The east coast boasts many an ideal spot for weddings but Maine, with its gorgeous display of greenery and just the right touch of rustic seems to be at the tippy top of our favorites list. Fat Orange Cat Studio photographed the heck out of this pretty wedding and after taking a look, we were sold on the locale, on the easy elegance of the whole affair and especially on that fig adorned cake. Sit back and gaze upon some pretty whilst sipping your morning coffee and don’t forget there’s more where this came from in the gallery.
My husband, Rich, and I were engaged for two years, which allowed us time to really think about our wedding day, as well as save and plan. We knew we wanted to be married outside among the trees with birds chirping along surrounded by family and friends. It was also important to us to involve our family in the planning process. From this we developed the theme of “Homegrown Wedding.” We live in Rhode Island, I am from Maine, and he is from Massachusetts. It took us nearly ten months to find the perfect location after researching every possible and appropriate venue within those three states. Again, we had two years to plan, which really allowed us to take our time on this decision to make sure it was the correct one. We decided on Pineland Farms, a 5,000-acre working farm nestled in the woods of New Gloucester, Maine. With sweeping views of the White Mountains, cows and sheep grazing in the pastures next to a state-of-the-art equestrian center, hiking & biking trails, a one-acre perennial, herb, and vegetable garden and guest houses, it was the perfect spot to be married and to spend the weekend with our family and friends.
While we were searching for the perfect venue, I began working on many of the details, as I did not want to lose any time! I worked as an event planner for five years before I began my stationery and letterpress studio, so I found the process of planning extremely enjoyable and relatively stress-free. Our wedding was a true labor of love for our entire family and there is no way we could have done everything we did without their time and help. My mother, sister, and I spent a year collecting 175 vintage dinner and dessert plates and milk glass vases for the centerpieces (with the exception of the two plates Rich and I had which were from Anthropologie and had the Eiffel Tower on them, as a nod to where we were engaged). I also collected vintage handkerchiefs with my bridesmaid’s initials on them to give as gifts. My husband has a passion for music and is a talented drummer so we decided the centerpieces, as well as the labels for the tables, would be record albums from his collection surrounded by the milk glass vases I collected.
Before we even had our venue we booked our photographer, Li Ward of Fat Orange Cat Studio. Li began her studio as a pet photographer and we met when she took photos of one of our puppies. We adored her style, not to mention her and husband. She was not even into wedding photography yet and we had only been engaged for a month or so, but we asked her to shoot our wedding and we are beyond thrilled with our photos. She also shot our engagement photos. After two years of planning, collecting, making, printing, building, baking, & creating, our wedding finally came, and it was absolutely everything we could have ever hoped for and more. It was a gorgeous, sunny autumn day. Birds chirped, family and friends laughed and cried, we laughed and cried, ate delicious food and desserts, and danced the night away surrounded by everyone we loved!
Photography: Fat Orange Cat Studio / Cinematography: Lasting Memories Videotaping / Flowers: Minott’s Flowers / Ceremony and Reception Location: Pineland Farms / Catering: The Black Tie Company / Cakes and Dessert Table: Nothing Bakes Like a Parrott / Invitations: Parrott Design Studio / Illustrations: Debra Bianculli Calligraphy on Invitations, Envelopes: Grace Edmands Calligraphy, Escort Cards and Food labels: Fat Orange Cat Studio / Dress: BCBG Max Azria / Veil: Paloma Blanca / Shoes: Steve Madden / Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal / Bridesmaid Jewelry: Debra Bianculli / Flower Hair Pins: Handle and Spout / Suits: LA Fashion District / Ring Bearer Bowl: Paloma’s Nest / Garter: Rosebud Lips / Photo Booth: Parrott’s Photo Booth Company