A Fall Camden Maine Destination Wedding
Morgan and Brian’s fall Camden, Maine destination wedding was one that I’ll always remember. It was modern, intimate, and beautiful. Morgan and Brian are both architects, so designing beautiful things isn’t out of the ordinary to them. This was a weekend wedding experience, and Morgan and Brian did such a wonderful job at planning out all of the details for not only themselves, but for their guests as well. Their wedding weekend in Camden started with an apple picking welcome party which you can check out here along with details on why they chose Camden, Maine as their destination wedding location. It was such a unique and fun experience for them and their guests, and so fitting since it was fall. Morgan and Brian chose a weekend wedding experience because they wanted it to be a once in a lifetime chance to have their closest loved ones all together in their favorite place. Everything Morgan and Brian did for their wedding weekend embodied three simple things: celebrating Maine, sharing elements of themselves, and making memories together with their loved ones.
It’s All in The Details of this fall Maine Destination Wedding…
Morgan and Brian put a ton of thought into every single detail of their wedding day. From their invitations, field guide, and even the RSVP’s. Everything about their wedding was so unique and well thought out. Morgan and Brian knew they wanted a logo for the wedding. They wanted something to use across the designs but also something to be reused in their future as a letterhead. They even wanted to emboss their own collection of books with it! Because Morgan and Brian are both keeping their own names, it was designed to combine both last names. They wanted it to evoke a compass to symbolize something such as adventures to come, finding their way together, or just a love of maps up for individual interpretation.
They first started on their invitations. Each little detail was intentionally designed to tie back to Maine, Camden, the library, or them. They wanted the process of their guests opening the invitation to reveal a new element and purpose. Their favorite detail was each day's event cards that were written on library checkout cards in different fonts to evoke librarian handwriting. They also wanted something to be a take away, so the RSVP was on a bookmark with the other side featuring the inscription that they had come up with for the weekend. The library played a huge role in everything that Morgan and Brian did and you can really see it start in the invitations.
Next, they wanted something to help their loved ones get excited about Maine. With this in mind, they crafted a field guide. This included Morgan and Brian’s favorite pit stops, food items, fun facts, restaurants, shops, and even a beer scavenger hunt of Brian’s favorite beers alongside a list of the couple's favorite Maine murder mysteries. Morgan’s favorite detail is that most of the sketches in the guide were drawn by Brian himself on their trip to Maine. Brian would sometimes sketch during their trips. Everything down to the envelope being a manila tie courtier style was intentional.
Brian always jokes that Morgan is an 80 year old professor trapped in a young woman’s body, so the idea was to come up with these things as something you could potentially find in the drawer of a desk in someone’s personal library. They even hand wrote their own vows on the back of postcards made by a local artist. How cool is all of this?
Getting Ready With Morgan at norumbega inn
Morgan got ready for the ceremony with her mother at Norumbega Inn. She wore the most beautiful dress. She knew she wanted something simple and timeless. When she found the dress she thought it was beautiful, but she really fell in love when she had paired it with the designers veil covered in fall like appliqué. Morgan then asked the designer to see if she could make small cuts on adjustments to have the belt and top of the flutter sleeve at the hand match the veils appliqué. Everything was then pulled together to make a stub tie nod back to the location. I loved how Morgan made this dress her very own.
Morgan & Brian’s First Looks & portraits outside of the norumbega inn
Morgan and Brian shared such intimate first looks just outside the Norumbega Inn. This historic mansion has great architecture and is a beautiful bed and breakfast. It offers classic yet moody New England moody vibes, beautiful grounds, and elegant timeless interiors. Morgan and Brian couldn’t think of any better place to get ready and have their first looks at. They also ended up staying a few days after their wedding in the penthouse just to enjoy the Penobscot Bay views for a little longer. Can you blame them?
A beautiful Outdoor Fall Wedding Ceremony at the Camden Public Library in Maine
Morgan and Brian chose the Camden Public Library for their ceremony location. It was the perfect choice and made for a beautiful backdrop for their intimate ceremony. They didn’t want to overwhelm the natural beauty that surrounded them, but to instead add to it. They wanted it to look natural to Maine. With that they worked with floral designer Honeysuckle Way Flowers, who created the most beautiful ceremony florals. Morgan and Brian wanted to orient their guests toward the library. There were only 34 guests, so it was very intimate. They incorporated a long curving aisle that drew their guests into the space and aligned them perfectly at center of the library.
An Intimate Indoor Wedding Reception at Blue Barren Distillery in Camden, Maine
Morgan and Brian’s indoor wedding reception was no less beautiful than the rest of their wedding weekend. Their reception was held at Blue Barren Distillery. With the ceremony being their mountains, they knew they needed the reception to be their sea. Morgan and Brian knew they wanted their reception to be on the water, have great food, great drinks, with a beautiful building. Blue Barren had floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the active harbor, so it was the perfect choice. Blue Barren worked closely with Morgan and Brian to craft a menu that was both elements of Maine but also pieces of them as well. Brian helped to create signature cocktails while Morgan requested French onion soup as it’s her favorite meal of a cool fall day!
For the tablescape, they wanted it kept minimal. They had gorgeous florals overhead, and stained glass as accents. They wanted a family style dinner because they desired everyone to be comfortable and for it to feel like a casual and intimate gathering which was supported by the glowing candles, bud vases, and small bouquets of stained glass flowers. The stained glass flowers were actually hand made by Morgan’s mother, who picked up the hobby from Morgan’s late grandfather. She made over 200 all by hand. As far as the romantic candles, Brian has always had a love for candles. Morgan ended up taking Brian to a local small business shop on a date night to make their own candles. The scent is meant to bring mountains and the ocean to mind. Each guest was sent home with a candle and a stained glass flower bouquet. They even had custom cocktail napkins designed and sketched by Brian himself of their dog, Boudin.
During the reception, Morgan and Brian both wrote hand written letters to their guests to thank them for spending the time and money to be with them, but also to just thanking them for being such important people in their lives. Towards the end of the night, Morgan changed into the most beautiful sparkly reception dress. She wanted something she could twirl in and something that would be extra sparkly for their exit.
And last but not least, Morgan and Brian’s boat getaway! They knew they couldn’t be on a harbor and not get on a boat. With that being said, they didn’t want the exit to just be about them. Instead they wanted to share the experience with their guests. They ended up surprising them and invited them to join them on the boat across the harbor to the after party. Morgan and Brian coordinated this with the help of Blue Barren so they could use the dock right in front of the building. Overall, this was such a perfect and unforgettable fall destination wedding in Maine.
mORGAN & bRIANS RAINY DAY AFTER SESSION IN CAMDEN, MAINE | a fall Maine Destination Wedding
The day after Morgan and Brian’s wedding ceremony and reception, we met back up to get some more portraits of them with the stunning views of Camden. Duck boots were purchased for the first time on this trip at the main L.L Bean Store. Owls Head is one of Maine’s many lighthouses, but Morgan’s favorite and the first one they visited when they first came to Maine. It only made sense to have more portraits done here.
Planning Your Own Destination Wedding in Maine or beyond? Let’s Work Together
If you’re planning your own destination wedding in Maine or beyond, or even a wedding weekend celebration, I would love to be a part of your wedding experience! You can learn more about me here. If I sound like the perfect destination wedding photographer for you, then inquire with me here and let’s start talking about all of the details and what you envision your wedding celebration to look like. In the meantime, make sure to take a peek at the blog where you’ll find couples session, weddings, and even tips and tricks for planning your wedding.
Natalie Nicole Photo | Texas Based Destination Wedding Photographer
Wedding Vendors:
Planner: Nicole Mower Events - @nicolemowerevents
Ceremony Location: Camden Public Library - @camdenpubliclibrary
Reception Location: Blue Barren Distillery - @bluebarrendistillery
Photography: Natalie Nicole Photo - @natalienicolephoto
Florist: Honeysuckle Way Flowers - @honeysuckleway
Transportation: @northeastchartertour
HMUA: @salonloka
Cupcakes: @laughloudsmilebig
Bride: Morgan Aven, architect
Groom: BrianDon Carlos, architect