Weddingbee PRO
photographers: Emilie and J
multimedia videographer: Morgan
ceremony: Church Island Squam Lake New Hampshire
officiants: Rabbi Lev Ba’esh and Rev. Tanya Rasmussen (family friend)
trolley: Wolfeboro Trolley Co.
boat: Dave Closson Puffin 3
reception: Church Landing Meredith, NH
tent: Sperry Tents
coordinator: Kate Parker Weddings
florist: Kate Parker Flowers
cake: Something Sweet by Michelle Worcester, MA
band: Holy Cow! Band
hair: Lena Hartford Hair That Moves
make-up: Joanne McDonough Joya Beauty
gown: La Belle Elaine’s Seattle, WA
bridesmaids: J Crew
favors: homemade fudge by Megan
honeymoon: Australia and New Zealand
Borrowing the band name, Holy Cow!, best describes this day. Megan and Josh’s wedding was a fast-paced, multi-location puzzle that started at an inn, moved to their lakeside home, then to an island and finally back to the initial inn to party by way of trolleys, cars and boats. Phew! It was a day that never slowed down, but also made for amazing visual variety. So grateful for the extra set of eyes of second photographer J because I literally couldn’t be in two places at once.
Megan and Josh, who met at Yale, currently live in Seattle and returned to Megan’s favorite childhood summer spot for their perfect (and I mean perfect) sunny August I Do’s. Their ceremony consisted of both Christian and Jewish elements, with some of the most thoughtful religious dialogue I have heard and still find myself mulling over.
A few photos to get your feet wet:
venue: Samoset Resort Rockport, ME
officiant: Rev. Jerry LiaBraaten, Nativity Lutheran Church, Rockport
florist: Kate Parker Flowers
dj: Ryan Parker
cake: Sweet Sensations Rockport, ME
dress: Melissa Sweet
veil: Glam Gal Designs
tux: custom by Astor & Black
rings: Doyle & Doyle New York
ring bowl: Paloma’s Nest
make-up (on site): Mary Louise Carpenter, From This Day Forward Rockland, ME
hair (on site): Jerri Greenwood, Mimosas Hair Salon Scarborough, ME
honeymoon: Hawaii
photographers: Emilie and J
Sabrina and Mark met as first year law students at Yale. Friends first, they actually fell in love as roommates a few years later in NYC and their love deepened as Mark, frighteningly, underwent two rounds of open heart surgery for an aortal aneurysm. The pair traveled to Maine during Mark’s recovery to be close to nature and reflect on their scary brush with his mortality. They describe Maine as the first place Mark felt alive again, and so they decided this should be the appropriate place for their wedding.
Sabrina has a stunning star quality about her that can light up a room. I love this giggling series.
photographers: Emilie and J
venue: Spruce Point Inn Boothbay Harbor, ME
coordinator: Becky Beam
officiant: Rabbi Lev Baesh
florist: Judy Bourgeois Flora Fauna Designs
band: Tony Boffa Band
pie: Steve Watts Sweet Sensations
dress: Rivini
hair: Bonnie Jellison
invitations: William Arthur Papier Gourmet
honeymoon: Costa Rica
I met Sarah and Hawley a year and a half ago by way of emilie inc brides Karen and Kelsie, all of whom live locally. It’s very rare that my couples live in town, but very common that I befriend them all. So lucky us, J and I have grown quite close to Sarah and Hawley! We’ve had dinners out and dinners in, golf tee times and even toasted New Years together. So when their wedding day finally rolled around, we felt as much a part of the wedding as the guests and were overjoyed to capture their nuptials.
Bostonians Amy and John were married last year on the very lucky 8.8.08 at the very historic Old North Church (you know, where an illuminated lantern in the window signaled the British were coming by sea and thus started the American Revolutionary War?!) with a beautiful rooftop reception at the Taj overlooking Boston’s Public Garden. Rain, like so many weddings this summer it seems, prevented us from taking advantage of their gorgeous setting for portraits.
Amy’s beautiful orchids.
Cathleen and Jeff brought their black lab puppy, Jackson, to our initial meeting and I immediately knew we’d get along just fine.
Jeff proposed in a snowstorm while on a horse-drawn carriage ride in Stowe, VT. Although they live in Newburyport, MA (such an adorable town), they decided to marry in Vermont, too. They chose a gorgeous venue in East Burke (north of St. Johnsbury, not far from Canada!).
Jeff, who is in graphic design, made their wedding invitations and had them letter pressed at William Arthur. Aren’t they gorgeous? I love the variety of color.
I knew Jess and Nat’s wedding was going to be fantastic the moment I met Jess last year at a coffee shop in Portsmouth. We immediately gabbed like old friends, spent a year furiously sending emails back and forth as their plans came together, and even met again for lunch at one of my favorite places in Boston, Wagamama. So on our drive down to Beverly the morning of their wedding, I really felt like we were going to photograph a friend’s wedding (which is often the case, I’m lucky to report!).
I met Jess and the maids at an adorable salon in Marblehead, the town Jess grew up in. It was perfectly shabby chic with lots of pink and sweet, sparkly details.
In her previous career Judy was a teacher. These days she continues to care for delicate little ones helping them reach maximum potential, too… but these don’t talk back.
Judy is one of Maine’s most brilliant floral designers. I had the pleasure of meeting her three years ago at a Grace Ormonde luncheon at the Retreat at French’s Point, an elaborate industry event Judy designed. I’ve been lucky to work with Judy at many weddings since, always excited to capture the visual variety of her wedding bouquets and tablescapes. She works hard to capture each of her couple’s taste and personality, all with a trademark Judy smile and spunk.
Many florists have their flowers shipped to them directly, but Judy prefers to visit the Boston Flower Exchange each week to personally pick the stems needed for each upcoming weekend affair. Hearing stories of the scene, I thought it might be fun to join her with my camera and show you the process.
I met Judy at 4a.m. to begin our adventure. This meant waking up at 3a.m., just two hours after my typical bedtime. Oy. Thank goodness for 24/7 Tim Horton’s.
I love backyard weddings, especially when they’re in my own backyard (relatively speaking, of course)!! For the second weekend in a row, I was lucky to photograph a wedding in town for a family whom I have loved getting to know over the past year. Kathryn’s mom Jan and her sister Jocelyn acted as coordinators for this production, and it was such fun following the plans come together over emails, phone calls and excited conversations at the studio.
Kathryn and Dan met and live in Montreal, but returned to Kathryn’s hometown for a moving ceremony at her childhood church and quintessential tented reception on the Fourth of July holiday. So on the day that everyone was celebrating America’s independence, Kathryn and Dan were relinquishing theirs (overhead by Kathryn’s brother in the receiving line). 
How they met, in Kathryn’s words:
We met at an athletic cancer fundraiser called Step Up for the Cure, organized by one of our groomsmen. I was still in my undergrad and he had just returned from a year-long bike trip around the U.S. perimeter. We had a long run of very awkward dates and it was a good couple weeks before we even kissed, much to the great entertainment of my roommates and friends. It was difficult not to want to spend time together and he would show up at the library while I was studying with chocolate milk and a construction paper card for a walk in the snow. We’ve always been busy people but we somehow sneak time like that for ourselves still–it keeps us orbiting each other and laughing away our worries together.
Adorable, no? Enjoy the images from their fantastic day, a perfectly lovely reflection of their unique personalities and shared love.
A hand drawn map in their ceremony program prepared guests for the fun that awaited after the nuptials.
I have been lucky enough to know Jill nearly my entire life, having become friends in elementary school in New Hampshire. Our older sisters were friends, too, and I recall many afternoons at one another’s houses playing together. Jill and I reconnected last year via Facebook, and I had fun following her plans via her status updates. When she inquired about wedding photography and I was already booked for her July 4th I Do’s, I matched her up with Whitney, and continued to track her progress online (even calling her in a pinch during my dress nightmare after having messaged about how much she adored her own dress).
How Jill and Bobby met, in Jill’s words:
We met in Brookline, New Hampshire. Bobby was working in the area at the time and went to visit a friend at a local bar. I met up with my cousins and friends to go and hear the band Loose Grip. It was raining that night so I threw on my cowgirl hat and headed out for the night. Low and behold, I walked into the bar and a cute man with a cowboy hat on was there (Bobby). We, of course, had to meet for we where the only cowgirl and cowboy in the place that night. We stayed up til wee hours of the morning talking at a mutual friend’s house that was having an after party. We went out on a date one day later and then never left each other’s side.
Similar to the night they met, rain poured on this handsome couples for their lakeside ceremony. But a rockin reception (with props!) kept everyone’s spirits high throughout the night.
For a couple who met in a bar, a beer koozie seemed a most appropriate favor.
J spent his 4th at one of our favorite venues, Laudholm Farm, set among rolling hills of Wells, Maine. Typical of our season so far, ominous weather rolled in just an hour before the scheduled ceremony with rain- and hail! A quick decision was made to have the ceremony in the barn and guests were happy to be indoors, and even happier when it cleared for a beautiful afternoon.
Catherine, who met Greg through work connections at Harvard, recently moved from Montreal to Maine. Her family all spoke French, so an interpreter was on hand for both the ceremony and toasts at dinner, providing many laughs throughout the evening. The day ended where it began, with a bit of dancing in the barn.
On to the images…
From gray to bright blue skies. As they say in Maine, if you don’t like the weather wait 20 minutes.
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Emilie Sommer, Portland, Maine
Vendor: Photographer
Website: Emilie Inc.
About Me: Emilie earned a degree in photojournalism from Syracuse University and worked at USA Today and The Washington Post in Washington, DC, before opening her wedding photography studio, emilie inc, in Portland, Maine. She loves all the intricate details involved in planning, the warm fuzzy feeling about two people in love and freezing those moments in time in a photograph. It’s a contagious dancing-through-daisies kind of good feeling. She also started the Roots Workshop, the directory News Wedding Photographers and the non-profit Pink Initiative
