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Fourth Of July Wedding From Michelle Turner Photography

Have you ever seen a Fourth of July wedding scene more beautiful than this?

photography by michelle turner

Sarah and Brandon
We met on Semester at Sea, a student cruise ship owned by the University of Virginia that is converted into a floating campus. I was in school in Florida and he was in school in Colorado. We traveled all over Europe for a summer semester 5 years ago. Brandon proposed to me at the finish line of the Ford Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid, New York in July of last year. It was quite a surprise and the crowd LOVED it!

A mere year later, on the Fourth of July, Brandon and Sarah were married at the beautiful Retreat at French’s Point in Stockton Springs, Maine. Their fab photographer, Michelle Turner is sharing some of her gorgeous shots from the day!

See the whole gallery here!

from Sarah … I grew up walking around this whimsical seaside estate as a child when it was a summer retreat owned by a religious organization. I used to walk the beach and grounds with my family. I was so excited to hear that the Brooks family had bought it and converted it into a wedding venue. They did a beautiful job!

Brandon and I wanted to incorporate just a bit of a nautical feel to our wedding. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to have a very “themey” wedding but that a few touches would be able to give the wedding a festive New England feel. We chose the 4th of July because it’s one of my favorite holidays. We also knew that it would be a festive time for our guests, most of whom were coming from out of town for the long weekend and were first time visitors to Maine. My father had a heart transplant two years ago so this was a monumental and extra-emotional day for all of us to celebrate as well.

We fell in love with Michelle Turner when we first saw her blog and were lucky to meet with her last summer to see some of her albums and work in person. Neither of us love posing for pictures so we knew that her documentary style photography was perfect for us. We wanted to incorporate a croquet set from a local antique market that we found so Michelle took some fun photos with us playing on the lawn and it really worked well with our 4th of July lawn wedding. She was so fun and her style is very unique. I will always remember her walking straight into the river up to her waist in order to get the perfect shot of us. We couldn’t be happier with the way the photos really captured the special moments of the day.

See Michelle’s blog feature of Sarah and Brandon’s wedding here!

Our thanks to Michelle Turner for sharing these g o r g e o u s images with us today!

More of Sarah and Brandon’s story …
Growing up in a house built in 1770 in Maine, I developed a love of local history and all old things, especially glass bottles. You see these in the windows of cottages up and down the Maine coast. My parents and I ventured out to the antique stores and markets last summer to see what we could find. My father discovered that he loved searching for the bottles and even attended a few auctions in order to collect 150 over the course of the year. We decided to collect the ocean colored bottles in keeping with our semi-nautical summer theme. We ordered supplies from letterseals.com to make old fashioned wax seals to affix to the bottles. Brandon experimented with colors and made all of the M seals. We had a mixture of navy blue, white and silver seals, depending on the color of the bottle. I found paper that had that sepia tone coloring and printed a note to put inside to thank our guests and explain the significance of the bottles. Some of my bridesmaids and friends helped to put the final touches on the bottles by attaching the name tags with ribbons and assembling and packing them. It truly became a fabulous DIY affair!

Our floral design ~ When I sent my dress picture and other ideas to Judy at Flora Fauna, she knew exactly where to go to incorporate some nautical touches without going over the top. She came up with two different table designs, one with blue and yellow flowers in square vases wrapped with rope and the other using a lantern and local driftwood and rocks. Brandon loves yellow so we also wanted to incorporate yellow into our colors.  We used navy table cloths which really made the centerpieces pop with color. My mom made me a toss bouquet of peonies from her garden. She had frozen them weeks before, in order to preserve them so that they would be ready for the wedding day. I threw this bouquet and Brandon threw my garter off of the porch on the roof of The Retreat. We loved it!

Our huppah ~ My father built the huppah using birch trees that grew on the land where I grew up. Not only did he cut every single piece …  he also designed and right-sized it to fit perfectly outside the gazebo at our venue. Judy designed the flowers to accentuate the structure without covering the beautiful birch pieces. We covered it with gold covered lace that belonged to my great aunt.

My dad also cut birch circles that we used to hold table numbers and signs. We affixed the M wax seals to them as well. Each table was named after places that we have traveled together with a short explanation at the bottom of the sign as to why it was significant in our lives. Some of the names were God’s Pocket, a special beach on Cranberry Island, Maine (my family has been summering there since my dad was a child), M.V. explorer, the name of the ship that Brandon and I met on and Budapest, a place we have traveled together, as well as where Brandon’s ancestors are from.

Jewish traditions ~We ordered our beautiful ketubah from Amy Fagen on ketubah.com. Brandon’s grandparents gave us a pewter kiddush cup. Our mothers poured wine from two different crystal containers into the cup to symbolize the joining of our two families. We bought the blue glass to break at the end of the ceremony from Gallery Judaica in Los Angeles. It’s made by a company called Shardz. They specialize in transforming the broken glass into something for the home such as a mezuzuh or a picture frame. We held the rings in a ceramic ring bowl made by Paloma’s Nest. It says love in Hebrew. We had family read the Sheva Brachot, the seven blessings in our ceremony. Brandon and I wrote letters to each other and read them aloud in lieu of traditional vows. The officiant was our friend Cantor Steve Puzarne from California. We had our rings made by Claude Joaillier in Santa Monica, CA.

Photography: Michelle Turner Photography
Cinematography: Media Northeast (Josh Swan)
Floral & Event Design: Flora Fauna Weddings
Event Planning: Jessika Brooks (The Retreat at French’s Point)

Wedding Venue: The Retreat at French’s Point
Invitations: William Arthur, custom design
Hair: Revival Salon {thanks for the holiday help!}
Makeup: Laurel Wiley {LA artist in rural Maine!}

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Maine Wedding by And Unlimited Photography

This next wedding in our mini-feature adventure is an East Coast example of rustic and utterly adorable laid-back style. As a boot lover myself, my heart is, of course, all a flutter for the kicks the bridesmaids are sporting. But aside from fabulous footwear, there are a bejillion adorable details all caught on film by fab photographer & Unlimited. Be sure to check out the gallery for more of this lakeside soiree and a few detail shots of those yummy looking pies.

Lakes, boots, and more pretty details can be found in the gallery!

From Brooke, the lovely Bride:

This wedding was a major DIY event.  I tried to use artists from Etsy as much as possible to give the day a custom feel.  I worked with each artist below to create pieces that were unique to our wedding.  It was such a pleasure to work with such talented people from all over the country. We were also so blessed to be surrounded by really talented people who were able to step up and contribute to the overall look and feel of the event.  My grandmother, Margaret Brown, made all of the patterned napkins and runners from fabric we found at CityCraft, a cute, super funky fabric store in Dallas.

I bounced just about every idea off of my Maid of Honor, Annie.  She created all of the table cards which were original collages made from vintage Audobon Society postcards, burlap, tags and watercolors.  She also concocted the seating chart that hung from the big wooden easel.  The wooden easels were actually designed by Stewart on the fly the day before, and then his friend Steve and his wife Kay made them in mass for each table.  We had a blast using what was around us so that we could save money but also incorporate a bit of Maine into the wedding.

The girls all came together to put the unique centerpieces of wildflowers together.  I loved that they were all different! We went on a scavenger hunt for pine cones, bits of greenery, moss and other natural tidbits to again enhance the pieces and bring them back to Maine. A few of my bridesmaids became the masterminds behind the all of the bouquets as well, including my bridal bouquet made of peonies and billy balls. The dress was probably the greatest deal of the day.  It is a Mori Lee design which I got at Terry Costa in Dallas.  The day I went to buy it they just happened to be having a trunk show for Mori Lee.  To say it was a steal is an understatement! I looked forever for the jam favors that weren’t super expensive or didn’t require me to order a ton of jam.  I finally found Worcester Farm, and they were great to work with and provided the cutest jams for the day.

I made the flowers in my hair.  The veil has a great story because it was originally owned by my bridesmaid, Lori Beth Wiseman.  She then sold her wedding dress and veil to a girl in Portland, Maine.  She contacted her and asked if I could borrow the veil.  We picked it up right after we landed in Portland, and then returned it to her before we left because one of her friends is going to wear it next.  The bracelet I wore was actually a piece of my grandmother’s, Joan Getter, costume jewelry.  My sisters and I used to play dress up in her jewelry and pretend to get married.  I thought it was just too cute and had to be worn! I cherish the fact that each one of my friends helped in some way. I think it just goes to show how teamwork can really create an amazing wedding. While it was stressful to do all of this from 2,000 miles away, in the end, it was much sweeter and more meaningful.

Photography: & unlimited / Ceremony & Reception Location: Toddy Pond / Ceremony Music: Sweet Wednesday / Reception Band: J Biddy Band / Tent: Wallace Tent & Party Rentals / Accommodations: Nokomis Lodge / Catering and Pies: Crocker House Restaurant / Wedding Dress: Mori Lee / Bridesmaid Dresses: ModCloth / Custom Pie Banner: Earmark Invitations / Custom Invitations: Lauren Lowe Designs / Custom Bridesmaids Hair Flowers: Silla Soup / Groom’s Tie and Groomsmen Ties: Me and Matilda / Custom Save the Date: Rachel Ink

Summer Garden Party Inspiration

When we think of summer in New England, this garden party inspiration embodies it to a tee. Between the yummy summer fruit, the pretty flowers and all of the lovely vintage detailing, we are ready to throw our own soiree, Maine style.  Photography phenom, Corbin Gurkin, teamed up with Meagan Gilpatrick of Maine Seasons Events and Judy Bourgeois of Flora Fauna to create this perfect, perfect inspiration wether you are having a backyard bbq or an outdoor wedding by the lake – there are plenty of awesome details to tuck away.

{check out the FULL garden soiree in the gallery}

From Corbin Gurkin:

Inspired by the spirit of summer in New England, full of strawberry picking and trips to the lake, my dear friend Meagan Gilpatrick of Maine Seasons Events (who by the way is a total design genius with a flare for vintage styling) and and I put together a garden party style shoot. Judy Bourgeois of Flora Fauna designed the gorgeous fresh floral arrangements and pulling from her own collection of vintage lovelies, Meagan created the table design. Our lovely bride Whitney wore an amazing Elizabeth Dye gown from her new collection.

A few details from Meagan of Maine Seasons Events:

The design drew inspiration from fresh summer berries, peaches and cherries, a garden celebration, in the color palette of cherry red, pale blue, white and oatmeal. We added in elements of cotton eyelet fabric – for napkin adornments and candle holder wraps, red enamel dishes and a mix of vintage bakelite handled silverware with modern enamel silverware, vintage white milk glass & blue canning jar containers for luscious floral arrangements consisting of peonies, delphinium, yarrow, raspberries, lady’s mantle, yarrow, and hydrangea. The table was covered in a vintage quilt layered with muslin and a red mattress ticking runner. The napkins were dressed with a band of red ticking, eyelet trim and a button. A hanging wire fruit basket “chandeliers” hung from the trees with wooden cafe chairs and string lights. The bouquets were created from strawberry leaves, roses, cockscomb, peonies, lady’s mantle, daisies and iris, wrapped with red satin pleated ribbon and vintage trim.


Photography: Corbin Gurkin / Styling & Props: Meagan Gilpatrick of Maine Seasons Events / Floral Design: Judy Bourgeois of Flora Fauna / Gown: Elizabeth Dye / Model: Whitney Stone

Kennebunkport Wedding From David Murray Weddings

Elizabeth and Peter’s Kennebunkport wedding was filled to the brim with beautiful blues, crisp whites and a whole lot of love! Sent to us by David Murray Weddings, it’s fresh and sincere and simple perfection!

Their wedding was held on the bride’s parent’s tidal farm, Bass Cove Farm.

The vintage-style fabrics selected by Elizabeth and her sister made the day! They fashioned them into table runners, napkins and banners. Sweet posies for flowers and touches of green in small vintage-style vases add the perfect touch.

Little Black Book member, Kitchen Chicks catered the celebration.

And at some point … Elizabeth and Peter slipped away for a little private fun on the beach!

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Peter on a gorgeous day!  And thanks to David for sharing!!

To see the entire gallery of photos, click here!

Wedding Credits:  David Murray Weddings~Photography, Kitchen Chicks~Catering, Fleurant~Florals, Bass Cove Farm~Venue.

Summer Wedding In Maine From Tangorra Wedding Planning

I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t resist starting this wedding story with this picture! We always show you the bride and her lovely ladies getting ready. What a classic shot of the groom getting ready!

THESE lovely ladies celebrated Linnea & Dave’s wedding this past August in Maine. SO PRETTY!

Francie at Tangorra Wedding Planning is sharing a bit of their story with us … and Alexandra Daley-Clark is responsible for all of the awesome images …

from Francie

These two were so fun to work with, they had such great style and we were able to really showcase their personalities in their wedding weekend, which we love! They both LOVE food and wine – Dave owns a wine consulting company, and has worked in some of New York’s best foodie destinations, so we obviously had to incorporate that everywhere! The weekend started off with a super fun boat tour aboard the “Island Romance” and a welcome lobster bake for all of their guests on Peak’s Island, a tiny little island right off the coast of Portland.

On the wedding day, which was a truly beautiful day – the kind that only exists in Maine – Dave prepped with a professional shave, while the girls primped in a cute little salon in the Old Port. The ceremony and reception were held on the grounds of the Southern Maine Community College, on a spot where Linnea’s Grandfather’s house used to stand (before the college was built), overlooking the beach where her mother grew up taking swimming lessons!

After the ceremony, they had an amazing 5 course tasting meal that revolved around Maine’s finest offerings – mini lobster rolls, seared duck with blueberry sauce, mint ravioli – yum! And of course, every dish was paired with a fabulous glass of wine. The attention to detail didn’t end with the meal, though. This wedding was gorgeous. From their ceremony (which included a wine ceremony!) overlooking the Spring Point lighthouse to the reception in a glowing Sperry tent right on the coast, everything was the perfect blend of New York chic and rustic Maine goodness.

Farm tables and Victoria ghost chairs …. hmmmmm…. doesn’t get ANY better than that!

(invitations by the fabulous Bella Figura!)

And as promised earlier, the details from the lovely bride, Linnea …

Dave and I worked with Francie to create a relaxed, intimate celebration that felt very ‘us’. We really wanted our guests to experience the natural beauty of the Maine coast, so we chose a gorgeous ocean-side site at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. My mother grew up in Maine and my grandfather’s childhood home (until it was turned into a WWII shipyard!) was literally steps away from our site, so there was lots of family significance on my side!

During our ceremony, guests had views of sailboats, scenic Casco Bay islands, abandoned Civil War forts, wildflowers, and not one but TWO lighthouses! We really wanted the focus to be on the natural coastal beauty, so we limited our ceremony decor to galvanized pails of hydrangea lining the aisle.

I took tons of photos when we initially chose our location, which really helped us choose attire for our wedding party later on – I literally cut and pasted photos of dresses onto a background showing where our ceremony would be held! That’s partly why I knew I would love the white dresses we chose for my bridesmaids – they really seemed to pop against the deep blue ocean and bright green grass! I had nine bridesmaids (with a 20-year age span), so I really liked the idea of having the girls coordinate without matching exactly. Thread’s white seersucker dresses were perfect for this – each of the girls chose her favorite style, but the resulting combination still looked very pulled together. The groomsmen’s blue and white seersucker suits were from Jos A. Bank.

Dave and I really wanted to play up the ‘dinner party’ aspect of our reception. We’re both food and wine people – in fact we met while working in the wine industry. We opted for a tasting-style menu – four mini-courses – that allowed us to pair wines with each course. We chose to emphasize fresh, local ingredients – the idea was to create a menu that would be similar to the style of food we would cook for a dinner party at home. Our caterer, Black Tie, was even able to create a version of ‘Mint Love Letters’ (a favorite dish at Babbo, where Dave previously worked as a sommelier) as one of the courses!

We decided to save the dancing portion of the evening until after dinner, and instead created a playlist of ‘songs about love’ (think more Magnetic Fields than Barry Manilow) to be played during the meal. Every bride says that her wedding flies by – but I actually think that saving the dancing for last somehow made the reception feel longer! I would describe the overall look of our reception as ‘French-country, with a modern twist’. The combination of the long, banquet-style, wooden tables and the clear Victoria Ghost chairs really formed the backbone of our vision. They created such a strong ‘look’ that we really didn’t have to add too many other decor components – and we were able to fit them into our budget by eliminating costly linens, chair cushions, and so on. I love the Ghost chairs – I splurged on a few to brighten up my otherwise Ikea-furnished flat in London during business school, and Dave and I have since moved them to New York. I really wanted to use them for our wedding, and was thrilled when Francie was able to source them for us! It was really helpful to have a strong central visual in order to explain the look we were going for during discussions with potential vendors. It was really obvious when someone “got it” – our florist, Laurie (of Minott’s Flowers in Portland), did an amazing job of creating a fresh, natural look. She even managed to incorporate our love of food and wine by planting old champagne cases with fresh herbs. They were absolutely beautiful, and a huge hit!

Linnea’s wore an amazing Rosa Clara gown …

This IS just a PRETTY, PRETTY, PRETTY wedding from start to finish! Thank you to Francie at Tangorra Wedding Planning for sending it our way!

photography by Alexandra Daley-Clark

And Congratulations to Linnea & Dave!!

August Wedding In Maine From Tangorra Wedding Planning

We have a lovely, serene, just-about-perfect wedding coming up in just a bit from the lovely ladies at Tangorra Wedding Planning!


photos courtesy of Alexandra Daley-Clark

We’ll be back with lots of gorgeous images from Linnea & Dave’s August wedding in just a bit. You can take a peek at a few more photos on Tangorra Wedding Planning’s blog

Veteran’s Day Wedding, VI

Today we have featured the wedding of two filmmakers who made it their business to bring to life the journey of three senior citizens who serve as the official Troop Greeters of Maine’s Bangor International Airport. After hearing the incredible story about the film and the time, money and energy that was pored into its making, a group of Maine wedding professionals decided to gift this generous couple a wedding as their own way of thanking them for bringing such an important and touching story to the world.

Here is a quick look at the Brunch Farewell that the wedding vendors designed just for this lovely couple…

veteran's day wedding

Thank you so much to the following vendors for sharing this incredible adventure here with us today. Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios

And for those of you that missed it, here is a clip of the film that will air tonight on PBS…

A little snippet from Real Weddings Maine, the organization behind this wedding…

Bangor International Airport in Maine is a very common refueling point for flights coming and going to the Middle East. Therefore, a vast majority of service people headed to or fro pass through BIA. This group of Troop Greeters organized during Dessert Storm to ensure that no troop coming or going from war felt forgotten and to be sure they would feel appreciated for their sacrifices and service. The Troop Greeters are veterans, spouses of veterans, current servicemen and women, and supportive community members from all walks of life and all ages. The film documents the story of the Troop Greeters today, the lives of the three subjects, and all of the issues these three are coping with in their personal (now public) lives such as the emotional anguish of sending loved-ones off to war, loss, aging, physical pain, financial distress, and loneliness. It is also a movie about patriotism, love, and hope in a time when these things are needed most in this country.

Click here for the official The Way We Get By website.

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Veteran’s Day Wedding, V

The wedding industry is so unique. It’s filled to the brim with the most creative professionals you can imagine, those who are so good at what they do, it’s almost hard to believe. And yet it’s those same insanely talented people that happen to be the most giving, generous and kind people on the planet…as is the case with today’s featured affair. Some of Maine’s top luxury wedding vendors came together to give the gift of a lifetime to a couple that has committed themselves to bringing an incredible Veteran’s Day story to the world. And the result was a perfect combination of love, energy, excitement and pure gorgeousness.

veteran's day wedding

To see the whole story from the beginning, click right here! We have the amazingly lovely Brunch Farewell coming up next…filled with the most picture perfect details a girl could EVER want!

The Vendors: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Veteran’s Day Wedding, IV

We are all about Veteran’s Day here on SMP…celebrating the insanely gracious men and women that are out there right now, fighting for our country, fighting to keep this world a better place. And we’re putting our love on two film makers that have made it their mission to share the story of three senior citizens who, over the course of three years, have greeted over 800,000 troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. To thank these filmmakers for telling the world such an incredible story, a group of Maine’s most talented vendors (see below for a complete list) came together and gifted them the ultimate…a wedding!

veteran's day wedding

The Poppy was a design focal point as a nod to the national symbol of remembrance and the flowers that are given out in recognition of Veteran’s Day. Not to mention, it’s an adorable stem and makes for a pretty awesome design element!

veteran's day wedding

Here are a few more behind the scene details…

For linens, we used silver fortuny full length table cloths and fuchsia napkin with a black and gold tassel detail. There were (hand made) fuchsia chair pad covers and orange dupioni silk table clothes. We had three unique table designs. The first had three different sized square black metal vases contained compact masses of one type of flower tucked in each vase. The second featured a large manzitia branch that we spray painted gold. And the third table had one large black square metal vase with a base of carnations in a lush mass, with a large gold manzanita branch coming out of it. We draped the manzanita in garlands of marigold mini-poms (to represent the garlands that are traditional Indian wedding decor).

We have a bit more coming up in just a bit, including a look at the simple and completely sweet farewell brunch!

The vendors that participated in this incredible wedding are: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios


These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Veterans Day Wedding, Part III

For those of you that are just joining us…we are featuring the COOLEST wedding ever. A group of luxury vendors got together to gift two amazing filmmakers with a complete wedding…from the rehearsal dinner to the farewell shower and we’re debuting here today. The film that is garnering so much acclaim (and that has left me a big ball of mush) follows three senior citizens who have made it their mission to ensure every soldier a proper homecoming welcome. Their incredible story touched these vendors (see the complete list below) so much, that they wanted to give the story tellers something really, really special. A wedding.

veteran's day wedding

About the incredible design concept…

This was our chance to bring in the rich Indian culture to represent Gita, while celebrating the couple’s future too…their apartment in New York and their contemporary edge. So we came up with a design that included all of that and so much more. The table cloth was picked first. Judy, at Flora Fauna, found this silver fortuny table cloth that represented the elephant. The crinkle effect on it was magnificent. We then decided to use rich gold manzitia branches as an accent and brightly colored flowers. To bring in a contemporary edge we used black square metal vases to contain all flowers, red votives and candles were also used throughout the design.

veteran's day wedding

The color palette was fuchsia, poppy red, marigold, silver, orange and black. We used mokara orchids, john story orchids, dendrobian orchids, garden roses, mini poms, carnations, dahlias, billy balls and roses…an eclectic but stunning collection of flowers to acheive our look. For the ceremony, we draped curtains at the entrance of the gazebo using a rich red silk fabric lined with garlands of carnations…….on either side of the entrance we placed black square bases, smaller aqua paisley metallic fabric wrapped boxes, red carnation garlands with a white elephant and massive mix of orchids coming out of it’s back (one elephant was blown over by the wind and broke just before the ceremony). The aisle (promenade) was lined with copper lanterns that had red candles in them with red/yellow rose petals clustered around them…..we used fruitwood chivari chairs with fuchsia chair pad covers.

veteran's day wedding

The AMAZING gown was provided by Pronovias from Madeleine’s Daughter and the gorgeous yellow bolero was gifted by Sandi McKeen Couture. LOVE! We have so much more to come but in the meantime, if you haven’t already, make sure to take a peek at the film that inspired this entire wedding events, The Way We Get By.

The Vendors: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios

These Featured Designers are members of our Look Book.
For membership information, click here
Veterans Day Wedding, Part II

We are celebrating Veteran’s Day on SMP today…with a wedding story that is so incredibly unique, so incredibly touching. The filmmakers behind the film The Way We Get By, which follows three senior citizens who greet troops on their way home, were gifted an entire wedding by some of our favorite wedding vendors. Starting with the rehearsal dinner, these super talented vendors held nothing back…from incredible design to photography that is ridiculously gorgeous, every element of the wedding weekend was thoughtfully produced, lovingly designed.

The vendors that participated in this incredible wedding are: Real Weddings Maine Director, Jessika Brooks / Venue by Retreat at French’s Point / Event Design by Flora Fauna Designs and coordination by The Sweetest Thing Weddings / Photography by David Murray Weddings / Stacey Kane / Michelle Turner / Audra Photography / Catering by Silver Tureen / Tent by Sperry Tent / Cake by Let Them Eat Cake / Henna by Genevieve Levin of Blackbird Studios

pro bono wedding

From Flora Fauna Designs

We wanted to play off of the fact that Aron and Gita were filmmakers therefore we incorporated vintage cameras and film reels into the mix, the driftwood was a nod to the beaches of Maine, the flower color was a nod to Gita’s Indian heritage and the rocks were the gray of the elephant: symbolic to Gita’s family who had elephants in India. Gita said that she had ridden elephants, and that the color marigold and elephants were very important to her so we tried to incorporate those colors throughout the design.

pro bono wedding

The color scheme was chocolate brown, ivory, gray, mustard yellow with an emphasis on Coastal Elegance meets Old Hollywood. We used chocolate brown full length linen with a runner of brocade lobster fabric. Ivory napkins were folded to mimic the shutter of a camera. We used Cymbidium Orchids, Sunflowers, Roses, Mini-Poms and Yellow Wax Flowers in our centerpieces. A wooden lantern with a cascade of yellow flowers and surrounded by driftwood, rocks and vintage cameras were used on some tables.

THE drift wood was collected by florist Judy of Flora and Fauna after a big hurricane this summer from Popham beach with her two sons Malcolm and Simon. She collected the rocks also over the course of the summer from the many beaches they go to in Maine.

More to come!

Veteran’s Day Wedding

Today is hugely special. It’s Veteran’s Day…a day that we should all feel so incredibly grateful to celebrate. Because, if it weren’t for those amazing men and women that are out there fighting for our country, well, let’s just say life wouldn’t be quite as sweet for all of us. And to help do our teeny tiny part in such a grand cause, I thought that we would share one of the most incredible stories that I have heard to date. Before I go into details though, I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of the Maine Luxury Vendors (including a big handful of our Little Black Book members) for choosing Style Me Pretty to share the brilliant story…

Gita and Aron, the gorgeous Bride and Groom behind today’s affair, are the filmmakers of the acclaimed and award winning documentary How We Get By. The film follows three Maine senior citizens and their tireless efforts to greet American troops returning from overseas conflict. With homemade signs in hand, the trio has greeted nearly 1 million troops from their tiny airport in Maine, demonstrating just how deep the word “community” goes at a time when America needs it most.

The Way We Get By – Trailer from The Way We Get By on Vimeo.

The insanely talented Maine Vendors that we know and love got together to gift this talented couple a pro bono wedding, to give back to the pair that is reminding us of just how important our Veterans are, just how good it feels to give back to total strangers. And today, we are taking you through every part of their amazing wedding story…from the rehearsal dinner through the farewell brunch. It’s a great, great day on SMP.

The Way We Get By won the Special Jury Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival. AMAZING. We have so much gorgeousness coming up for you today! Stay tuned!


Oceanfront Wedding From Maine Seasons Events, ii

Meagan at Maine Seasons Events sent us Emily & Mario’s sensational August wedding that is SO charming and fresh and, well, just delightful! She had lots to tell us about the day, so we’ll just get right to it!


From Meagan …

Where to begin!? SO many special details make up the ingredients of this lovely story. Emily is originally from Maine, and now lives with Mario in New Orleans. They decided to be married at Emily’s oceanfront home in Georgetown. This home is a special place for her family, as it is the retirement home of the bride’s parents, and on the point, the bride’s father’s memorial stone bench is located. Sadly, Emily’s father passed away in 2002. Emily, her mother Carolyn and Maine Seasons Events went about planning a special, colorful and festive wedding celebration, over the course of a year, from Maine and New Orleans. The officiant was a family friend who had conducted the bride’s father’s memorial service at the same location 7 years prior.


With guests coming from as far as Bangladesh and as near as just down the harbor, there were many logistical considerations involved. This family, and so many of their friends, are some of the nicest, funniest, smartest, kindest people ~ it was an incredible celebration. With 170 guests in attendance, on a tented waterfront lawn in Maine, typical Maine weather delivered and as the bride arrived at the ceremony by water, in a family friend’s boat, a thick fog rolled over the point. This element caused surprise and then delight for the groom, attendants and even the guests, as the bride’s boat arrival was a top secret mission-only the wedding planner, the bride, her mother and the officiant were privy to this long kept secret plan. Not even the maid of honor knew until just before her, the bride and bride’s brother with the bride’s young cousins, were picked up to be taken to the dock. When the bride appeared with her brother, escorting her down the aisle, the laughter and clapping could be heard from the guests and the pictures of the groom’s face, once he realized what was happening, are priceless!

From the bride’s grandmother’s Juliet cap, worn on her wedding day, the bride’s mother sewed a tiny purse, lined with blue satin, for her daughter to carry down the aisle. She also had a family heirloom pocket watch engraved for her son, Wyatt, to carry as he stood in for his father and escorted his sister, Emily, to her groom.


Guests arrived at the ceremony to receive, from the bride’s cousin, a woven fan and a custom-designed wedding program attached with yellow and white striped ribbon. They walked down the hill to the ceremony site and were welcomed by lemonade and iced tea, being served by the caterers.

Wanting the wedding to be a collective effort of many creative and talented people in the couple’s lives, the stylish bride and her diligent and visionary mother, thought of many creative details in the dandelion yellow and pewter gray color scheme, to honor New Orleans and Maine. Many friends and family members contributed their talents to create the wedding elements. The bride’s brother, a graphic designer, created the custom damask design for the wedding paper, complete with silhouettes of the bride and groom, trumpets, lobsters and the couple’s dancing Chihuahua. A yellow based candy bar with chocolate soccer balls for the groom was on display in the bride’s mother’s silver collection, incorporating hand made truffles, from the couple’s friend who is a pastry chef in New York City.

(invitation photos by Maine Seasons Events)

Favors included silver Jordan Almonds, tiny yellow matchbooks, engraved with the “em & m” logo of the wedding. Centerpieces consisted of locally gathered rocks, moss and multitudes of varying height clear glass containers of freesia, button poms, hypericum, calla lily, Dusty Miller, spider mums and daisies and were provided by Willow.

One long table for 36 was the center of the large tent, with a constellation of yellow and white illuminated paper lanterns hung from above. Two of Emily & Mario’s friends and Maine Seasons Events installed all of the lighting in the days that preceded the wedding. A photo booth was on site to capture impromptu visits by guests and then inserted into the guest book with written notes. A table of photographs of the bride and groom’s parents and grandparent’s wedding photos as well as photos of them as children was set up next to the guest book.

A local band provided the reception music and the couple’s friend, a D.J. from New Orleans, came to provide dinner music, and a late night, old school dance party. Oh what an evening!

all images courtesy of Cunningham Photography

Ahhhhhh…… so much prettiness all in one place!

Emily’s dress was purchased in New York at the Designer Loft.  It is a LaRichi gown ~ the style is “Renee.” The maids dresses were from Thread!

A huge thank you to Meagan at Maine Seasons Events ~ and to all the moms in the world who help their children plan their dream weddings!

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Oceanfront Wedding From Maine Seasons Events

I’m so excited to share this wedding with you! But it’s been a crazy day ~ well, a crazy week … and so it’s going to be a while before I can put it all together for you. So, here’s a quick preview of what’s to come, later on in the day …

photos courtesy of Cunningham Photography

Sent to us by Meagan at Maine Seasons Events … it’s sure to bring more than just a little smile to your face! Check back around mid-day on Friday for Emily & Mario’s delicious wedding!

Camp Inspired Wedding by Orchard Cove, IV

Thank you so very much to the amazingly talented Amanda Herzberger of Orchard Cove Photography (and second-shooters Brian Fitzgerald and  Sarah Waldo) for sending us today’s featured affair. I am in love. To say the least. For those of you that share my sentiments, here are a few more bits of eye candy for you to feast on!

amanda herzberger

Isn’t this wedding just perfect? Elegant, understated designs. Thoughtful but incredibly chic details. A bride that literally lights up a room when she smiles. I so so so wish that I was a guest at this wedding at Migis Lodge, as I kind of think that every couple fell in love all over again. And the kiddies? Well, they had some fun too…

orchard cove photography

Lots and lots of love to Rachel and Will…we hope that your lives are as beautiful and as full as this incredible day!


Camp Inspired Wedding by Orchard Cove, III

It’s funny. I seem to fall head over heels in love with every wedding that we post on SMP. I know that I throw a lot of spirit sprinkles and high kicks into my my posts, but oddly enough…I sincerely mean it. And this wedding, is one of our best. Filled with perfectly thoughtful touches, elegant but unbelievably humble details, a bride and groom that are literally glowing…it is MORE than high kick worthy in my book!

Rachel & Will’s wedding receptions took place at Migi’s Lodge (about 45 minutes North of Portland, ME), where most of their guests were staying. According to Amanda, this place was “pure magic”!

orchard cove photography

Ahhh, those centerpieces. Long rectangular tables were decorated with vases and mason jars of all shapes and sizes filled with both full arrangements and single stems. Rachel had purchased them on the last day of the Brimfield Antique Show (which if you are lucky enough to live in New England, is AWESOME). Table numbers were identified by a simple pine cone and dragon flies were made out of sticks and leaves to add a little bit of charm.

orchard cove photography

I am in love. Giving my hubby a kiss as we speak. This wedding is just heaven…and lucky you! We have so much more from Orchard Cove Photography on the way!

Camp Inspired Wedding by Orchard Cove, II

I heart this wedding. I heart it so much that it just might have sky rocketed up to my very favorite wedding thanks to it’s complete, unabashed charm. The amazing, amazing, amazing Amanda Herzberger shot the photographs that have completely brought this day to life…making me SO wish that I was there, so wish that I was a part of this incredible celebration.

orchard cove photography

Here are a few little tidbits for you to fall in love with…first off, that GORGEOUS Pronovias dress. The bride had the train trimmed off and had her tailor (French Bridals in Beverly, MA) create the flower out of the remnant. As for the decor, Rachel and Will wanted a simple, woodsy, relaxed affair.

orchard cove photography

From Rachel…

The chapel was at the camp that my father went to as a kid and where our family vacationed for my whole childhood. I remember watching the late summer weddings from the back of the chapel with my sister when we were very small. It felt like a full circle to be standing up front next to Will with our friend’s children whispering in the back just like I did many years ago.

Our favorite part of the wedding was when our friends began playing & singing Here Comes the Sun as we walked out of the chapel.

My one piece of advice…Don’t go crazy with the details. Select a few that you are passionate about and have fun focusing on those. Don’t overschedule your day. Give yourself time to enjoy being surrounded by your friends and family.


Camp Inspired Wedding by Orchard Cove

This wedding, sent to us by Orchard Cove Photography, is amazing. Flat out amazing. In fact, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such a blissful setting, such a thoughtful, lovingly crafted wedding design. The entire affair makes me want to pack it up and head back in time to summer camp!

orchard cove photography

The wedding ceremony was held at Camp O-At-Ka in Sabego, Maine and is a little piece of heaven right here on earth. The bride spent Summers at the camp, playing with her family, making memory after memory. It’s the kind of place that, despite the cool cloudy weather, guests easily had an absolute blast playing whiffleball, cards or whatever else made them smile.  Bagged lunches were made for all the guests to pick up and eat where they landed!

orchard cove photography

Rachel’s oh-so-cute Dad created all the birch details – signs saying “Just Married,” “Rachel & Will,” “Cheers” and “Wedding” that were used to decorate the ceremony and reception sites. I mean, come on! Do you love that?

We have so many more incredible details on the way, so stick around…we’ll be right back!