For the past six years, we’ve been lucky enough to be involved with the photo shoots for the iconic LL Bean catalog.  Each September, we pack up and find ourselves living for a few weeks at the gorgeous Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina in Bar Harbor, Maine.  It’s the perfect “basecamp” for a large scale commercial photography shoot: plenty of rooms, wonderful location and fantastic service.  We’ve been so busy with those catalog shoots, that we had never even contemplated shooting a wedding there.

When Jessie and Chris contacted us last summer to inquire about weddings at the Bar Harbor Club and the Harborside Hotel, we were thrilled.  As Jessie described to us their vision of a laid back, seaside wedding that was beautiful, elegant but not boring or stuffy, we could relate immediately.  The fact that they were both sailors, fun, and they previously lived in San Francisco right near our West Coast studio made making a real connection with them easy.  It wasn’t going to be difficult for us to get them gorgeous images… without being overbearing or obtrusive.  We “got it” right away.

Their beautiful rings.

The Harborside staff have become like family to us over the years… and it was a joy to return to photograph a wedding there.  The Bar Harbor Club is a gorgeous wedding venue, on the ocean, with beautiful views, easy access to the beach and plenty of rooms available at the Harborside Hotel next door.  For Jessie & Chris, it was a special location as well, as Jessie’s parents owned a home only a few blocks away.

I would describe Chris & Jessie as being smart, creative, fun people that are as easy and as low maintenance as they come.  They wanted their day to be a celebration and a true party… which is exactly what they got.

Chris’ daisy boutonniere.

Daisies created a pathway to the ceremony location.

Jessie and her dad walk down the isle to Chris.

Beautiful Bar Harbor, from the ceremony site.

The ceremony was presided over by their longtime friend, a newly ordained minister.  Nice job Padre.

Beautiful, simple ceremony.

Jessie’s gorgeous bouquet.  Loved it!

Happy to start the party!

On the beach for a few minutes together.

They had a really beautiful wedding cake.

So basic… but they got it all right.  Great color.

Lots of kids made the party fun.

Like everything that day, Jessie & Chris put their own spin on things: a series of buffet bars for everyone.  Gourmet fish tacos and Sliders were a few of the offerings.

Yum!!

Just a wonderful evening to be by the sea.

The Bar Harbor Club at sunset.  Gorgeous.

The first dance dip.

It was hard to limit myself to only two images of this guy in this blog post.  Incredible.

Arguably, the most enthusiastic dancer I’ve ever seen.  Wish I had the video (and I know someone does)!!

Jessie and Chris are independent, creative people… as they demonstrate their original technique for cutting a wedding cake.

Right through the middle!

Sunset on a Bar Harbor Club Wedding.

Chris and Jessie stayed true to themselves and created a special evening: they found a great location, had fantastic food, kept things simple… and brought all their family and friends in to celebrate.  It was a wonderful wedding, it was a reflection of who they are and it was really an honor to support them and their guests.

Though it may be while we’re sailing somewhere in the Caribbean, or while we’re on a photo shoot in Manhattan or at our West Coast studio in San Francisco… but wherever it is, we hope to see you all again soon!  Thanks for being so welcoming and fun!

*******************************************

To see the complete photos, just click here, or go to www.brianwedge.com

*******************************************

Vendors:

Ceremony & Reception:  Bar Harbor Club

Host Hotel: Harborside Hotel, Spa & Resort

Photography:  Brian Wedge Photography

We met Jordanna and Jason last summer in Bar Harbor, and were psyched to hear their story of friendship that began at Harvard, followed by 12 years as a couple and finally returning to Jason’s home state of Maine to tie the knot.  Little did we know that Jason and Jordanna are incredibly talented and accomplished… working on Broadway in various capacities, with Jason most recently working as The Phantom of that little Broadway hit called The Phantom of The Opera.  Yeah, that one.

As I drove in the pouring rain up to Mount Desert Island, I worried that these two amazing, deserving people would be frustrated because of the bad weather.  Though I’m happy to work in any conditions… dust, rain, sleet, riots, fires, whatever… I never know how a couple is going to react to the adversity of weather, especially at a place like the Asticou Inn, which is famous for it’s back lawn overlooking Northeast Harbor.

Within minutes of stepping out of the car, I realized that my worries were completely unfounded and that I had landed smack in the middle of a cast of incredible characters, and a wedding that I’ll never forget.

For starters, on the front porch of The Asticou Inn, I met a mountain of a man, who was wearing a tuxedo and brandishing a large kitchen knife while wearing only one shoe.  I watched as he palpated and examined his shoe, occassionally grumbling something under his breath about how “it had to be done” and “there were no other options.”  His thoughtful contemplation and words reminded me of a surgeon bearing the bad news to one of his patients.  The situation was dire and he would have to “go in” immediately to save the rest of the shoe.

The knife wielding shoe butcher turned out to be Lou, the father of the bride, and I watched incredulously as he shaved off the heel of one of his dress shoes with an ease of hand that reminded me of a Tokyo sushi chef filleting a tuna.  His movements were confident, exacting and without hesitation.  After his first pass, he strapped the mutilated shoe back on and with a satisfied “Ah Huh” proclaimed that “it wasn’t bad” but that “the other shoe was next.”  It seems that Lou’s old Army dress shoes had seen one too many tours of duty and the heels had finally disintegrated to a point of no return.  Lou did what had to be done.

After thoroughly enjoying Lou’s inspiring cutlery demonstration out on the front porch, I ventured inside the Asticou to check in with Jordanna & Jason as the rain continued to fall.  They had explicitly written to me earlier that day that “unless there is horrible weather we would like to have photos out on the rocks near the ocean”.  Obviously “horrible weather” is a relative term, and as an old Outward Bound Captain and Himalayan mountain guide… it’s always best for the bride and groom to define those standards rather than me… otherwise we’re liable to wind up in a hurricane or a blizzard in no time.

To my pleasant surprise, they were both thrilled to go outside, and happy to dodge rain drops in order to get a few photos.  By sheer will, they had convinced their friends and family to venture out as well, and through a lot of laughter and rain showers… we got the images that we hoped for!

Singin’ In The Rain.

Jordanna’s beautiful smile while hiding under an umbrella.

Their wedding bands.

Because of the rain, the ceremony was held in a cozy room overlooking the water.  As a team of actors, Jordanna & Jason had decided that their intimate ceremony should not NOT be a performance, but a quiet, meaningful ceremony.  They were committed to having no distractions from their photographer… and therefore required that I not use flash and not move (even a little) during the entire ceremony even if it impacted the final images.  I always love a challenge, and the bank of windows behind the ceremony silhouetted everyone dramatically… making details difficult, but not impossible.  I switched to a 1.2 aperture lens, that captured more mid-tones than could normally be picked up in a situation like that.  So far, so good… we had successfully managed the rain, and the harsh lighting… all that was left was the reception!

When I grow up, I want to be like Jordanna’s grandmother: beautiful, smart, motivating and eloquent.  Here, she whips up the crowd during her speech.

Oh, if I only had audio running that day.  So many talented friends.  It was a joy to listen to.

Breaking the glass.

The kiss!

Their cake was a mountain with the two of them embracing on the summit.

I was warned by the guests repeatedly during the cocktail hour that I would be “in for a show” during the dancing.  The first dance hinted at what was to come.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people so effortlessly and joyfully dance so beautifully.  I could tell that they had done this before.

Jordanna being dipped (again).

And then the crowd got involved… everyone was AMAZING.  They should have charged admission for their performance (my guess is that most of them do usually).  One moment everyone was swing dancing, then dramatic reenactments of musicals, then some latin dancing, then hip hop… just incredible.

Oh yeah… I forgot about the Russian dancing.  Check.

Time for the Hora… tall guys and short ceilings… bad mix.  Nice reminder Jordanna.

Jason knows no fear.

Yup, and just drop a split in the middle of the dance floor whenever you’re ready.

Then Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” comes on, and the music theater / interpretive dance gloves come off.

Not sure if this is part of the Madonna song or an impromptu decision to fly… regardless, it was incredible and hilarious.

When I emailed Jason and Jordanna to ask what their ideal image would be at the end of the night, they said “something that captures us ‘being us’ probably amidst a series of sweaty lifts, dips or spins while dancing together”.  Got it!

**********************************

So, the next time one of my editors or commercial clients ask why the heck I’m going off to shoot another wedding, I’m going to send them this blog link.  Because it’s fun.  Because weddings are filled with wonderful, meaningful, hilarious and original moments, that could never be duplicated.  It’s an honor to be there to document a dad sawing off their shoe soles, a grandmother’s dispensing wisdom and enthusiasm… and most all, to capture the joy of two people who love each other so completely, like Jordanna and Jason.

Thank you for having me at your wedding!  Thanks for bringing your amazing friends to Maine, for “going for it” despite the rain and for sharing your spinning, whirling, dipping sweaty selves with all of us.  What a joy!

***************************

Want to see the complete wedding photos?  Just go to: www.brianwedge.com

***************************

Vendors:

Ceremony/Reception:  The Asticou Inn

Band: The Coronados

Flowers:  Still working on that… email if you need it.

]]> http://www.brianwedge.com/blog/2009/06/27/jordanna-jason-asticou-inn-wedding-northeast-harbor-me/feed/ 2 http://www.brianwedge.com/blog/2008/07/10/stacia-lloyd-bar-harbor-oceanfront-wedding/ http://www.brianwedge.com/blog/2008/07/10/stacia-lloyd-bar-harbor-oceanfront-wedding/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:28:22 +0000 brianwedge http://www.brianwedge.com/blog/?p=200 Continue reading →]]>

We love emotion.  We love bear hugs, tears of joy, stomach churning excitement and laughter that brings you to your knees.  Capturing emotion is one of our greatest strengths, and one of the most frequent compliments we receive from our clients.  We feed off of it, we celebrate it and we get to witness it often through our work.

But Stacia & Lloyd… they bring more emotion than any of us could have ever expected.  These two were jubilant to be getting married.  They had fun, they laughed, they cried, Stacia sang (I’m not kidding), Lloyd danced (at times alone) while the band jammed for a half hour straight… and their families responded in turn with an outpouring of love and joy.  They’re our kind of people: they know who they are, and are so comfortable with themselves that they wore their emotions on their sleeves.

Stacia had a little Roaring 40′s “thing” happening in her outfit, and this image is timeless…

The ribbons that adorned the cast iron rails.

Lloyd seeing his bride for the first time!

Always a connection, always a glance, always a smile…

Stacia and Lloyd are a New York couple who chose the Bar Harbor Regency to host their wedding and reception because Maine was the location of their very first vacation together.  We’ve stayed at the Regency many times before during the LL Bean catalog photo shoots, but I was completely unfamiliar with their wonderful “Stone House,” which is a private building nearby with commanding ocean views and a certain sense of elegance and intimacy that’s hard to find.

Minotts Floral Creation.  Beautiful.

The Stone House View at The Bar Harbor Regency

Lloyd, reading his vows.

Another burst of laughter!

Stacia & Lloyd’s day was a handcrafted wedding that was filled with thoughtful, personal details… but at the same time was about as unpretentious as a wedding could be.  Their ability to laugh, cry and be “real” was truly beautiful to observe and capture.  Thanks for including Christine and I in your big day.  You’re an inspiration to all of us!

Want to see the complete wedding photos?  They’re all right here: www.brianwedge.com

Vendors:

Venue:  The Bar Harbor Regency

Flowers:  Minotts Flowers

Band:  The Coronados

Pie Buffet (no cake): Morning Glory Bakery