Weddings

Texas meets coastal Maine. Caitlin and Jake were stationed in the desert of Texas and planned a destination wedding to Bar Harbor, Maine. With Jake’s roots in Maine and their love for the coast, they wanted a Bar Harbor Inn wedding. It was the perfect place to celebrate with their friends and family! 

The day started early with hair and makeup by the talented Brittany and Julia. They glammed the ladies up and incorporated some custom hair pieces created by Little Red Flower Truck. Fun fact, they grew and designed all of the one of a kind floral arrangements throughout the day. 

While guests gathered at the nearby Catholic church in downtown Bar Harbor, Cailtin and her ladies slipped into dresses with different shades of blue, and tan shawls to tie together the coastal feels. 

Bar Harbor Inn Wedding

After their traditional wedding ceremony at the Holy Redeemer, guests were shuttled back to the Bar Harbor Inn just a few minutes away where they indulged in delicious hors d’oeuvres and signature cocktails named after their pets. We did portraits all around the grounds of the inn and along the Shore Path before they entered their reception right into their first dance and parent dances. 

Just because this was a mid-day wedding, there was no shortage of dancing and good times once the dance floor opened up. Check out all of the exquisite florals and fun that was had before they celebrated the rest of the evening in bouncing around Downtown Bar Harbor!

Fun fact: Caitlin + Jake share a love of adventure just like me. We did their engagement session on one of their trips to Maine, and it ended up raining for the majority of the session but they completely embraced it and had fun with it. AND during my road-trip around the country in 2022, they met me at White Sands National Park for a fun adventure session playing in the snow like sand of New Mexico!

Vendors 

• Photographer: Emily Brianne Photography
• Venue: Bar Harbor Inn
• Church: Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, Bar Harbor ME
• Florals: Little Red Flower Truck
• Dress: Park Avenue Bridals
• DJ: Bill Lyons
• Hair: Brittany Spence
• Makeup: Julia Montague
• Favors: Homemade blueberry jam by mother of the groom 
• Groom + Groomsmen Attire: David’s Bridal
• Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal

The coastal wedding of my dreams. This luxury venue nestled atop the cliffs of Southern Maine offers panoramic ocean views for a jaw dropping ceremony and reception. The Cliff House resort is a luxury venue like no other. 

With Hannah’s background in event planning and Jason’s goofiness in their relationship, I just knew this wedding day was going to be the perfect balance of elegant and fun. The details of this day were classic and tasteful. They weren’t lacking, but they weren’t over the top. The impeccable scenery that the coast of Maine offers truly doesn’t need much to compliment it. Hannah did the perfect job dreaming this up and Salty & Sweet Events brought the vision to life so flawlessly. 

Wedding at the Cliff House Resort

While Hannah and her besties got ready in the Cliff House bridal suite, I created flatlays of her details on the balcony overlooking the water. As she eagerly awaited her first look, she began putting all of those details on – the jewelry, the shoes, the unique scent she chose for this day. Her tight red curls fell so perfectly against the lace details of her minimally elegant gown and then it was time for the big reveal with her soon-to-be husband. 

I positioned Jason facing the water while he anxiously awaited his soon-to–be bride coming down the steep steps onto the rigid cliffs. This was where they’d see each other for the first time – privately, in their attire, all done up and ready for the big day. The excitement of seeing each other quickly relieved their anxiousness. After they shared a few moments alone, checking out each other’s outfits and saying hello, we dove right into portraits. We began with a few of the soon-to-be newlyweds against the Bald Head Cliff as the waves crashed in front of them. 

Wedding First Looks

Pro tip: Doing a “first look” with your significant other allows you to see each other and take the edge off before your ceremony. Not only do you get to share some quality time together, it’s also the perfect way to begin some portraits with you, your families, and wedding party – which then allows more time after the ceremony for portraits or joining your guests at cocktail hour like Hannah and Jason did!

As Hannah’s dad walked her down the aisle, she had the view of her future husband and his son, her family members eyes filled with tears, and the beautiful blue ocean directly behind them. Her brother married them and they exchanged vows filled with sentiment and laughter. Once they were pronounced husband and wife, the lighting was perfect to finish up the remaining family portraits and the just married portraits of the two of them before they joined their guests at cocktail hour! 

As they entered The Atlantic Ballroom, they saw their reception space dreams come to life. All of the details meticulously arranged, the one of a kind lights hanging above the dance floor, and the glass-sided wall overlooking the resort offered picturesque views of the cotton candy colored skies as the sun crept further and further down. 

Ditch the Traditions

I’m a big supporter of cutting out any wedding day traditions that don’t feel like you. Hannah and Jason weren’t afraid to do that. They did have excellent welcome speeches and toasts before dinner, and then they danced the night away with a live band and their closest people. 

In between all of these moments, I truly felt like I was hanging out with friends that I’d known forever, yet we’d only met one other time at their engagement session. Hannah treated me like one of the besties and Jason wasn’t afraid to hold back on witty jokes. We shared lots of laughs and some of our inside jokes, while creating lasting memories and photographs. 

This trendy, yet timeless day was truly one for the books. I found my dream clients, my dream venue, and lifelong friends. This just goes to show that you can have a classic, elegant day and still have so much fun! You just have to see for yourself.

Vendors

• Photographer: Emily Brianne Photography
• Planner: Salty & Sweet Events
• Venue: Cliff House Maine
• Flowers: Flower Kiosk
• Dress: Hinterland Bride
• Ring: Brilliant Earth
• Band: Dan Walker Band
• Desserts: The Sandpiper Cake Shop
• Groom’s Custom Suit: Indochino
• Stationery: Minted
• Hair and Makeup: LE Glam Team
• Rentals: Peak Event Services

One of the biggest mistakes that I see from weddings…is planning your ceremony time.

There are lots of factors that come into play when determining the ceremony will begin on your wedding day.

As a wedding photographer, I encourage you to consider the sunset time when choosing your ceremony time. This is especially important for outdoor ceremonies. It is even more important to think about in the fall, with the days getting shorter and shorter. The sun can go down pretty early (especially after daylight savings!).

Keep Sunset Time in Mind

Scheduling your ceremony towards the end of the day allows you to have soft, beautiful lighting in your photos. You often don’t have to worry about squinting or harsh, unflattering shadows on your face. For most wedding days, I typically recommend scheduling your ceremony 2-3 hours before sunset. This way you will get the best natural light for your ceremony and all of the portraits to follow afterwards!

If you schedule your ceremony too close to sunset, you may not have enough daylight for portraits. You want to be sure to capture those just married portraits with your spouse, family, or wedding party. If you want to have your ceremony close to sunset, you may need to consider doing a first look. This way you can do all (or the majority) of your portraits prior to the ceremony. But keep in mind, this would mean that you need to be ready sooner. Your family would also need to arrive sooner to be in those portraits.

If a first look doesn’t seem like a fit, move the ceremony up to ensure sunlight for those portraits!

Every wedding day and every photographer is different. You should definitely check with your photographer about this. They can help you decide the best time of day and amount of time needed for your portraits. Planning your ceremony time and overall timeline planning is something that is offered for all of my wedding couples!

Related Post: Benefits Of Doing An Engagement Session With Your Wedding Photographer

The perfect day for a fall wedding at Puddledock Gathering Post in Corinth, Maine. The sun was shining, the leaves were in peak bloom, and all of the details were coming together. A few close loved ones were only able to attend via video chats, but the ones who were able to make it, were ready to partayyy with this awesome couple!

Scroll through to relive the highlights of this emotional, love-filled day, and keep an eye out for their cute fur-baby who helped them celebrate all day long. 

Ready to start planning your special day? I’d love to chat!

Vendors

• Venue: Puddledock Gathering Post
• Officiant: Earl McDade
• DJ: Dionne Entertainment
• Videographer: Good Eye Productions
• Desserts: Honey & Lace Baking Co.
• Catering: Perley’s Catering
• Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
• Bride’s Attire: Grayce Bridal
• Groomsmen and Groom Attire: Grayce Bridal
• Invitations: Zola
• Hair and Makeup: Whitney Beal Beauty

After postponing their wedding, Kaitlyn + Kendall didn’t want to wait an extra year to officially become husband and wife. With just their immediate family, and dog, they had a backyard minimony this June. They exchanged the realest vows I’ve ever heard – filled with humor, emotion, and so much love. The family home was tastefully decorated and filled with snacks, cake, and custom cookies for everyone to hang out and relax afterwards. It was a short and sweet day, and I am really looking forward to celebrating with them again next year for their big day!

Scroll through to check out some highlights from their small ceremony, and their adorable golden retriever! 

“Emily was incredibly accommodating when my fiancé and I decided to postpone our big wedding during the height of COVID. We are so thankful she was able and willing to shoot our “mini-mony” this past weekend all the way in Waterville. Her work is absolutely stunning and we were so excited to see our sneak peeks the following day! Having done our engagement session with her last summer, we knew what to expect and felt very comfortable. She also managed photographing our families and dog with ease. We can’t thank her enough for her incredible work and are looking forward to working with her again.”

Kaitlynn & Kendall

Emily and Kameron went through a lot to get to this day, but it was still absolutely beautiful nonetheless. Their summer wedding took place at a new venue in Birch Harbor, Maine called Oceanwood Wedding and Event Barn. Their ceremony took place nearby the barn alongside a small pond. Kameron and his stepdad hand built all of the wooden benches and arbor for the ceremony. Emily and her dad walked down the aisle to a song that was sung by a close high school friend that recently passed away. I don’t think there was a dry eye around.

After they shared their first dance and emotional speeches, we snuck away from the reception for golden hour photos on the rocky coast. They stepped away from the craziness of the day, embraced each other, and reflected on how they got to where they were.

At the end of those portraits, I asked if they would be up for trying something new. When they said “sure!”, I handed them my camera and told them to take a few portraits of each other… I set the settings, told them where to aim and which button to press – the rest was up to them. At first they were a little unsure of what to do and said “this is hard” but then they started coming up with a couple of their own poses and the results were PRICELESS.

Scroll to the end to see the individual photos they captured of each other and the personality that just shines through.

Vendors

• Dress: Blush Bridal
• Ceremony + Reception Venue: Oceanwood Wedding and Event Barn
• DJ or Band: Total Events DJ Service (Abe Alley)
• Bridesmaids dresses: Azazie
• Groomsmen and groom attire: Blush Bridal
• Invitations / paper goods: Minted
• Hair Artist: Deondra Thistlewood from Glow + Co.
• Spray Tan: Glow + Co
• Makeup Artist: Margaux
• Tables & Chairs: Grand Rental Station

Hanging flowers, bright spring colors, a baby GOAT, naturally lit open space, and a gorgeous model… As you can imagine, it was a difficult task to narrow down my favorite images! I just love everything about this spring brunch styled shoot – we included citrus fruits, goat cheese, a waffle cake, and even Pantone’s color of the year! My inspiration for this was bright, clean, crisp – I wanted hanging flowers and a baby goat. It’s safe to say my expectations were exceeded, thanks to an amazing team of vendors!

Featured in Real Maine Weddings Magazine

Photographer – Emily Brianne Photography

Planner – Fiddleheads & Finery

Hair & Makeup – Brittany Spence

Florals – Floret Maine

Videographer – Rachel Eppery Media

Stationery – Pretty Little Papers

Goat & Cheese – Copper Tail Farm

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They had to ditch their big wedding plans due to the pandemic, but that didn’t stop them from celebrating their love! Carlen and Mike didn’t want to deal with the hassle of rescheduling their wedding so they invited their immediate family to join them as they said “I do” in their favorite spot – Boothbay, Maine.

They rented a house on the water in Midcoast Maine that had the perfect spot for setting up a ceremony, watching the sunset on the water, and having a family style dinner on the porch. All of the details and the little touches of Maine, tied together perfectly for this heartfelt summer micro-wedding!

Photography – Emily Brianne Photography

Florals – Electric Flora

Rentals – A Plus Party Rentals

Catering- Trillium

HMU – I Do Spas