It’s no secret that I LOVE Bar Harbor weddings. The place is simply magical. I know I have said it before, but the quality of light in Bar Harbor is so stunning. And destination weddings always have such a wonderfully relaxed vibe — everyone is on holiday and in a celebratory mood. It makes for a great combination.

I arrived in Bar Harbor on what could only be described as a perfect summer day. Blue skies. Warm, dry air with a hint of crispness (this IS Downeast, Maine). When I found bride Virginie getting ready with her sister, I knew from the calmness in the room and the joy on Virginie’s face that this was going to be a truly special day. As I started to meet more of the major players in the wedding it was clear to me that this group wasn’t going to need much coaxing to get some great pictures.

Virginie and Mark chose not to see each other before the wedding, but they hired a classic car to drive us around MDI so we could stop and get some photographs at various scenic spots. If you’ve ever been to Bar Harbor then you know the list was long and needed a bit of trimming to stay on schedule. Back at the Stone House we found the cocktail hour just getting started. We did a bunch of larger family group shots — always more fun for folks when there are cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the deck. It was a night filled with laughter and tears of happiness. As the approaching gloaming turned the sky a delicate mix of purple and pink we headed outside to grab a few last images before my time was with the newlyweds ended. It was a perfect ending to a special day.

Best wishes to Virginie and Mark! May you find your life filled with much joy, happiness, and gratitude.

 

 

Many thanks to the amazing staff at the Bar Harbor Regency Stone House, Diane York, Father O’Hara at the Holy Redeemer Church, the West Street Hotel, and all of the other wedding professionals who helped make this event so wonderful. Shout out the Harborside Hotel where I stayed with my family — the late night fire pit on the beach with s’mores was just about the perfect ending to my night.

 

My mini-sessions were all booked up and kept me busy for most of the holiday season. But when a dear friend calls you about getting some family pictures with their sick dog, there’s just no way that I’m not going to make time for them. We had hoped to do the photo shoot indoors as it was frigid outside. Unfortunately the house and the dogs (have you seen the size of these dogs????) made for a tight squeeze. So we all braved the cold and headed outside. I’m so glad we did — these images came out so great.

I almost forgot to share these! Mini-sessions may only last 30 minutes, but we can do a lot in that time if everyone is up for it. With littles it can feel like the 30 minutes is just too long (we start to lose them sometimes after the first few frames), but the older the kids, the greater the variety of poses we can do.