Migis Lodge Wedding // Kathleen & Bogie

Kathleen and Bogie’s celebration at Migis Lodge is a great example a perfectly imperfect wedding day. It rained. The sun came out, but then it was freezing during their ceremony. Then they realized during the ceremony that their handwritten vows were far away in their cabin across the camp. But with their beautiful senses of humor and abundance of joy, everything turned out wonderfully. It certainly helped that Migis is a gorgeous summer camp venue, and the moss and pines and autumn leaves lent such a luscious, cozy vibe to their day. October weddings in Maine are the way to go!

Wedding at The 1774 Inn // Mary & Andrew

I am definitely partial to elopements these days, but Mary & Andrew's wedding was the perfect example of the type of "traditional" wedding I still love to photograph. They were classy, yet laid-back, and valued having good food, good design, and a great time with their friends and family above all. They planned an awesome day, were flexible when it rained, and were so easy and fun to work with! These were my favorite aspects of their day:

Andrew's green suit

The cardboard cutout of their dog

The food station dinner setup (and those tacos!)

The back of Mary's dressss

And the little ring bearer who stole everyone's heart

P.S. I should have been doing this all along, but I've included a list of their vendors at the bottom. Finally! 

Venue: The 1774 Inn

Florals: Yellow Twist Design

Planning: Back Bay Bride

Food: The Bread and Butter Co

Hair & Makeup: Big Day Beauty

Acadia National Park Elopement // Brianna & Troy

Brianna & Troy's elopement in Acadia National Park was one of the sweetest ceremonies I've witnessed. And their Wendell Berry reading had me in tears (I'm such a sucker for that poet/farmer/sage). 

If you're considering eloping and forgoing the craziness and expense of the average wedding celebration, their sweet Acadia adventure will convince you that simple, intimate, and close to nature is the way to go.

Maine Summer Camp Wedding // Annie & Matt

Annie & Matt's laid-back summer camp wedding should make every couple want to head to the woods for a fun, DIY celebration. My favorite parts of their day:

Their simple, thoughtful Buddhist ceremony

The amazing vegetarian food by Concord Coop

Awesome live music by their friends Citrusphere

Annie & her bridesmaids singing Spice Girls at the reception!

Overlook at the Point Wedding // Courtney & Robert

More than any wedding I've photographed, this one at Overlook at the Point in Georgetown, Maine reminded me of my own. So I might be a bit partial to these two. ;)

Courtney wore a green dress, they had an untraditional ceremony (no walking up the aisle), and their reception was relaxed and simple - no dancing or craziness, just hanging out and eating great vegetarian food with their family and friends. Exactly like mine and Kurtis' wedding!

I really appreciate when couples do things their own way, and I'm proud of Courtney and Robert for really making this day at Overlook at the Point their very own.

Venue: Overlook at the Point

Caterer: Union Street Bakery

Bartender: Frontier

Day of Coordinator: Dragonfly Services

Glen Magna Farms Wedding // Victoria & Chris

This was such a beautiful June day with the smiliest bride at an amazing venue. While I'm trying to photograph weddings more in Maine these days, I just couldn't say no to working with Victoria and Chris at Glen Magna Farms. Scroll through these photos and you'll see why! Everything about their wedding was super classy and gorgeous and just full of joy.

Monhegan Island Elopement // Jen & Frank

This little wedding on Monhegan Island in Maine was one of the sweetest I've witnessed. Jen & Frank and their son Henry arrived at the island with the open plan to get married in a beautiful spot and then explore with me for some photos. 

When I arrived, it was such a lovely surprise to find that the residents of the tiny town had come together to contribute to their special day in the most generous ways. One woman hand-picked a bouquet for Jen, another took care of their marriage license. Someone offered rides on their golf cart and at the last minute played guitar and sang beautifully for their ceremony. And a couple who'd been visiting Monhegan since the 1960s to celebrate their anniversary acted as the witnesses to Jen & Frank's ceremony. 

The world needs more weddings like this, and more wonderful folks like these three. And if you haven't visited Monhegan yet, you definitely should!

The Barn at River House Wedding // Mandy & Casey

After my month-long adventure on the west coast this spring, I flew back for just one weekend to photograph Mandy & Casey's incredible, colorful, 1920's themed wedding at The Barn at River House in Ben Lomond, CA in early June. Their story is beautiful - with a mutual love for the ocean, music and art (Mandy is a DJ and Casey a maker) and a romance that blossomed at Burning Man five years ago in a way that must have been pure magic.

Their photos here are broken up into three parts because there were just so many! By some miracle I managed to create a video for them as well, completely solo with no second shooters or assistants (I am crazy). Really I pulled it off because their day was so darn lovely, and when a Mainer is in the redwoods, well gosh I'd better record the shit out of it. So here ya go. What an amazing couple, gorgeous venue, fun bunch of guests, and some images that aren't quite so bad to look at.

Press play!

Spring Meadows Wedding // Brit & Brett

Brit & Brett's honeybee-themed spring celebration at Spring Meadows Golf Club was the perfect start to my Maine wedding season. These were my favorite things about their day (well, besides the two of them): 

The seasonal, local lilac bouquets

Brit's honeybee Converse that she painted herself

Her lavender, hops (because Brett is a brewer) & succulent hair wreath

The beehive and birch cake

The bead bracelets Brit's mom made from her own wedding dress

Ok, basically everything. This day was so sweet!

Oregon Coast Engagement Photos // Emily & Andrew

It's so fun working with couples who live all over but are getting married in Maine. I was lucky to photograph Emily & Andrew on the Oregon Coast recently. Even though it rained during their session, this was one of my favorite engagement adventures ever! Such a cute couple, and that overcast light was so dreamy!

Maine Elopement Photographer // Styled Shoot

I've never been one for styled shoots, because I'm mostly interested in people and relationships and interactions and moments, rather than in table settings and cakes and dresses. 

So this year I'm starting my own kinda styled shoot, well actually "un-styled" shoots - which are more about a couple's relationship and showing a way to get married without the stress and hype of a typical wedding day. I find cozy, intimate, private elopements so much more sincere and romantic, especially for the more introverted among us.

Huge thanks to Hillary and Kenny, who participated in my first un-styled shoot recently, and to the amazing Andrea of Honeysuckle Way for the florals. Because plants always, always win, styled or not. Her happy arrangements were perfect for this colorful, spring-like, pretty shoot!

Here's to elopements and makeshift outfits and sweet, intimate moments in the middle of nowhere. I would photograph elopements like this in the Maine woods all the time if I could!

Wells, ME Engagement Photos

Pure, simple, winter magic with a pup here! I'm excited for Maine wedding season but in some ways will miss the beauty and simplicity of winter engagement photo adventures like this one.