portland maine bayside wedding

you may have seen yesterday's teaser, well today i want to show you all the awesome nautical elements that made morgan and jimmy's portland maine bayside wedding so fabulous. these two tied the knot on the lawn at the ocean gateway pier. it was a stunning, sunny day, which you don't always get here in maine in may. the reception was held upstairs in the terminal looking out through enormous glass windows over casco bay. the motif of blue and white expertly crafted by meghan at b merry events worked so well with the industrial feel of the venue. nautical elements like rope, stripes, sea grass and sand all tied together perfectly. the whole day of sophisticated fun represented the bride and groom to a T. congratulations morgan and jimmy! all photos below by a sweet start.

b merry events | wedding planner

ocean gateway | venue

ben bridges | ceremony musician (contact me for his information)

111 maine | caterer

rodeo & co. | photographer

northeast event design | lighting

nothing bakes like a parrott | cake

mainely bartenders | bartenders

dionne entertainment | DJ

portland photo booth co. | photo booth

one stop party shoppe | rentals

portland maine bayside wedding

here's a teaser from today's gorgeous bayside wedding. morgan and jimmy tied the knot in a nautical themed wedding in portland, maine, on what can only be called an epic day. although a bit chilly, the sun shined brightly and the water was a rich, deep blue. absolute perfection especially for this sweet couple. more photos coming soon...

 photo by a sweet start

wedding day essentials

Amy Wilton Photographyas your wedding approaches, you may want to consider getting the items on this wedding day essentials list so that you're totally (over) prepared for your wedding day. i consider this a wedding day emergency kit. this is the list i used for my own wedding. yes, i'm a super duper planner. i like to try to think of everything, but since i've already done that, let me just share it with you so you don't have to!  

• Advil
• Alka Seltzer
• Baby powder
• Band-Aids
• Benedryl
• Body bronzer
• Bottles of water
• Breath mints/spray
• Bug spray
• Cash (because you never know)
• Cellular phone
• Chalk (to cover up smudges or smears on dress)
• Clear deodorant/anti-perspirant
• Club soda for stain removal
• Comb/brush
• Contact solution and case
• Corsage pins
• Cotton balls/cotton swabs
• Dental floss/toothpicks
• Duct tape
• Extra earring backs
• Glasses
• Granola bars or other easy-to-carry snacks
• Hair pins/ponytail holders
• Hair spray/gel
• Hand lotion
• Hem tape
• Krazy Glue (for nail fixes, shoe heels, decorations, even jewels)
• Lavender essential oil (for calming)
• Lint brush
• Make-up remover
• Makeup (for touch-ups)
• Matches
• Mini sewing kit
• Mirror
• Moist towelettes
• Mouthwash
• Nail clippers
• Nail file
• Nail polish - clear
• Nail polish in shade worn
• Perfume
• Rescue Remedy (for calming)
• Rewetting drops for contacts
• Round brush
• Rub-on Band-Aid
• Safety pins
• Scotch tape
• Small folding scissors
• Small hand towel
• Spot remover
• Static-cling spray
• Straws (for drinking so you don't ruin your lipstick)
• Sunblock
• Tampons/sanitary napkins
• Tissues
• Toothbrush, toothpaste
• Tweezers
• Vendor contact sheet
• Wedding schedule
• Wine or champagne

i actually have many of these items in an emergency kit that i bring to all the weddings i officiate, and it's come in handy quite a few times!

traditional wedding vows

are you trying to decide whether to write your own vows or to use the traditional vows? it's a tough decision. writing your own vows allows you to customize exactly what you want to say to your mate, but sometimes the stress of trying to put into words how you feel is so overwhelming. i wrote a blog post about writing your own vows to give you a few ideas, but don't feel pressured to have to write your own vows. i absolutely love the traditional wedding vows. 

traditional wedding vows have been spoken by millions of people for hundreds of years. there is something so powerful about speaking those words which bind you to a wider community and connect you to history. as much as i love customized, personalized wedding vows, i have to say i often get goosebumps hearing my couples recite the traditional vows to one another. those words have lasted this long because they are meangingful and really cover all aspects of pledging your life to another human. 

here are the traditional wedding vows that can be repeated after your officiant:

i, [name], take you, [name], to be my lawfully wedded [wife/husband]. i promise to love and cherish you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep myself only unto you, for so long as we both shall live.

here are the same traditional vows but responded to with an "i do" rather than being repeated after your officiant: 

[name], do you take [name] to be your lawfully wedded [wife/husband]? do promise to love and cherish her/him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for richer for poorer, for better for worse, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her/him, for so long as you both shall live?

here's a modification to the traditional vows where the response is "i will."

[name] will you have [name], as your lawfully wedded wife/husband, to live together in the covenant of matrimony? will you love her/him, comfort her/him, honor and keep her/him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep you only unto her/him, for the rest of your life?

i've also seen couples speak both the traditional vows and then share something they've written for their partner. that's a nice way to incorporate both the old and the new.

here are the modified tradtiional vows which my husband and i spoke at our first wedding (yes, we had two!). 

do you, maria, promise to be nick’s friend; to comfort him; and to listen to him; to celebrate his successes; and to support his struggles; to love him, respect him and tenderly care for him, through all the days of your lives? [to which i enthusiastically replied, "i do!"]

as you can see, there are many ways to modify the traditional vows to make them work for your. what do you think? will you use the traditional wedding vows or write your own? 

wedding trend: signature cocktails

The Caribbean Cocktail Revolution

One of the hippest trends in weddings right now is signature cocktails. Michelle Pino has contributed this recipe based on the knowledge and trends she has learned while working at Skana Spa in Upstate NY. When Michelle isn’t working you will find her baking, crafting, reading a magazine or catching up on her favorite TV shows. Below, she shares her experience with signature cocktails. 

I was at a wedding a few months ago and aside from the obvious happy family memories being made, I'll confess: my favorite part of any wedding is the chance to indulge in fancy, signature wedding cocktails. I've always felt they were too much work to make at home, so I leave the heavy lifting to a trusty bartender with a professional blender and cocktail shaker!

It was a really fun wedding theme - island tropics - and everyone who worked it wore Hawaiian shirts and cute island print dresses.  They couple had a small destination wedding, but then had a larger reception back at home for everyone to attend.  By far my favorite “themed” treat was something the bartender called the “Signature Drink” of the wedding: the Caribbean Cocktail. Yum!

It was so easy! I couldn't believe I'd been avoiding such a small amount of work and planning that would satisfy me at parties, not to mention impress my guests. Visions of cocktail nights with the girls, theme nights - tropic, like the wedding, or a thousand others I suddenly couldn't wait to attempt.

The day after the wedding, I gathered my supplies (I didn't bother with the fancy cocktail shaker – I read that any jar with a good, tight lid would work the same) and got right to work. With only a couple of bad batches, I soon got the hang of it and produced a perfect wedding cocktail in my own kitchen.  There are lots of recipes available for great signature cocktails on the internet, but here is one taken from the experts of the Turning Stone Resort, a Central New York wedding venue.  I hope everyone reading enjoys this recipe and throws a Tiki party of their own!

Caribbean Cocktail:

Ingredients:

1/2 ounce unflavored vodka (any brand will do: personal preference)

1/2 ounce melon flavored liqueur (Midori all the way!)

1/2 ounce peach schnapps (It's a girly drink!)

1/2 ounce blue curacao (Did I not mention this drink is a fun aqua color?)

1/2 ounce pineapple juice (Use fresh if possible; otherwise, a can is fine!)

1 dash carbonated lemon-lime beverage (This sweetens it a lot, which I enjoy, but if you don't, you can use club soda or sparkling water)

Optional garnish:

1 Fruit wedge (lime, lemon, pineapple, etc.)

2 Maraschino cherries

Directions:

Pop all the ingredients except for the garnishes and carbonated liquid in your jar or cocktail mixer and shake it like a Polaroid picture. Serve over ice and pour in soda a dash at a time until your taste buds soar. Garnish as desired - I also endorse cute paper umbrellas and plastic swords!