First, a story. We knew we wanted to do a Friday evening welcome event, because guests were coming from far and wide to celebrate with us. We immediately decided to hold it at my family’s favorite lobster shack, the one we’ve been going to since before I can remember. It has a huge open air deck, a counter-ordering system, and a great Maine vibe. Perfect, we thought. My Mom got in touch with them the summer before, and then over the winter, and was told both times to wait, that they weren’t booking yet, but that it wouldn’t be any problem. Duh-duh-duhhn.

Fast forward to the week after the Fourth of July. The invitations had already been sent out for K + C’s August wedding (and welcome dinner). We went to the restaurant to confirm, and were basically told (rudely) that there was no way our event could be held there. Cue controlled panic from the Mom, sisters, and cousins that were in the car.

Happily, there is a great ending to this story! After putting our heads together, we drove over to the Boothbay Lobster Wharf, which my Mom had been to when she was younger but hadn’t seen in years. They were so nice, and had all the benefits of the old place, plus more: a rooftop room we could rent for $100 (wow!), live music, a waterfront location, and a bar and counter where people could order their own food.

So! On the Friday before the wedding, we all headed over to BLW. My fabulous cousins and aunt had headed over before everyone else to set out a few decorations, and everything looked great!

We kept things VERY simple, with just a few red-and-white gingham glassine-wrapped hurricanes and a few strands of bunting. And a cheesy sign made by yours truly :)

Friends and family from near and far were greeted…

Lobsters were investigated…

And outfits were admired:

(Yep, that’s my Dad. I’m pretty sure both the aviators and the shorts are at least 30 years old.)

People ordered food and drinks at their leisure, and most headed up to our room to eat. The system worked perfectly!

Yum! After an hour and a half or so, my Dad stood up on a bench and asked for everyone’s attention. We figured he was going to thank everyone for coming, which he did. But then! He pulled out a large book.

Kate looked nervous:

Everyone else looked excited.

Turns out my Dad had collected Kate’s “refrigerator art” since preschool, and assembled the best pieces into a scrapbook! It was as adorable as you would expect. The best part? For some of the more… abstract drawings, he asked Kate at the time what they were, and then wrote down her description on the back. Everyone loved looking through the book for the rest of the night. Good job, Dad!! Love him.

Jenna pulled Kate and Cormac away for a few portraits on my uncle’s boat later that evening, which was super nice of her to do, especially since they chose not to have engagement photos taken.

Then the bride and groom pulled their bridal party away to give us our gifts! The ring bearer got a Nerf gun and a few books:

The guys got boat shoes (Sperry Topsiders) to go with their wedding day outfits. VERY well received.

The girls got monogrammed L.L. Bean bags, initial necklaces from Etsy, flip flops, and Maine chocolate! Two thumbs up, Kate!

Guests started to trickle out after that, but not before taking a whoopie pie for the road:

This was such a fabulous way to kick off the wedding weekend. Completely low stress, super fun, and not very expensive for my family to host. I HIGHLY recommend doing something similar. And to top it all off, we had Jenna there to document everything! I highly recommend her, too :)

All photos by the talented Jenna Cole, except the girls and ring bearer gift exchange!

Previously:
We arrive
We prepare
We raise the tent
We rehearse and play wiffle ball
We jump off the wharf

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Right, so when we left off, we were hot and sweaty after a rousing game of wiffle ball. With high fives all around, we began to troop down the hill to the main wharf. There were lots of nervous giggles in the air as those of us who know how cold Maine ocean water is attempted to prepare those who didn’t.

Some of us donned life jackets:

Everyone who was jumping gathered at the edge of the wharf, while a crowd of bystanders grouped behind us. Jenna gamely hopped into a Whaler, and we waited as she and her boat driver maneuvered around the pot buoys to get the best angle possible.

With everyone in place and holding hands, it was go time! My Dad, the Coast Guard captain, was the only one with enough authority to actually make everyone jump at the same time (it’s reallllly easy to chicken out at the last minute!), so he called out 1! 2! 3! and we all leapt off the edge!

Yes, I’m the one dropping like a rock. There were a few stragglers, of course, so some of us waited in the water until everyone had jumped. Others made a beeline for the ladder.

A few were even brave enough to jump a second (or third!) time! The groom took a turn on the rope swing:

The sisters jumped together:

Kim had the most picturesque jump of the day:

And Jonathan, the most impressive:

I have to say, this part of the day was was SO FUN! I was super impressed with how many people got into it and participated, and we got so amazing pictures to remember everything by.

After we dried off, there was just enough time for a quick rehearsal (this time with bells and groomsmen!), ceremony chair setting-up party, and shower before it was time to head into town for the welcome dinner.

All photos by the talented Jenna Cole!

Previously:
We arrive
We prepare
We raise the tent
We rehearse and play wiffle ball!

read more

I made it seem like something disastrous was imminent in my last Maine Squeeze post, but really, nothing big was to go wrong for the rest of the weekend :)

Friday dawned as beautiful as the days that had preceded it — gorgeous blue sky, clear air, and warm temps. Exactly the kind of day that makes you want to hold your wedding in Maine in August.

Everyone was up and about early, both to get a jump on the last few tasks and out of pure excitement. John and my Dad took the boat over to the mainland to drive around town hammering in the last few directional signs and cut a few bunches of white hydrangeas from my grandmother’s front garden. (We hadn’t planned to have any floral elements in the centerpieces, but when the opportunity presented itself, we couldn’t resist!). The result of their hard work:

You’ll be seeing more of those soon! The girls stayed behind doing very important things:

When the gentlemen returned from their early morning errands, grandma took care of clipping the hydrangeas.

Soon after, it was time to meet the 10:30 ferry, which Jenna was scheduled to arrive on! We were so excited and nervous to meet this talented photographer and blogger who we felt like we knew but had never actually met. We needn’t have been nervous, though — as soon as Jenna stepped off the ferry, there were hugs all around!

We wanted to take her on a quick walking tour of the Island, since she would be largely on her own the next morning. Since the Island is only about a mile long by a half a mile wide (and some of that length and width is rocky coastline and doesn’t even really count!), we were able to do so fairly quickly. We got a quick peek at the tent and freshly mown grass at West Shore…

…and then it was time for the rehearsal! We gathered in the field and Sarah, the pastor, ran through the ceremony. Quick tip for those of you running your own rehearsals: start with everyone where they’ll be during the ceremony (i.e. bride and groom in the center, bridal party on either side), then practice the recessional, and then practice the processional. That way, you’ll know exactly how everyone should be lined up in the back to get everyone in the right position in the front!

Yes, the binder was out in full effect. :) The rehearsal went smoothly, and afterward, we had just enough time to wolf down lunch before guests began arriving for the first official event of the wedding weekend: wiffle ball!

We had about 30 guests to transport from the mainland to the Island, so my uncles took turns ferrying guests in their boats. The ferry was also running. Everyone eventually trickled on to the playing field, but not before passing things as lovely as these totally-not-planned-but-totally-color-coordinated pot buoys on their way up the hill!

Our players ranged in age from 5 to 65 years old, and I think everyone ended up having a good time! That’s not to say that competition wasn’t fierce, because it most certainly was. In fact, I distinctly remember my Dad and uncle rolling in the grass over a fly ball/stealing third base situation at one point…

Me? Fierce? Not so much:

In fact, I probably should have stuck with the onlookers…

No surprise, then, when my team didn’t win. But we were all good sports!

We were also officially hot and sweaty, which meant it was time for our next activity: wharf jumping!

Sign, buoy, and wiffle ball photos by the lovely and talented Jenna Cole; all other personal.

Previously:
It begins
More preparations
We raise the tent

read more

Thursday dawned as bright and clear as the rest of the week, and we rose bright and early, too — it was time to meet the rental peeps! Kate and my Dad rode the ferry over to greet them on the mainland while the rest of the hauling crew stayed behind on the Island.

Side note: we very specifically told the rental company multiple times that there was NO bridge to the Island and NO barge, and that everything would have to fit on a renovated lobster boat. They said that was A-OK multiple times. Yet when they arrived on Thursday, their first question was still, “Where’s the barge?” Ay-yay-yay. In the end, we did get everything over successfully, barge or no barge.

As the ferry slid up to the dock, we assembled into a bonafide bucket brigade, carting chairs, tables, glassware, flatware, linens, and a disassembled tent up the ramp and into the truck.

We then followed the truck’s bumpy progress around the corner of the Island, from the main float to the West Shore, where the reception would be held two days later. After that we pretty much just did some heavy looking-on as the rental company impressively did their thing. In no time, we had a tent!

Side note: do you see how sweaty that tent guy is?!

But what is a tent without bunting?! Not much, in this family! As the fog rolled in, we hung strands of colored flags for the cake display backdrop, across where the food buffet would sit, and between two trees behind the soon-to-be bar. We even had some leftover to string between two Adirondack chairs facing out to the ocean. Let’s all pause for a round of applause for Kate — she made all the bunting you see, and did such a great job!

After the tent people headed back to the mainland, we set up all the tables and chairs in roughly the arrangement we wanted them in on Friday. We also tied long navy, yellow, and white ribbons into the branches of the trees next to the shore, and scoured the beach for smooth rocks (which would later become part of the centerpieces!).

After all our West Shore prep, we took the roundabout way back to the cottages so we could hammer in directional signs as we went.

Let me tell you, it was harder than it looked, as New England islands are pretty much solid rock covered with a thin layer of moss. But we persevered, and I think they looked pretty good in the end!

By the time Thursday evening rolled around, we were all starting to get so, so excited — the weather report looked great, guests would be arriving the next morning, and preparations were progressing as planned. What could go wrong? …until next time!

All photos personal

Previously:
It begins
More preparations

read more