In my 5+ years living Maine, I had only been up to Camden once.  For sure it is a lovely spot with gorgeous light and a charming town, but it’s just far enough away to make it a bit of a haul (especially with a toddler in tow).  I was fortunate to have two excuses to make the trek up to Camden in September.  There really isn’t a better time of year to visit midcoast Maine.  The summer crush of tourists starts to abate, the trees are still lush but are just starting to turn, and the weather is warm enough during the day that you can almost fool yourself into thinking summer isn’t over.  The first of the jobs what as a second shooter for Melanie of White Box Weddings at stunning Point Lookout.  Then one week later I was up there again for Michelle and Clint’s wedding.

Michelle and Clint’s wedding plans included an outdoor ceremony at the Camden Public Library followed by a reception at the Camden Yacht Club.  We had perfect weather.  Surrounded by friends and family, Michelle and Clint exchanged vows in the outdoor amphitheatre that overlooks Camden Harbor.  It was a bittersweet day for everyone — Michelle and Clint would be moving to Abu Dhabi just a few weeks after the wedding.  After taking some time for photos on the lawn, we jumped on the yacht club’s boat to arrive at the reception in style.  Friends and family cheered for the couple from the pier at the yacht club as we pulled up.

We found the party well underway by the time we climbed the gang blank up to the club (at low tide that thing is steep!).  Bartenders expertly mixed blueberry mojitos, waiters passed hors d’oeuvres, performer John Tercyak took requests, and guests soaked in the scenery.  I think it was with a bit of a grumble that the guests finally made their way into the tent for dinner.  Everyone seemed reluctant to leave their waterfront reposes.  The late afternoon light was so sweet that when it was time for the first dance, the couple asked DJ Jeff Rockwell if they could have it outside.  Jeff quickly rearranged his sound system.  Just before they were to begin their dance, Clint grabbed the mic and proceeded to tell us all the story of how he’d fallen for Michelle the very first time they met (which was in junior high school).  Apparently it took a bit longer for their romance to develop, but it was a sweet and funny speech that got us all warmed up for the rest of the night.  Surrounded by their family and friends, Michelle and Clint danced close in the waning sunlight.  It took a while for the party to find its way indoors, but the air was getting chilly and there was cake to be cut.  I took my leave of them shortly after that.

It was a true joy and pleasure to photograph Michelle and Clint’s wedding.  I wish them all the best in their new life as expats!

You can see more images here in this slideshow.  Enjoy!

Hair and make up: Cutting Edge Hair Salon, Camden
Hotel: The Grand Harbor Inn, Camden
Wedding dress: Pronovias at L’elite Bridal
Bridesmaids dresses: J.Crew
Ceremony: Camden Public Library Park and Amphitheatre
Ceremony and cocktail hour music:  John Tercyak
Reception:  Camden Yacht Club
Catering: Trillium Catering
Flowers:  Endless Summer Farm
DJ: Jeff Rockwell
Thanks to everyone for helping make this such a great afternoon.  I am so fortunate to get to work with such wonderful wedding professionals.  Extra thanks to John Tercyak who sent me home with a CD of children songs — my boy LOVES it!

Prouts Neck is about five minutes down the road from where I live.  It’s an exclusive enclave of mostly gated streets, off limits to non-residents, surrounded by stunning rocky cliffs and ocean views.  Famous for being the home of Winslow Homer, Prouts Neck was somewhat of a mystery to me.  So when Maggie and Matt called me about photographing their wedding there, I was giddy at the thought of seeing what lay beyond those gates.

Maggie grew up vacationing at her grandparents’ home on the aptly named Winslow Homer Drive.  She and Matt visited often, and one afternoon they climbed out to a rock along the cliff walk and Matt proposed (they pointed out the rock to me — I’m still not quite sure how they reached it).  Maggie and Matt are both med students and had little time to devote to wedding planning.  We did a quick walk through of the various locations a couple of days before the wedding.  I was floored.  I learned that they are ridiculously adorable and affable, and I also found myself surrounded by all the natural beauty a photographer could ask for on a wedding shoot.  As for the church, it’s a dream for anyone who loves history AND stunning light. And without a doubt, I knew the country club, with its views of the sea, was going to afford us some sweet light at the end of the day (what I didn’t know was that it would be so clear on the wedding day that we would be able to see Mount Washington from the lawn!).

It was such a treat to photograph a wedding — one that was fabulous in it’s simplicity and joy — in my home town.  That day reminded me that when I moved my business from the glitzy ballrooms of DC to natural beauty of Maine, it had been a fair trade.

A huge congratulations to Maggie and Matt whose adventurous spirit and charm helped to make an already dream job all the better.

Please enjoy some of my favorite images below and see more in this slideshow.

Getting ready:  Family Home
Wedding dress:  Maggie’s mother’s
Mantilla:  Family heirloom worn previous by all the women in her family on their wedding day
Flowers: Fleur de Lis
Church:  St. James’ Episcopal
Reception:  Prouts Neck Country Club
Catering:  Churchill Catered Events

I’m at my busiest from August through the end of November, so when bride Meghan inquired about starting the process for her wedding book, I hoped she wasn’t intent on getting it right away.  Thankfully she and her husband were not in any hurry and so they went on my back burner.  Thanksgiving came and went, and as I was gleefully ticking off other orders on my To Do List, Meghan emailed me to check in again about her book.  Would it be possible to get it for Christmas, she asked.  Feeling grateful for her patience the past month, I wanted to make it up to her by getting the book done pronto.  We were up against a TIGHT schedule — my album company’s holiday deadline was midnight the following day!  I worked all day and night on the design layout, grateful we had so many amazing images from which to choose.  Meghan loved it, picked the book finishes without much ado, and the book went off to the printers.  Whew!  I don’t think I’ve ever turned around a book order in 24 hours.  It was a fun challenge, and I’m beyond thrilled with the results so far.  Unfortunately I won’t be seeing the final product as I’m having it shipped directly to Meghan and Ross.  I’ll have to content myself with the slideshow of the design…