragile.  I ended up taking pieces from hers and my mother’s and my bridesmaids and I sewed it all together the morning of the wedding.  It was stressful, but one of my favorite memories.  Finding our photographer was another online adventure – we actually met Audra through Love and Lobster!  I read all about her quirky-chic wedding and after perusing her cute-as-a-button website, Michael and I agreed that she was perfect for us!  We loved working with her, and the photos speak for themselves.

All in all, our wedding was perfect for us.  Our settings were lovely, the day was warm and sunny, and we were surrounded by those who mean the most to us in our beautiful home state.  We couldn’t have asked for more.

Photographer: Audra Bayette, Photographer

Church: Saint Mary Star of the Sea
Venue: Edgewood Farm
Caterer: Karen West
Hair: Renee’s Hair Design

Billie + Chris

September 10, 2011

Trefethen Evergreen Improvement Association ~ Peaks Island, Maine

Chris and I met my sophomore year, his senior, at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.  I first saw him when he came over to the house I was living in to watch a Red Sox game.  I remember asking my roommate who he was, but she had him mixed up with another Chris and told me he had a girlfriend.  It took us four months to clear up the confusion and start dating.  During the 2010 holidays, we spent a week in New Orleans with my family celebrating my father’s 80th birthday and then spent Christmas with each of our families- his in Maine, mine in Baltimore.  Later that month, we found out that my mother’s breast cancer, in remission for fifteen years, had returned.  We decided to get married this year so that we could celebrate with everyone we love.

I grew up in a close knit neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, where my parents still live, but fell in love with Maine while attending college here.  Chris’ father’s family visited Peaks Island every summer while growing up and his grandparents eventually retired to the island.  Many of his cousins learned to sail at the Trefethen Evergreen Improvement Association and Chris’ grandfather was President of the club one year, so it was the obvious choice for our celebration.  We were excited to get everyone up to Maine and have them realize what we love about our adopted state!  Our wedding had a family theme: One of Chris’ uncles married us, his cousins performed a song during the ceremony and his aunts baked Italian cookies for the reception.  My mother and I spent the summer sewing table runners and growing grass for the reception decor.

The day before our wedding, Chris and I woke up early and went to our favorite bakery in South Portland, Scratch, to get breakfast just the two of us.  On our way back to his parents’ house we pulled into Portland Head Light and took our dog out for a walk.  While walking around the lighthouse, Chris suddenly got down on one knee and pulled out a ring.  He told me that he wanted to officially propose before the wedding.  It was a wonderful surprise and probably my favorite moment of the weekend, finally getting to say “yes!”

My bridesmaids and I woke up the morning of the wedding to clear blue skies and walked to the island coffee shop for breakfast where we met some of our wedding guests.  I then met up with my future mother-in-law and about twenty other wedding guests who had spent the previous night on the island for a pre ceremony walk around Peaks.  While the bridal party got ready, a chartered ferry from Casco Bay Lines brought the rest of our guests from Portland over to Peaks where a trolley met them and carried them to Trefethen Evergreen.  We watched the trolley go by from the house porch.  I surprised my mom by showing her where I had sewn a piece of the sash (blue!) she had worn in her wedding to my father to the inside of my wedding gown.

Both of my parents walked me down the aisle as a nod to my dad’s Jewish ancestry.  I did not see Chris that day until he met me at the end of the aisle, I honestly don’t remember most of our ceremony I was so happy and just grinning away until the sealing kiss!

It was truly the best weekend of Chris’ and my life and we were so glad to get to spend it with everyone we love in the place that we love most: Maine.

Photography:  Greg Rec, Blush Imagery, Portland, Maine
Venue:  Trefethen Evergreen Improvement Association, Peaks Island, Maine
Gown:  Victoria Nicole, Betsy Robinson Bridal, Baltimore, Maryland
Groom suit: Banana Republic
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J Crew
Band:  The Free Downloads, Rhode Island
Bakery:  Two Fat Cats, Portland, Maine
Catering: Call Me Ishmael, Fryeburg, Maine
Florist: Broadturn Farm, Scarborough, Maine
Ferry: Casco Bay Lines, Portland, Maine
Trolley: Portland Discovery, Maine
Guestbook: Firewire Surfboards

Lisa + Brian

9.17.11

Scituate Harbor Yacht Club ~ Scituate, MA

We were married on September 17^th, a perfect fall day in New England and exactly three years after our first date. The ceremony and reception were both at the Scituate Harbor Yacht Club, a venue with a stunning view of the boats in Scituate Harbor and the Scituate Lighthouse in the distance.  Brian grew up spending summers in Scituate, and his siblings, parents and grandparents have spent many happy days at the very spot where our wedding took place.  Brian had proposed on a Sanibel Island (Florida) beach in April, yards away from where Lisa’s grandparents had spent many winters.  We knew we wanted a fall wedding and we knew we wanted to be on the water – we found the perfect place for our special day.

Our wedding reflected who we are as individuals and what is important to us as a couple. We both feel very fortunate to have found one another, each of us marrying for the first time somewhat later in life.  We wanted our wedding to be a truly happy and fun celebration with our family and friends.  Lisa runs a little late for everything and finds it frustrating to arrive at a wedding and have to sit through a ceremony before being able to visit with other guests, so it was an easy decision to have a cocktail hour before the ceremony for people to mingle and for guests to have some extra time to arrive.  After an hour of mingling, the guests sat down on chairs set up outside, with boats and Scituate Harbor as a backdrop for the ceremony.

Our walk down the aisle included all of our parents, other family members and our beloved dog Emma, wearing her special wedding collar.  Lisa began her walk down the aisle with one white rose and as she made her way toward Brian, she was handed a pink or lavender rose from 14 of the important women in her life – our two mothers, our two step-mothers, Lisa’s brother’s wife, Brian’s sister, the wives of four of Brian’s brothers, Lisa’s aunt, Lisa’s great aunt, one of Lisa’s closest friends from college, and of course she took one rose from our dog Emma.  She then handed the flowers off to Brian’s sister, who turned the single roses into a beautiful bouquet for her to hold as she walked back down the aisle. As part of our personalized ceremony officiated by our friend David Clarke, we included two songs written and sung by Brian’s godson Nick Nagurski, and we walked down the aisle after the ceremony as the Notre Dame fight song played in the background, a tribute to Brian’s alma mater.

After the ceremony, we had a second cocktail hour, followed by a fantastic dinner and a night of dancing to music played by The Gathering.  A non-traditional dessert of freshly made pies and local ice cream topped off a celebration that many of our guests agreed was one of the best weddings they had ever attended.

We were thrilled to share our happiness with many family members and many close friends, and feel truly blessed that our wedding day was all we had hoped it would be – a joyous and special celebration, and a beautiful way to begin our lives as a married couple.

Photography:  Amie Fedora Photography

Ceremony & Reception Venue:  Scituate Harbor Yacht Club

Flowers:  Kennedy’s Country Gardens

Catering: The Chef’s Table

Pies and Ice Cream:  Wards Berry Farm and Crescent Ridge Ice Cream

Ceremony Music:  Nick Nagurski

Reception Music:  The Gathering

Invitations:  Paper Lily Invitations

Rebecca + Travis

October 16, 2011

Migis Lodge ~ South Casco, Maine

When we started the process of planning our wedding, we were certain about one thing; We wanted our wedding to represent who we are and what is important to us. We love spending time with our closest friends and family, eating fabulous food, having fun, and our favorite place to be is by the lake. And so the planning began…

Choosing the location for our wedding was the first thing we set out to do, and lucky for us, we fell in love with the first place we went to see. Migis Lodge in South Casco, Maine is set on an unmatched spot on the shore of Sebago Lake, and is the perfect representation of our style – simple elegance with a touch of organic rusticity. Ceremonies at Migis Lodge take place overlooking the lake, and amidst the beautiful gardens.  Its lodge, which is where the receptions are held, is as cozy and rustic as it is elegant, and its fireplace and windows overlooking the waterfront make it hard to want to leave. The food and service are top notch and everyone fell in love with the accommodations. Think private cabins with fireplaces, lake views, and the quintessential Maine charm that vacationers flock to. Overall, Migis Lodge was absolutely perfect for us.

Some of the best advice that we received after our engagement was to choose vendors that we trusted and believed in. This alleviated so much stress and worry and I cannot imagine planning a wedding without the vendors that we chose. Migis Lodge coordinated all of the rentals, did all of the catering, baked our amazing cake, and orchestrated the entire wedding day. The service was overwhelmingly personal and covered absolutely everything, including many things that we didn’t even think of! The food was delicious and definitely the best wedding food we, and many of our guests, have ever had. Floral and table décor was designed and coordinated by the fabulous Carrie Scribner from Dutch Bloemen Winkle out of Jackson New Hampshire. She truly took our vision and used it to create the soft dreamy touches that the lodge at Migis needed. The flowers and candlelight she used created an alluring ambiance and made the dining room seem almost magical. Our photographer, Spring Smith of Spring Smith Studios in Conway New Hampshire, took breathtakingly flawless photos that truly captured the emotion and excitement of the day. Looking back at through her photographs, we really feel that they tell the story of the whole day, and we both love to relive it every time we look through them. And our band, Sweet Tooth and the Sugar Babies out of Boston, absolutely blew everyone away. The ceremony piano instrumentals, emceeing by the band leader Etan, and the rocking party at the reception did not leave anyone disappointed, or seated! Every guest that we have spoken to since our wedding has raved about the band. They were the amazing. And SO easy to work with. Best Band Ever.

And last, but certainly not least, were the details. We wanted each part of our wedding, no matter how small, to stay true to our intention of making sure that everything represented us. Our Save the Dates and menus were designed and created by Designs by Adj, owned by a wonderfully talented, flexible and meticulous artist that we found on Etsy. Another golden Etsy find was the designer and creator of our invitations, Paper Cut Industries. Our invitations were the most attractive, unique and high quality invitations that we have ever seen. The company is professional yet incredibly personal and flexible. Rebecca’s latest hobby, sewing, was the inspiration behind the “Wedding Quilt” guest book idea that was very popular among the guests. Each guest signed a pre-cut fabric quilting square with their well-wishes, and Rebecca will use those squares along with the the table runners, which were designed and coordinated by Carrie (the florist), to create a Wedding Quilt. There were two favors for the guests. The first was a mixing glass imprinted with the tree design from the menus. We decided to give these because we have an expansive collection of these from our favorite local places, as well as from places we travel to, and often receive them as gifts.. The inspiration from the second favor was drawn from Travis’ LOVE of sweets and Rebecca’s beloved childhood memories of trips to Italian bakeries in Boston. Travis’ grandmother baked a miniature version of his favorite chocolate chip cookies, and Rebecca’s grandmother baked mini Italian cookies, a true family tradition, to share with all of our guests. We packed them into mini pastry boxes and tied them with baker’s twine to make them look like they were straight from the bakery!

Along with making the setting look perfect, we wanted to look good too! Rebecca’s gown was from Madeleine’s Daughter in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The service and selection were so great, we also ordered the bridesmaid, flower girl, mother of the bride and mother of the groom dresses from there as well! Rebecca’s shoes were from Ann Taylor and her headpiece was from Inspirations in Conway, New Hampshire. Travis and the groomsmen’s suits were from Banana Republic. Rebecca’s rings are Tacori ordered through Springer’s in Portland, Maine and Travis’ Ring was designed and made by Andrew Nyce, who works out of Portland, Maine, and ordered through Folia, which is in Portland, Maine as well. Rebecca, her mother, the bridesmaids, the flower girl, and Travis’ mother had their hair done at Jewlz Beyond Hair in Naples, Maine and Heather at Jewlz did all of their makeup.

Rebecca rented the cooler and purchased the ice cream for Travis’ surprise through Ben & Jerry’s scoop shop in North Conway, New Hampshire. Travis’ amazing surprise firework show was put on by Central Maine Pyrotechnics out of Hallowell, Maine.

Photography: Spring Smith Studios
Hair & Make Up: Jewlz Beyond Hair
Venue, catering, cake: Migis Lodge
Gown: Madeleine’s Daughter Portsmouth, NH
Menswear: Banana Republic
Band:  Sweet Tooth & The Sugar Babies
Stationery: Designs by Adj
Fireworks: Central Maine Pyrotechnics
Florist: Carrie, Dutch Bloemen Winkel

Natalie + Thad

9.24.11

Inn on Peaks ~ Peaks Island, Maine

How We Met

Even though Thad and I are both from the East Coast, he is from Maine and I am from Maryland, we were both living in San Diego.  We happened to have a whole bunch of mutual friends, but had never really crossed paths until one night out.  We ended up sitting next to each other and chatting a little.  I thought he was boring and he didn’t even remember me!  We ran into each other again a few weeks later and bantered the entire night.  He and a friend invited me and another friend over for the dinner next night, and the following day Thad invited me to go for a hike.  We spent that whole day together and pretty much every day for the next week.  Goes to show that sometimes first impressions don’t mean much.

Our Proposal

I am a nurse and was working night shift at the time.  I came home from work and went right to sleep on a Saturday morning.  Around noon Thad woke me up and insisted that we get up and spend some time together.  He was being relocated to Nevada from California the following week, so his justification was that it was his last weekend in San Diego and we should have a picnic.  I, unhappily, dragged myself out of bed, put on my favorite flannel shirt, and we went to a park to have our picnic.  After enjoying our sandwiches, we just relaxed, lying on our picnic blanket and chatting. At one point, he asked me to close my eyes and put a ring box on my stomach.  We had never talked about what kind of ring I wanted, and honestly, I never really thought about it.  I knew that when the time came the person I was going to marry would know me enough to get the perfect ring.  I was right.  It was “me,” and it was perfect.

Planning the Wedding

We decided on September.  Both of our birthdays are in September and we love the fall.  The question was that coming September, which was four months away, or the following September?  I was going to move up to Nevada to live with him in December when I was out of the Navy.  We decided that it would be more special to get married first and then move in together, even though we would be married and living apart for a few months in between.  So we had four months to plan the whole wedding.  Thad LOVES where he is from and he kind of embodies a “Maine Mountain Man,” so getting married in Maine was a pretty obvious choice.  I, unfortunately, did not know much about the area.  I had been twice and that was it!  Luckily, my in-laws were very excited about us getting married and they did a lot of the detective work for us.  They suggested the Inn on Peaks Island – they even crashed a wedding to see how they set it up.  We couldn’t have done it without their help though!

We also decided that we wanted our wedding to be very low key.  We wanted it to be like “us.”  Classic, relaxed, and comfortable…and we wanted to have FUN!  A lobster bake was the ONLY option!  It wasn’t a fancy lobster bake with just lobster tails….we wanted the real thing.

Wedding Day

It was perfect.  I was marrying the man of my dreams with my closest friends and family around.  There was no chance that it could have been anything but perfect!  All week the weather forecast predicted rain.  We had fog so thick the day before that you couldn’t even see the islands on the ferry.  But the day of was beautiful!  And it was warm!  Which was just plain good luck since it was the end of September in Maine and you never know what you are going to get!  There were funny little slip ups – like when I tried to put my husband’s ring on the wrong hand before he quietly corrected me…  But it was still perfect.  Our guests were super excited about the “real Maine lobsters” and everyone, including us, wore our lobster bibs.  Amanda and Jayson from the Inn were great and totally helped make the day go smoothly.  And Bethany and Dan (our photographers) were awesome!  We hadn’t met them until that day, but they totally fit right in and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera.  We couldn’t have hoped for a better day!

Photography by Bethany and Dan Photography