A Harpswell Inn Wedding in Harpswell, Maine
I had the unique honor and pleasure this fall to shoot one of my all time favorite weddings, Katie & Logan’s beautiful early fall wedding at the Historic Harpswell Inn. Located about 30 minutes south of Brunswick, The Harpswell Inn is a historic inn situated right on the water, and was the perfect backdrop to Katie & Logan’s wedding. Ordinarily operating as a bed & breakfast, Katie and Logan were able to use some of the rooms onsite for getting ready, and had a sailcloth tent set up on the property for their reception.
Katie and Logan are originally located in the DC area, and Katie’s family used to spend summers up in Maine, so naturally when they were wedding planning the location was an ideal fit and made for a great weekend for all their family and guests. The Harpswell Inn is located within walking distance of the shore, so we were sure to sneak away from the reception to grab a few photos down by the water. An unexpected benefit of doing the portraits at this time was the tide was out, so you could easily walk out to the island located a little off shore and get some great photos on the rocks (you can see some of the yellow seaweed- at first I wasn’t sure about using it for photos but the color was actually perfect and so quintessentially Maine I am so glad I kept it in).
Katie had a dream team of vendors on the day, with Dragonfly Services coordinating the day, and Honeysuckle Way providing one of my all time favorite bouquets.
Planning for a Maine Destination Wedding
Thinking of planning a wedding in Maine? Let me walk through a few things I learned as a photographer from the weekend.
1.) Firstly, plan an “engagement” shoot. Katie and Logan opted to have a second shoot at one of their favorite locations, Giant’s Stairs on Bailey Island. I am so glad they did because we got some absolutely incredible images, and were able to get some photos in a landscape that was completely different than the wedding day. Even if you already had an engagement session done, it is 100% worth it to get another shoot done, and have memories documenting a really incredible place.
2.) Secondly, just roll with the weather. Maine’s weather can change very quickly. Katie & Logan experienced some overcast/ rainy weather on the wedding day itself, but in some ways I think it turned out even better. How “Maine” does a cloudy day on the rocks look?
3.) Also, make sure seafood is on the menu. Doesn’t get much better than lobster roll.
4.) For great portraits, be prepared to do a little walking. Katie & Logan were super flexible on the wedding day, and for that I am so thankful because it opened up so many opportunities to get some really great photos.
5.) Use a great vendor team to allow your vision to come to live. Check out my vendor list below!
Katie and Logan at the Historic Harpswell Inn
Florals: Honeysuckle Way
Event Coordinating: Dragonfly Services
Photography: Matt Genders Photography
Caterer: 111 Maine
Table Numbers: Letters from Eden
Suit: Indochino
Dress: Jenny Yoo
DJ: Dan Giroux
Hair Stylist: Akari