August 7, 2020

Photos By: Rodeo & Co

At the beginning of 2020, Mike & I were newly engaged and started planning a big December wedding outside of Boston. Like so many other couples, those plans that we made for a large, indoor gathering in 2020 washed away when the Covid pandemic entered our lives. Once summer rolled around, it was clear that Covid was here to stay through December & beyond. We knew we didn’t want to wait to get married, so switched gears and started planning a small, intimate gathering at my parents’ home in Downeast Maine. We planned our backyard wedding in just 4 weeks and it was truly a community effort, but I wouldn’t change a single thing in how it came together. We opted for an immediate family & grandparents only wedding, which gave us a beautiful 15 person intimate gathering.

I never thought that with my job, I would be able to have a summer wedding. We ended up getting the most *perfect* summer day– it was never too hot or too cold. The morning of our wedding, I got ready at my parents’ house (with 3 of my best friends on Zoom while I got into my dress) while Mike played a round of golf with his dad. We had our first look by the ocean and travelled to Corea, the fishing village where my grandparents live (where my grandfather has been a lobsterman his whole life) for portraits by the harbor.

My brother officiated our ceremony, with readings from both of our moms & my sister-in-law. Then my sister, who took up cooking during quarantine, cooked probably the best meal of my life. We enjoyed a signature cocktail, fresh summer salad, homemade bread, apps– all before our main dish of baked stuffed lobsters. For desert, my grandmother made lemon-blueberry cake (my favorite!). Our night ended with a campfire into the late hours with our siblings… it was truly the best day.

Having witnessed many couples go through the wedding rescheduling/cancelling/downsizing process through Covid, I truly believe that there was no one size fits all solution for how to handle getting married in a pandemic. For us, it was of course difficult to not have all of our extended family & friends there, but we’re so happy we got married when we did (however we do hope to someday have a celebration of some kind down the road!). On reflecting on our day, it was so special to sit around a table with our immediate families and have such an intimate gathering. So grateful to our photo/video team– Meg & Rebecca– for capturing our day for us to look back on for many years to come.

Vendor Team:

Photographer: Rodeo & Co

Videographer: Rebecca Drouin

Rentals: Wallace Events

Florist: The Bud Connection

Dress: BHLDN

Hair: ECHO Salon

Makeup: Anna Brown Makeup

Stationary: Mulberry & Elm

Calligraphy (sea glass): LindsLovesInk

Officiant: Lauren’s Ceremonies