Bayside Maine Wedding

Today’s bride has a special place in our hearts for her creativity: not only is she an amazing designer, but she also wasn’t afraid to look outside the box for her wedding ceremony. Jen, Matt, and their wedding guests all boarded a schooner and took a little sail around the Casco Bay while the newlyweds recited their wedding vows to each other. This wedding captured by Alexandra Roberts Photography is the perfect blend of New England hip.

From the bride, Jen of Pepper Sprout Designs: We wanted something that felt very “us,” but of course what couple doesn’t say that. We decided to have a very small wedding and wanted it to feel a little bit like Brooklyn-meets-Maine, after all that’s what we are, two transplants living up north. We wanted some DIY touches but wanted to keep everything pretty simple and have our guests feel right at home visiting Maine. We just wanted everyone to have a good time and get to know each other, we wanted it to just feel like a really awesome dinner party, with a wedding beforehand.

We wanted the raw loft space look and feel for the reception, but feel in love with the idea of getting married on a schooner. All of our guests were from out of town so wanted to make sure everyone had a good time. We loosely used the colors of purple, silver and peach throughout the decor and flowers, just little hints in things because our venue really spoke for itself with its raw woods and brick (and of course the casco bay). All in all in was a little rustic, a little DIY and lot of love. We planed everything ourselves.

I designed all of the paper goods, invitations, menus, signage. I illustrated the little drawings of Matt and I and had them lasercut for the cake toppers. Matt and I sewed our own table runners. I illustrated and stamped the cookie boxes. I illustrated and cut out the “sweet sign” from foam core. We used yarn and fibers from past knitting projects to decorate little wood spools that held the menus. We cut little linen squares for cocktail napkins. We dip painted all of the flatware (crazy). And had Oh, Little Rabbit screenprint napkins for our table which were a big hit!

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? It’s okay to ask for help. Matt and I thought we could set up the reception space ourselves the day before the wedding (what were we thinking). Thank goodness my parents and sisters came and helped us or we might still be hanging bistro lights in the rafters. Make an inspiration board and live with it for a while before you start buying matching napkins and paper lanterns. My original idea all involved lime green and raspberry, then after living with it a bit I realized while I loved these colors, they meant nothing to us, and even clashed with the venue. Also have fun, keep a blog or a diary of the victories and the craft fails. It’s fun to look back on the whole process and laugh at yourself for getting worked up about the guest list or pantone swatches.