Love and Lobster Coastal New England Weddings

Stephanie + Patrick

10.1.11

York Harbor Reading Room ~ York Harbor, Maine

Pat and I met in Boothbay Harbor, Maine one 4th of July weekend while celebrating red, white and blue with a group of mutual friends. As luck would have it, the sparks weren’t just fireworks in the sky and we got engaged two years later. Since we met in Maine and live on the Seacoast of New Hampshire, we knew getting married on the Maine coast was the perfect choice. I am from Dallas originally, so we wanted a location where my family could truly experience New England from the smell of the ocean to the famous seafood. We choose the York Harbor Reading Room because it combines both the beauty of Maine with that classic New England charm you see in magazines. Overlooking the ocean, the views from the Reading Room are stunning and the dark wood that lines the interior of the club provides a cozy feeling for celebrating love. When people tell you your wedding will be the most amazing night of your life, they are not kidding. Being surrounded by your family and friends to celebrate a lifelong commitment is something you never forget and we will never forget our wedding day at the York Harbor Reading Room.

Photography: Alyssa Duncan
Venue: York Harbor Reading Room, York Harbor, Maine
Flowers: F as in Flowers, Exeter, NH
Dress: Bride’s mother’s dress
Bridesmaid Dresses: Calypso St. Barth
Cupcakes: Mayflour Confections, Wellesley, MA
Band: BrickPark
Invitations: Gus and Ruby Letterpress, Portsmouth, NH

7.2.11 ~ Jackie and Adam
Guilford Yacht Club ~ Guilford, CT

Adam and I met while working in the same office building in Farmington, CT (glamorous, we know). And, because we left work at the same time every day, we became fast friends chatting as we walked to our cars.
We bonded over a love for the outdoors, hiking, traveling, sports, our dream of moving west and a shared appreciation for good food, good music and a good martini.  Over time we found that the similarities went even deeper, to strong bonds with our wonderful families, a fantastic group of friends, a “loud” personality and a quirky sense of humor (but hey, we make each other laugh!).

From the minute we met, it was as if we had known each other all of our lives… an instant connection.  We went on our first date on New Year’s Eve 2006, and four years later on a snowy New Year’s Day 2010, we hiked up Sleeping Giant in Hamden, CT, and sat out on our favorite ledge.  It was there that Adam proposed (and I tried not to fall over the edge as I jumped around in excitement!).  It was no surprise to us on that cloudy, cold day that, as Sleeping Giant is very meaningful to Adam’s family, and his grandparents’ ashes are scattered there, the sun came out just as he began to propose.

Afterwards, Adam suggested that we head to a local watering hole to raise a glass to our engagement before calling everyone and making the announcement.  Well, the calls to our parents weren’t necessary…. we walked into the bar and I screamed in shock because Adam had made sure that both sets of parents (his from Cheshire, CT, and mine from Westlake, OH!) were there to celebrate with us!  It was incredible, and the second best surprise of the day!

As Adam and I began to plan our wedding, we reflected on what means the most to us, to our happiness, and to our lives together.  We wanted a wedding day that was very personal…very “us”… where every detail incorporated something about who we are, and our love for each other and our families.  From the start of our planning, we knew that we weren’t a “church/ballroom” couple.  We’re inspired by nature and wide open spaces, and always knew that we wanted the wedding to be outside (weather permitting!) near the water, and the venue to have an “open” feel to it.  We wanted to incorporate a shoreline feel to our wedding day, while including in elements of our outdoorsy side, and a lighthearted, party atmosphere… all with a DIY feel.  To do this, we decided an “outdoor chic” theme (or “high-end hiking” as we often joked).  I immediately went to work on creating mock-ups of our invitations, and gathering inspirational items to find the perfect mix to complete the theme.

Our search for our venue wasn’t easy, as we wanted to find a site that perfectly matched the vision in our heads.  Little did I know that the mock-ups of our invitations (which contained a nautical compass that I had created) would lead us (compass pun intended) to the perfect venue.  On a crystal clear, sunny day, we pulled up to the Guilford Yacht Club in Guilford, CT.  It was certainly picturesque… a gorgeous building with an open feel, and the sparkling water of the Long Island Sound in the distance.  It felt right.  And then we walked into the beautiful lobby.  There, set into the floor, was a huge nautical compass.  We knew our search was over.

The little details of the day were very important to me, and again I wanted each of them to speak to who we are, and the theme of our day.  However, putting all of the little details together became an interesting challenge when, six months before the wedding, we moved to Houston, TX!  Needless to say the next few months involved a lot of travel.  Luckily, I am blessed with incredible in-laws who opened their home to me and let me live with them in CT while I planned everything.  They were always there to help in any way that they could, and to provide a glass of wine when needed.  I don’t know what I would have done without them!

So, I went to work on the details.  Neither of us are big “flower” people, so I envisioned centerpieces of cylinder vases in 3 different heights that incorporated water to symbolize the shoreline, stones and a Monkey’s Tail fern to symbolize our love for hiking, and floating candles, because I love candles and candlelight.   I worked with Stop & Shop’s floral department to bring the vision to life, and also to create my bouquet (which I wanted to be simple, soft, and white), my bridesmaids bouquets (yellow, outdoorsy-chic), and the boutonnieres (nothing too floral!).   I envisioned the escort cards hanging like leaves from branches on a tree, and (along with the help of my Mom and Mother-in-Law) we brought that vision to life with some pots, branches, and ribbon.   I had photos of both sets of parents and grandparents on their wedding days in vintage, mismatched frames spread across the escort card table.  They are all an inspiration to us and our relationship, and it was important to us to honor their love.  I also labeled our tables after places we have visited, and created our “table numbers” using pictures from each specific place.  All were held up by stones, to keep with the outdoorsy feel.

July 2, 2011 dawned beautiful, clear, and bright, with the perfect breeze coming off of the water.  We were able to hold the ceremony outside, about which we couldn’t have been happier.  I wore a gown from White Dress by the Shore in Clinton, CT, wore a bracelet made by a family friend to which I affixed a sailboat charm that Adam had given me in the beginning of our relationship, and pinned a broach to my bouquet that belonged to my late Aunt (which was provided by my cousin/Maid of Honor as “something borrowed”).  I walked down the aisle with my father to Rascal Flatts’ “The Day Before You”.  And though I wanted my Dad to walk me most of the way, I also wanted to recognize my Mom’s role in my life, so she joined us at the end of our walk, and the three of us took the last steps up to Adam.

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful.   It was very important to us to incorporate our amazing family and friends into the wedding day.  Therefore, we asked a close family friend to officiate the wedding, which gave the ceremony a very intimate feel, and struck the perfect balance between spiritual and personal elements.  We incorporated a Fackler family vow, which was written for Adam’s cousin’s wedding.  We felt that it was an important tradition to carry on into our ceremony, and we loved that the vow is actually taken by the guests… they are asked whether they will support us and our marriage, and we felt it was a very meaningful piece to include.   We also wrote our own vows, as we wanted to be able to say everything that we felt in our hearts about each other and our relationship.  They were beautiful, heartfelt, brought tears to our eyes, and at other times left us (and our guests) laughing.

Afterwards, we enjoyed cocktail hour outside with our family and friends, and then went inside for our first dance to Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road.”  We then sat down to an incredible dinner prepared by the wonderful Jordan Caterers.  Adam’s Grandmother gave a fantastic blessing that was personal and so very meaningful.  And the Best Man and Maid of Honor (after a rousing round of Rock, Paper, Scissors) gave absolutely incredible toasts (roasts?).  After dinner there was dancing, dancing and more dancing!  Our DJ, Keith Alan, kept the dance floor packed the entire evening, with everything from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” to Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock & Roll”, which is exactly how Adam and I wanted it…. we literally didn’t leave the floor for 3 hours!  And at the end of the night, as the final song played  – Travis Tritt’s “Great  Day to be Alive” – the entire group stood in a circle around us, and we all sang every word.  At that moment, surrounded by the people that mean the most to us, we felt such an overwhelming amount of love…. it was truly one of the best moments of our entire life.

The whole day was, simply put, amazing.  Adam and I became a family, and we got to share the start of an incredible adventure with everyone that we know and love.  And to us, that was the most important part.

Photography: Anna Sawin Photography
Ceremony and reception: Guilford Yacht Club, Guilford, CT
Catering: Jordan Caterers
Gown: The White Dress by the Shore
Hair and makeup: 129 on Main, Cheshire, CT
Music: DJ Keith Alan

9.4.11 ~ Patty and Justin

Linekin Bay Resort ~ Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Justin and I were living in the DC metro area about 25 miles apart.  We were both tired of trying to meet people in the bar scene and decided to try an online dating service.  After a few emails back and forth and instant messaging for about a week we decided to meet over some drinks, apps and Sunday afternoon football.  We hit it off and decided to extend our date with dessert… four years later Justin proposed during a romantic September sunset on the North shore of Kauai called the Napali coast.

We planned our wedding with the idea in mind that everyone in our wedding would see a piece of each of us throughout the day.  Justin grew up in Wiscasset and as a teenager scooped ice cream at the “Downeast Ice Cream Factory” in Boothbay Harbor.  Naturally a summer wedding on the coast of Maine was our first choice.  As we researched the possible locations for our wedding we fell in love with the Linekin Bay Resort.  This Coastal resort in Boothbay Harbor is an old converted girls camp and has all the charm and breathtaking scenery we were looking for to fit our personality.  The menu reflected a little about each of our heritage, lobster for Justin the Mainer and a Roast Pig for me the Filipina.  Our favorite colors are blue and green and therefore the color scheme of the wedding.  As far as the rest of the decor we made sure to stick with the summer Maine feel with lobster crackers as favors and clam hods to hold programs and cards.  The flowers  represented friendship with white roses and the fullness of life that hydrangeas exude.  The table names were of places we have visited together along with a picture that our guests could take with them.  We served Prosecco instead of champagne because of our trip to Valdobiadenne, the Prosecco region in Italy. Our signature drink was “Bourbon over berries” incorporating Maine blueberries and our favorite type of spirit.

It all came together on the day of our wedding.  The weather was absolutely beautiful with plenty of sun for all to enjoy.  We are so lucky to have such great family and friends.  We were also lucky to find such great vendors that were flexible enough to create our dream wedding.  Our family and friends helped us with all the small details.  The ceremony along the bay was so wonderful that we even had spectators on a speed boat enjoying it with us!  The food was amazing and the dessert was outstanding.  We decided on 3 types of cupcakes and 2 types of whoopie pies because heck we are in Maine and whoopie pies are the best dessert ever and to provide our guests a variety for their sweet teeth.  Lastly, our reception was the most fun we have ever had!   Everyone was on the dance floor the rest of the night enjoying what DJ Greg played for us.  Now we have gorgeous photos to remember not only the formal part of our wedding but also the candid shots we would’ve otherwise missed!

We loved our wedding and all of our family and friends tell us it was one of the best weddings they ever went to.  The backdrop of the Maine Coast, the vacation feel of Linekin Bay Resort,  the food, the drinks, the dessert, and the music made the night a spectacular one, along with all the small details that reflected the two of us.

Photographer:  Deborah Zoe Photo
Entertainment: Northeast DJs
Bakery: Good Eats Boutique

8.20.2011 ~ Emily + Wes

Newagen Seaside Inn ~ Southport, Maine

Wes and I met in high school. He was the senior I had a crush on, I was a freshman. 4 years later, after high school we saw each other again, and started dating. Wes and I had been together for a little over 6 years when he proposed. He had a bit of a dilemma, because he really wanted me to help him design the perfect ring that I would love forever, but I love surprises!

Wes asked me to help design a ring in August 2009, and didn’t mention it again. On my birthday he came home with a dozen roses and proposed! I was taken completely by surprise! When he walked in, I said “awww, I love you!” and he replied “Do you love me enough to marry me?” and pulled out the ring. I was ecstatic! He then took me to dinner for my birthday to celebrate, and told me that it was important for him to surprise me, by proposing on my birthday (he knew I wouldn’t expect that) and to do it in our first home together.  It was absolutely perfect.

Wes and I really knew that we wanted to have our wedding on August 20th, from the start. We both love Maine in August, and it was exactly 7.5 years after our first date. Both our parents were married in late summer in 1973, and have been married for 38 years. It was the perfect day for us to get married. We also knew that we wanted to be able to see the ocean on our wedding day. We really wanted to stay in the Mid-coast area, and that limited our search.

We chose the Newagen, because start to finish, they were amazing. When I first visited the Newagen to see the venue, Jason (innkeeper and event planner) gave us a very detailed tour and really took the time to answer all of our questions. We spent about 2 hours there, and never felt rushed. This feeling of complete comfort with the Newagen carried through our entire planning process. We went there for a tasting, and the food was incredible. Once we found the Newagen, it became a very easy choice,  it was truly a perfect location. One of our favorite things about the Inn was that it was only our guests there, we had the whole place! It was wonderful to go walking around the grounds and run into your family and friends.

Our day was incredible! I woke up and it was VERY foggy out, and I was a bit sad. The view at the Newagen is spectacular, so I was really hoping it would clear up before the wedding started. All day while getting ready I was nervous and hoping the fog would clear. I have to say, although we have been together for over 7 years, I was still incredibly nervous! When Deb brought me down to see Wes for the first time, I was shaking like it was our first date. As soon as I saw him, my nerves were completely calmed. It was the perfect way to prep for a day that can be stressful and go by too quickly. Seeing him, and being with him for that time before the ceremony relaxed me, and helped me enjoy the day more… I realized I had nothing to be nervous about!

One of my favorite parts of the day was completely surprising Wes when I arrived on a Marine Patrol Boat. He is very astute and pays attention to detail, so I was thrilled that I could pull it off without him knowing. I’ve heard the look on his face was priceless when he figured out what was going on, I wish I had seen it! And, by the time our ceremony started, the fog had completely cleared, and it was the most perfect beautiful day.

I have heard stories since our wedding day that when I didn’t immediately appear after the last bridesmaid (I had to be quite far away to arrive by boat), people were quite concerned. I heard there was a bit of a ‘nervous giggle’ that went around the group, as people started to worry I wasn’t going to show up. I asked Wes about it later and he said, “I knew you would be there.”

I also really cherish the memories of our first dance; we took many many dance lessons, and still managed to mess up our choreography… Regardless of that, we had a great laugh, and so much fun dancing and trying to remember what we were supposed to do!

All in all, I wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding day, other than to make it longer! It was perfection, and we have such fond memories of that day!

Photography:  Deborah Zoe Photo
Hair:  Bonnie’s A Cut Above
Venue:  Newagen Seaside Inn
Gown:  Allure – Andrea’s Bridal in Portland, Maine
Menswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Wedding bands: Emily – GM Pollack & Sons, Wes – Cross Jewelers
DJ:  Direct Effect Entertainment Productions
Makeup Artist:  From This Day Forward
Bakery:  Fields of Cake
Catering: Newagen Seaside Inn
Stationery (all paper products): Hullabaloo Studios
Florist: Always & Forever Florist
Tent: Marshall Tent
Photo booth: Portland Photo Booth Company

8.27.11 ~ Vera and George

Portland, Maine

George and I met when I was still in high school. I adored his sense of humor and his genuine kindness. Our love grew out of a friendship. He knew how to make me laugh; we just shared everything in common, even our love for comedians. When we first met I felt an instant connection but I never thought or even considered dating him- he was just someone I got along with. It wasn’t until later that I realized I couldn’t live without him. Our relationship was long distance- he lived in New Hampshire and I lived in Maine. We talked every day and whenever I’d have a day off or if it was the weekend he would drive up to see me. We would always go to the Old Port and walk around to look at the different shops, and just to hang out at our local coffee shop. We enjoyed walking together even when it was unbelievably cold outside.

As time went by our love grew stronger and on our one year anniversary he proposed on our trip to Boston. It was absolutely perfect. He serenaded me, there were fireworks and he asked me the one question that I’d been waiting to hear. Our wedding was August 27th, the entire week I dealt with the fear of Hurricane Irene. Every time I watched the news or turned on the radio a newscaster would say how horrible of a weekend we were going to have with rain, wind and one unhappy bride. This was something I chose not to believe I knew the weather would be absolutely perfect. Also the fact that I’ve been praying for good weather on my wedding day ever since I was five may have helped out a little bit.

So come Saturday I woke up and anxiously peaked out the window. There was nothing out there besides blue skies and the sun shining down from above for me and for every other bride getting married in Maine! After getting ready with the girls we took the limo to Old Port where George and I would see each other for the first time on our wedding day. I thought the Old Port was the perfect touch because that’s where our love and relationship grew. The whole morning I was so anxious, nervous and awaited what this day would be like. It wasn’t until George turned around that all of the feelings of nervousness disappeared and pure happiness flooded across my face. The ceremony was touching and exactly what I pictured the moment to be like. After the ceremony the reception awaited us and there we got to eat and enjoy not just the touching speeches everybody had for us but all of my planning and decorating come together. The time we had for a quick photo shoot right after the reception was our moment to escape all of our guests and just to enjoy our first day as husband and wife. Then we grabbed our wedding party and headed off to Old Orchard beach for some fun. Old Orchard was the perfect way to end the day- there were a ton of people congratulating us and the lights from the carousel created a dreamy atmosphere.

Vendors:
Limo – Atlantic limousine
Reception Decor – Balloon Magic
Catering – Family and Friends
Photographer – Yuriy Manchik Photographers
Videographer – Aperina Studios

10.9.11 Chris and Meg
Stage Neck Inn ~ York Harbor, Maine

Planning our destination wedding had its challenges, but in the end it was absolutely perfect! The decision to have a destination wedding was pretty simple, we live in Chicago and our families and friends are spread across six states and two countries so they would all be traveling anyway. After a weekend in Maine enjoying the local attractions and visiting possible wedding venues, we fell in love with the area and knew it would be perfect for our wedding. York Harbor is breathtaking, and has the comforting small town feel where everyone knows each other. The main drag up the coast is lined with multiple bed and breakfasts, each one more charming than the next… and there is so much history in the area. October paints a canvas of vivid fall colors as the leaves begin to change, and just makes you relax.

Both of us are big foodies, so we decided that food had to be one of our two planning priorities for the wedding (tied for first was photography). We would have the photos as memories for years to come and recognized that item as a long term investment. Lobster is so prevalent in New England, specifically Maine, so instantly that became a mini food related theme. We had a small guest list (40 total) and thought a lobster bake rehearsal dinner would be a perfect kick-off for the weekend festivities! Since we had a small group it would be intimate and everyone could socialize and get to know one another before the reception.

We had a strict budget, coupled with my love of crafts and planning from 800 miles away a stage was set for our “dressed-up-casual” evening escorted by UPS next day delivery! It was important to me that every detail be personalized and all the pieces fall into place for the big day. With the help of my wonderful groom, bridesmaids, and the staff at the Stage Neck Inn all the pieces came together for an amazing, unforgettable evening.

photographer: Whitney, emilie inc. photography
venue: Stage Neck Inn, York, Maine
florist: Flowers by the Sea
dj: Fred Pappalardo
cake: Confection Art
gown: Victoria Sdoukos at Boutique Victoria