When Courtney and John first told us about their plans for the big day, they said they wanted intimate and elegant, but they also wanted fun.  They certainly succeeded with all of those things…. but also managed to hit on a little note of ‘grandiose’  - have you seen the Landing at Pine Point ?  It’s got to be coastal Maine’s best kept secret!!  These are a few of our favorite images from their magnificent wedding.  And Courtney and John – we’re going to miss you when you move to Seattle!

Hats off to the professionals who made this great day shine:
The Landing at Pine Point, Scarborough ME
Minotts Flowers, Portland ME
DJ Jeff Rockwell, Portland ME
Madeleine’s Daughter, Portsmouth NH

Every once in a while, you get the extreme pleasure of meeting someone who opens their heart and soul to you and makes you feel like family.  This is the case with Donna.  A few years back we photographed Donna and her daughters on Peaks Island, and this year we were beyond thrilled to spend a few days in Boston with them when she and Bob decided to get married.  Bunker Hill, the USS Constitution, The Bond, Christopher Columbus Park, a horse drawn carriage and then the actual wedding on Boston’s Elite Yacht - can you say wow – ?!!

Here’s a gallery of our favorite images from one of the summer’s most enjoyable weddings.  If you’ve never been to Peaks’ Island, it’s hard to imagine that just taking a fifteen-minute ferry-ride could put Portland and the rest of Maine so far out of mind, but every time step onto the dock at Peaks, I feel as relaxed and content as though I were on vacation on the vineyard.  

That’s the feeling Brian and Liz wanted when they picked the Inn on Peaks, and Jason and Amanda did an incredible job ensuring they got it.  

 A few important vendors:

Reception – The Inn on Peaks – Jason and Amanda

Guitar Soloist – Dan Tonini

DJ – Brett Williams

Florist – Compositions

Cupcakes – Two Fat Cats (Delicious!!!)

Photography – Thats’ us – Focus Photography – Will and Lucia

What do an Air Force pilot, Lobster Boots, and Mitchell Field in Harpswell all have in common?  They’re all things that Laura loves.  The Pilot is Spencer, whom she married on a beautiful summer’s day, right out in the open at Mitchell Field, near her childhood home.  Our favorite moment of the day?  The bride putting on lobster boots to hike around the waters’ edge with us before her ceremony.  A gorgeous couple, a romantic ceremony, and a perfect day overall.  I hope you like the images as much as we do.

Here’s who made their day extra special:
Bowman Transportation, Brunswick ME
Andrea’s Bridal, Portland ME
Flowers Etc., Brunswick ME
The Eastland Park Hotel, Portland ME
The European Bakery, Falmouth ME
And of course, Will and I, Focus Photography Portland ME

Thanks for looking

Together with their families, Amy and Trent said ‘I do’ in a quaint little chapel, then celebrated the occasion with a lavish cocktail party at the Wentworth by the Sea.  It was warm, wonderful and a Wicked Good time!!

Cheers to all that made this day possible:
The Wentworth by the Sea, New Castle NH
Dianna Adams, Stratham NH
Jardinierre Florist, Portsmouth NH
The Music Man DJ’s, Kennebunk ME
And don’t forget us, Will and Lucia, Focus Photography, Portland ME

Oh what a fabulous day for Kristen and Bill!  Two of the nicest people you will ever meet – Kristen and Bill brought about twenty of their closest friends up from Pennsylvania to enjoy a Coastal Wedding with a Sea Coast flare – complete with huge lobsters for the entire bunch!

A truly Grace-full day for Emily and Andy.  The weather was just perfect, and everything went as planned for this charmed couple.  Emily and Andy are Maine natives who live Oklahama (Andy is stationed there with the US Armed Forces) were treated to a fabulous day with an intimate ceremony followed by a fabulous reception at Grace restaurant in Downtown Portland.  

Special thanks to the Wedding Professionals who made their day so special:
Grace Restaurant, Portland ME
Madeline’s Daughter, Portsmouth NH
Down-East Flowers, Kennebunk ME
Baby Cakes, Wells ME
Custom Coach and Limousine, Gorham ME

Here are a few of my favorite images of Bethany, taken at the Harbor Crest Inn in York:

Jed didn’t get ready at the inn, but we needed him the for the first glance he and Bethany were doing, and when we took these images Bethany was safely hidden away inside.

When the bride and groom are seeing each other before the ceremony, we ask the groom to turn away, and wait for the bride to tap him on the shoulder:

The bride and groom, alone:

Here are a few of our favorite shots with the wedding party.  We also did many of the family portraits ahead of time, and they came out great, but these blog posts are long enough with just the couple and the wedding party.

As Bethany arrived at the York Tennis and Golf Club, everyone was eager to see her walk down the aisle, and her father performed the ceremony.

And then, there were toasts and dinner, dancing and cake.

It was a great wedding.  Fred Pappalardo DJ’ed a great event, the cake was courtesy of Let Them Eat Cake (Lucia loves this cake!), and Dan from the York Golf and Tennis Club made sure the event ran smoothly.  It was a beautiful wedding, and we were thrilled to be there.

Congratulations Bethany and Jed, and have a great honeymoon.  Everyone else – thanks for looking, and please tell us what you think -  Will

On Saturday, June 18th, the weather blessed Kim and Joe with a beautiful afternoon for their wedding on the coast of Maine.  Though it had stormed all morning, Kim really wanted her ceremony outdoors, and Will Clayton flipped a secret switch that the Samoset has that turned on the sunshine and produced a glorious summer afternoon.  Once everyone was inside for the dinner, he arranged for a brief lightning storm, and then finished the night with a rainbow that blazed just out the window from where people were dancing.

I don’t know why every wedding venue doesn’t have this kind of control over the weather, but the Samoset makes it work every time.

Here are a few of our favorite shots of Kim – a most beautiful bride!

Here are a few shots of the groom, Joe, and his dad, also Joe, and also a character.

The ceremony was held off the fifth tee, overlooking the breakwater and Penobscott Bay.

Here are a few of my favorite images of the bride and groom together:

Finally, here are some of the images from the terrific reception dinner Kim and Joe had for their families:

This was a beautiful and intimate wedding.  Will Clayton and his crew at the Samoset did an amazing job allowing the day to be as relaxed and enjoyable as Kim and Joe wanted.  Lucia and I would like to thank everyone in the Levesque and DeBilio families for making us feel so welcome at this special celebration.  Thanks for looking – Will

On a beautiful Saturday in what had been a rather rainy May, Ashley Peterson married Adam Davis.  Though they hail from Virginia, Ashley and Adam have spent a lot of time together on the Maine coast, and they invited all of their family and friends to come see Maine for themselves.

Their wedding was both simple and elegant, as all Harraseeket weddings are.  The gardens were blooming, the property immaculate, the staff friendly and attentive, and the food amazing.  These are a few of my favorite images from the day:

These are a few images from when Adam first saw Ashley in that amazing gown

A few of our favorite images with the wedding party, and Ashley’s daughters.

Finally, a few of the highlights from the reception

As you can see, it was a wonderful wedding day. Not perfect – there was a light shower in the afternoon - but everyone knows that’s good luck.

Lucia and I would like to thank Ashley and Adam for inviting us to share their wedding day, and allowing us to see how in love they are.  You’re a warm and welcoming couple, and we loved photographing your wedding.  Thank you to Melissa, Ruby, and the whole Harraseeket team for producing a tremendous wedding and reception; the wedding party for putting up with my jokes; and the Peterson and Davis clans for their help, assistance, and cooperation.

Thanks for looking – William von Wenzel

Here is the album that won the “Wedding Album of the Year” Award for Maine in 2011. The wedding was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockland, Maine. You can use the cursor keys to turn through the pages, and the fullscreen option to see the images larger. The press release for the award is here. Thanks for looking — Will

I also was elected to the MPPA’s court of honor for my third time, received my third Kodak Gallery Award, and received an award for the highest scoring print by a Certified Professional Photographer (but there’s only six Certified Professional Photographers in Maine, while there’s hundreds of wedding photographers). I’m happy about those awards too, but to win Album of the Year two years in a row – that’s an honor I’m giddy about!!!

Here’s the link to the 2011 Album of the Year, and the album that won in 2010 is posted here.

I’ve known Victoria’s parents, Jeff and Lisa, for a couple of years now, since we photographed their other daughter Gabby for her senior portrait. Their warmth and hospitality should have led me to expect a gracious and sweet family, but I’ve got to say, the Kempton and St. Louis clans must be the nicest people in Maine. 

I’m thrilled to tell you that Victoria and Chris had a perfect wedding day, with just a touch of heat during the ceremony, but then cool ocean breezes for the reception.  Victoria’s grandfather performed the service in Auburn, and on the way down to the Dunegrass Country Club in Old Orchard Beach, we stopped at the beach for some photos with the bridal party.

These are a few of my favorites, and there’s a gallery with more down below.  Thanks for looking.

Here’s the Gallery:

We’ve had a lot of people writing in wanting to see Katie and Joe’s images – specifically, what we did on the beach and after the wedding.  If you don’t know, after the wedding was over, and the guests were preparing for yet another lobster bake, Katie and Joe went on an adventure with us to get some more unique images.  Cold swept in off the ocean, mist fogged up windows, glasses, and lenses, and a little bit of rain slicked the streets, but nothing would deter this audacious couple.  They were awesome.

I’m definitely making an award in your honor that we’ll give to the very few people who can match Katie and Joe’s enthusiasm and commitment.

Okay, here are some of the details:

Venue – Stage Neck Inn

Flowers – Brenda’s Bloomers

DJ – Clark from Fred Pappalardo Disc Jockeys

Cake – I think Gayle, but I’ll get the info right.

Photography – Will, Chet, and Amanda

Here’s the gallery of our favorite images.  Thanks for looking.

Rather than squeeze everything in to a half hour scramble, they simply planned appropriately, let their guests enjoy Portsmouth on a trolley car, and scheduled the cocktail party to start three hours after the ceremony.  Brilliant!!!

They had a wedding without stress, rushing, or panic, and got everything they wanted.  I really like the images at the water.  Enjoy.

And here is the gallery of our favorites:

The Wentworth had it under control.  They had both an outdoor and an indoor ceremony set up, and there was never a moment of worry there.  Gina Damiano – the coolest coordinator in town.  Cocktails?  Martini Luge!!!  Entertainment?  The incomparable Jeff from the Music Man – who kept the party rocking overtime.

Finally, Gretchen and David, who we met last year, and couldn’t like more.  They saw each other before the ceremony, and you’ll see the first glance images in the gallery.  And then, they were able to attend their cocktail party, instead of just hearing about it from other people.  Great friends, and a rowdy family;  that’s my idea of a perfect wedding.  Congratulations!

Thanks for looking!

A great wedding – the Tony Boffa band (they’re always terrific!), cocktails outside and a plated dinner in the ballroom – everything was in place for an incredible night, and Mark and Shaney’s wedding certainly lived up to it.

Here are a few of my favorites.  I’ll have the rest of the images up in a week or so, and will add the link to this post.  Thanks for looking – Will

Eric and Erica had agreed to see each other before the ceremony so that they could enjoy their cocktail hour with their friends, and we got awesome romantic images ahead of time.  As photographers, we hate seeing our clients miss their party, and the first glance (where the groom first sees the bride in her gown) is really powerful.

Okay, here’s my favorite images.  You can click the thumbs for larger images like ever other gallery in the world, and you can comment on them as well.  We’ll have all their images up in a week or two – I’ll post the link here then.  Have fun!

Edited to change date to date of event – Will

These are the bridesmaids, and Justin, the brides best friend (who was a great bridesMAN).

The Congregational Church in Saco.  Unbelievably beautiful.  Very nicely decorated.

These are on the beach down in Wells.  Actually, it’s Drake’s Island, which doesn’t make me quite as claustrophobic as Wells.

Okay, a few shots from the reception that I really like. If you’re into photography, you’ll recognize the awesome bokeh from a 1.2 lens.  I shoot wide open as much as I can, and the four images belowreally illustrate why.

And finally, a macro shot of the insanely beautiful rings Joey and Jessica gave each other.

If you want to see more, there’s a brief slideshow here.  Thanks for looking.  Will