This past weekend was the official start of our season with the wedding of Claire and Steven at the Nonatum Resort in Kennebunk, Me. This special couple had a grand ceremony with 9, count them 9 bridesmaids and groomsmen and 3 flower girls. They were married under a chuppah we constructed from birch branches and dripped in peonies, white roses and italian ruscus. The brides bouquet consisted of hydrangeas, freesia and peonies in shades of whites and varying textures. It was hand-tied with white double-faced satin ribbon and dotted with pearl headed pins.

A special thanks to all my little wedding elves who helped with this one.

Happy Wedding Season!!

With summer weather finally approaching I have been thinking about an important question so many brides face…to have an outdoor ceremony or not!! The saying about Maine weather is that if you don’t like it just wait a minute.  So here is what you need to know and how you take your ceremony from a simple service on the beach to breath-taking.

If you choose an outdoor ceremony you have to accept that mother nature is in charge. It may rain or be windy on your wedding day and you need to be okay with that. You need a solid back up plan, an alternate indoor or covered location that you love equally as much as your outside site. Offer amenities to your wedding guests during the ceremony.  Even if you are planning a quick 15 minute ceremony your guests will be on site up to 30 minutes before the ceremony starts and probably 20-30 minutes afterwards. That’s a lot of standing around for your Great Aunt Sue or your cousin with the newborn baby so have as much seating as possible. Consider having baskets of bug-spray, sunscreen, and bottled water!!! Your guests will thank you.

Now to make it beautiful…Your outdoor ceremony site be it a sandy beach, blooming garden, or under a big oak tree has character and natural beauty all its own so start with that.

If your on the beach, create an aisle in the sand by lining it with large seashells, lanterns or single stems of flowers. By keeping the stems long on these flowers you have a natural stake to anchor in the sand.  If your ceremony is in the grass then place staked Shepard’s hooks or poles along your aisle and add flower arrangements in mason jars or small buckets. Your ceremony decor and flowers can be completely different then your reception. If you’re getting married in a garden then your flower arrangements should have a natural, organic feel to them.  Beach flowers can have a more exotic feel and you can choose stems that can stand alone and offer big impact like Cymbidium orchids or Lilies.

For a very cool and practical look bring great antique or whimsical pieces of furniture outdoors. Place your programs on an old wooden chair or bring a rustic side table front and center as your altar. Place a single flower arrangement or large covered candle on it. In our many years of doing weddings we have lost many flower arrangements and baskets of programs to the wind, so don’t forgot to weigh everything down; sand or rocks work best! Enjoy your outdoor ceremony and all its natural beauty, but be prepared and your day will be a success.