Emma and Chris kissing at the bar in ViA VECCHiA in Portland’s Old Port. ALANNA HOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
A SAMPLING OF BEAUTIFUL MAINE VENUES FOR YOUR WEDDING AND TIPS FOR PICKING THE PERFECT ONE
BY KATIE SMITH
Many factors go into picking the perfect wedding venue. Do you want to be close to your home base or certain family members? Or perhaps you’d like to travel a bit farther? Do you envision a seaside wedding, or are mountains the perfect backdrop? Indoors? Outdoors? Fancy? Rustic? A place where the planning and food is handled for you, or do you want to plan each element yourself? How many guests do you need to accommodate? And then there’s the ever-important budget factor.
As you and your soon-to-be spouse map out your plans, here are a few beautiful Maine venues to consider.
r PENOBSCOT BAY ESTATE
This 7-acre property located in Winterport has it all — romance, history, views of the water, and a few different wedding packages to choose from. Owners Emerald and Kurt Forcier were married on the property in 2017, and now the couple runs Penobscot Bay Estate with the goal of providing a dream wedding site for others. Plan a ceremony along the water followed by a reception on a hill overlooking the bay under a sailcloth tent with tables to accommodate 160 guests. Penobscot Bay Estate also includes four onsite guest cabins, a honeymoon cottage,
and access to the 4,000-square-foot private residence for both bridal parties the day of the wedding. The venue books about a year in advance.
PENOBSCOTBAYESTATE.COM
r LUCERNE INN
Located in Holden, just outside Bangor, the Lucerne Inn overlooks Phillips Lake and Bald Mountain, which makes it the perfect place to enjoy both water and mountains for a wedding. Weddings are held at the Outlook, a relaxing and romantic setting separate from the main inn. The wedding venue offers a stunning fireplace, beautiful chandeliers, and a dance floor. You can comfortably fit 120 people for a sit-down dinner, and the dance floor holds 175 guests — plenty of room to dance the day or night away. There is also an outdoor tented patio area off the main inn for those who’d like to exchange vows and have their reception outside. The pre-lit tent can hold up to 180 guests, and wedding planners are on sight. Guests can stay at the inn, which offers a continental breakfast, an outdoor pool, as well as a restaurant. The Lucerne Inn usually books out a year in advance but can occasionally fit couples in based on availability, so reach out regardless of your timeframe.
LUCERNEINN.COM
ALANNA HOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
THE BEARDED MAINER PHOTOGRAPHY
HALL PHOTOGRAPHY
Chebeague Island Inn. ALANNA HOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Hardy Farm in Fryeburg. RADIANCE BY DESIGN BY RANISSA BERRY
r SPRUCE POINT INN
Located in the center of Boothbay Harbor, the Spruce Point Inn is an exclusive resort. On its 55-acre property, there are multiple event halls and an oceanfront deck perfect for exchanging vows. Pemaquid Hall offers tall ceilings, indoor and outdoor accommodations, and holds up to 250 guests for your special day. Spruce Point also has certified professionals ready to help you plan your wedding and make it the magical day you’ve always dreamed of.
SPRUCEPOINTINN.COM
r THE BARN AT HATCH POINT
Located in Bowdoinham along the Kennebec River with views of Swan Island, The Barn at Hatch Point is a modern beauty that can hold up to 250 guests. If you’re looking for elegance with an industry vibe for your special day, this is the perfect spot. The Barn offers many different places to exchange your vows, including patio sites with stunning views of the river and forest. Inside you’ll find a large space that will allow you to pick your preferred layout, with plenty of room for dancing, a quaint fireplace, two bars, an expansive caterer's kitchen, and a cozy loft area. There’s a main cabin where the bride can get ready with family and friends and different wedding packages to choose from. Hatch Point books 12 to 24 months in advance.
THEBARNATHATCHPOINT.COM
Jenna and Kyle at Portland City Hall. SIERRA ARCHER PHOTOGRAPHY
ALANNA HOGAN PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY OF THE BARN AT HATCH POINT
r CRAWFORD FARM WEDDINGS AND EVENTS
Located in Warren, the stunning 19thcentury barn and farmhouse at Crawford Weddings is a half-hour from the ocean and offers accommodations for formal weddings as well as smaller events. The spacious barn and large outdoor area is a dream for the perfect photographs and offers outdoor games, lots of parking, and a firepit. The space holds up to 150 guests, and the on-site salon caters to the bride and her wedding party. There are several packages to choose from. Crawford Farm books about six months in advance, but call as soon as possible to secure your desired date.
CRAWFORDFARMWEDDINGS.COM
r MEADOW RIDGE FARM
Located in Winterport, this is the perfect spot to exchange vows if you love flowers and barn weddings. The venue is also growing, with plans to offer a more modern space as soon as next year. The working lavender farm includes a barn that’s perfect for a rustic Maine wedding for up to 150 guests, with farm tables, yard games, and two bar areas (one indoor and one outdoor) to accommodate your guests. There’s also a beautiful pond and arbor made from antique barn beams to serve as your ceremony backdrop. Coming next year and already booking dates is the Wintergreen Loft, the new addition to the farm with a more modern, industrial feel. With space for up to 75 guests, it’s a blank canvas for your event. Historically, couples book Meadow Ridge Farm 12 to 18 months in advance.
MRFMAINE.COM
r MORGAN HILL EVENT CENTER
Located in Hermon, Morgan Hill Event Center has several different options for your perfect wedding setting. From outside under a white arbor to inside by the crackling fire, your dream wedding will come to life. With rooms that can fit up to 300 guests, they can also accommodate smaller events. Morgan Hill offers an in-house caterer as well as lots of onsite experienced help. Book about a year in advance to get your desired date.
MORGANHILLEVENTCENTER.COM Z
COURTESY OF CRAWFORD FARM
COURTESY OF MEADOW RIDGE FARM
BRITNEY KELLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
READY FOR THE Spotlight
LOCAL COSTUME DESIGNER HELPS BRIDES PREPARE FOR THEIR BIG DAY
BY JUDY HARRISON
Brides, bridesmaids, flower girls, pageant contestants, and high school kids heading to proms — Kevin Koski has helped make them all look gorgeous for their special moments.
Koski, the resident costume designer at Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, runs an alterations business as a sideline called the House of Koski. He sees clients at the costume shop on Griffin Road in Bangor over his lunch hour and after his working hours for the PTC.
The major similarity between designing and altering clothes for a show and for a bride is what the outfit says about the person wearing it. Costumes for a play or musical should reflect the character wearing them. A bridal gown or prom dress is an outward expression of the personality of the person wearing it.
For Koski, the difference between a costume and a gown is the emotional attachment the person wearing it feels. Also, bridal and prom gowns are rarely worn more than once. Costumes designed and made for a show are saved so they can be used again.
The most requested alteration is hemming, according to Koski. Altering shoulder straps and taking in waistlines also are common. The most difficult are what are called “princess lines,” which are seams that run over the bust and down to the waistline, Koski said.
“There often is beading and lace appliqued over the fabric that have to be removed and replaced using hand stitching,” he said.
“That is time consuming and delicate work.”
Wedding gowns can be the most expensive outfits the wearer ever owns. Last year, the average wedding gown cost about $2,000, according to a survey of nearly 10,000 couples in the U.S. conducted by weddingplanning website theknot.com. The price was up slightly from $1,900 in 2022 and $1,800 in 2021.
(Above) Kevin Koski works on an alteration.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOUSE OF KOSKI
(Far right) PHOTO COURTESY OF SIERRA ARCHER PHOTOGRAPHY
(Right) PHOTO COURTESY OF RADIANCE BY DESIGN BY RANISSA BERRY
Gowns Koski has altered have ranged from second-hand dresses bought for a few hundred dollars to new ones costing $10,000.
“Alterations can range from $200 to $2,000, depending on what needs to be done and how many custom features are added,” Koski said. “Custom work from scratch ranges from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the request.”
Koski’s custom work has included repurposing a vintage wedding dress into a bolero jacket for a client and creating a colorful jacket, vest, and cravat based on fashion from the Regency Era for his brother to wear at his wedding last year.
Wedding dress alterations usually take anywhere from six to eight weeks to complete. The time required to complete the process can vary depending on the complexity of the alterations. Koski usually sees brides about six months before the wedding and alters prom dresses several months out.
Koski learned a few basic sewing skills attending Edward Little High School in Auburn, but it was at the University of Maine where he learned about building costumes and altering them to fit actors. When he arrived in Orono in 2007 as a theater major, the only work study job available was working in the costume shop.
He had the job all four years until his graduation in 2011 and, eventually, designed for shows. Koski also got his start altering bridal gowns from his boss, who had a sideline business as he does now. He was hired in 2012 by the theater company’s former Artistic Director Bari Newport and started his alteration business the same year.
Initially, Koski altered about half a dozen gowns that first year but the business has grown steadily with about 20 percent of his wedding clients in same-sex relationships. Since the pandemic ended, he has averaged 200 outfits a year for weddings, proms, and other special occasions with word spreading on Facebook, recommendations from bridal shops, and through word of mouth. Z
House of Koski is located at 14 Griffin Road, Bangor. Kevin Koski can be reached at (207) 754-6970 or houseofkoski@gmail.com.
Anything But Cake
WEDDING CAKE ALTERNATIVES BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR
BY WANDA CURTIS
One of the many wedding traditions that’s changing today is the white multi-tiered wedding cake. Instead of a tall cake shared by all of the guests, many couples are opting for a more personalized and fun approach to dessert, serving up doughnuts, cupcakes, macarons, or even Maine's favorite treat — whoopie pies.
According to Rian Hulbert, who owns SugarRay Baking Company in Bangor, wedding cake alternatives are becoming increasingly popular. She said many weddings are now less formal, with Bohemian and rustic-style weddings replacing the traditional weddings of the past. Both young and older couples are looking for something different, she said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RIAN HULBERT OF SUGARRAY BAKING COMPANY
Here
are just a few wedding dessert alternatives offered by local bakeries in Greater Bangor.
z DOUGHNUTS
Doughnuts have become a favorite wedding cake alternative. They can be served on a platter or hung on a board with pegs known as a “doughnut wall.” Just keep in mind that cake doughnuts hold up better on a doughnut wall than yeast doughnuts, Hulbert said. Doughnuts come in a variety of colors and flavors. Some couples are opting to order wedding cake alternatives in colors that match the colors of the bridal party.
Gosselin’s Bakery in Bangor is one of several local bakeries that offer a large selection of doughnuts, from plain to blueberry glazed to chocolate-coconut. Some bakeries will even coordinate the color of the glaze with the wedding party colors, if requested by the couple.
z CUPCAKES
Cupcakes are another favorite alternative. They can be arranged on a platter or stacked to form a cupcake tower. They can accompany a traditional wedding cake or replace the cake entirely. They’re easier to handle and serve, rather than slicing a multi-tiered cake into many pieces.
The sCRUMBtious bakery in Glenburn uses all natural and organic ingredients for cupcakes. They offer unique flavors such as green tea, peanut butter ’n’ jelly, peaches ’n’ cream, as well as cookies ’n’ cream, in addition to traditional chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. A tip from the sCRUMBtious bakery: Stick your cupcakes in the freezer for an hour before making a cupcake tower.
z MACARONS
Macarons (pronounced mac-ah-rons) are another popular wedding cake alternative today, either replacing the cake or served as a complement to the wedding cake. A macaron is a French sandwich cookie often made with almond flour, egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, and food coloring. The colors of the cookies are associated with the flavors, such as green for lime and pink for raspberry, but could be made to compliment a couple’s wedding colors.
Two cookies are sandwiched together and filled with a fruit jam, buttercream, ganache, or another tasty filling.
Simply Macarons by Jaelin, located in Bangor, offers many choices for couples looking for something unique to serve their guests. Couples can select from a wide range of flavors, including blueberry-lemonade, orange creamsicle, raspberry mocha, hot cocoa, s’mores, and many more. As with other alternatives, macarons can be served on a platter or stacked into a tower.
z CHEESECAKE
Cheesecakes are an alternative dessert which can be stacked in layers, served individually, or even made into cake shooters in small transparent glasses or plastic cups. SCRUMBtious bakery in Glenburn offers caramel apple cheesecakes as a tasty flavor option perfect for fall.
z WHOOPIE PIES
Why not offer Maine’s official state treat for dessert? The Whoopee Wagon Bakery in Exeter offers more than 300 types of whoopie pies that can be ordered for weddings. Chocolate cake with vanilla filling or peanut butter filling are two of their most popular selections, along with apple cake with a caramel filling. Other bakeries, including SugarRay’s, also offer this Maine favorite as a wedding dessert option.
z CINNAMON ROLLS
Giant cinnamon rolls are now served at some weddings as an alternative to a wedding cake. They can be stacked into the shape of a cake with cream cheese frosting swirled on top. Or they can be served as individual desserts. Hulbert said smaller cinnamon rolls can also accompany a more traditional wedding cake.
z DESSERT BAR
Can’t choose just one dessert? For couples who have a difficult time deciding, you can always opt for a dessert bar with more than one of your favorite desserts. Cookies, cupcakes, pies, cake shooters, whoopie pies, doughnuts, or any combination of desserts can be offered on a dessert bar. When it comes to wedding cake alternatives, the sky’s the limit. Z
PHOTO: JOAN ROBERTS FROM SIMPLY MACARONS BY JAELIN
PHOTO COURTESY OF RIAN HULBERT OF SUGARRAY BAKING COMPANY
MAINE GIFT GUIDE for Newlyweds
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL?
CHECK OUT THESE MAINEMADE IDEAS FOR A MEMORABLE GIFT.
BY MARISSA DONOVAN
Have a bridal shower right around the corner and want your gift to be a little extra special? Want to stand out from the standard wedding registry items and surprise your soon-to-be newlyweds with a gift from a small Maine business? Here are eight gift ideas to put in your online shopping cart.
z CUSTOMIZABLE WEDDING CANDLES FROM NEAR AND NATIVE CANDLES r WESTBROOK
Wrap up a tradition for the couple by gifting multiple customizable wedding candles from Near and Native Candles. For each future anniversary, they can both light a candle that has their names, wedding venue, a special fragrance, and their wedding date listed on it. Sizes range from 4-ounce gold tins to 8-ounce glass jars. What typically might be featured in a goodie bag for wedding guests can also be meaningful to the couple for years to come!
SHOPNEARANDNATIVE.COM/PAGES/NEW-WEDDING-CANDLES
z CUSTOM FELT FAMILY PORTRAIT
FROM GIRAFFEBEAR r OLD ORCHARD BEACH
Candice LaSalle of GiraffeBear can turn a photo of your favorite couple into a heartfelt piece of decor that is sure to be cherished for anniversaries to come! Each portrait is crafted by needle felting that can be displayed in an embroidery hoop or frame. When placing an order, select a high-quality photo of the engaged couple to ensure a more detailed final piece.
ETSY.COM/SHOP/GIRAFFEBEAR
z LILAC AND HUMMINGBIRD FLOWER POTS
FROM RUSTIC COMFORT r FAYETTE
Couples with green thumbs who have a soft spot for the rustic farmhouse aesthetic will love these flower pots. Vintage images from designer paper napkins are upcycled into a decoupaged design for each plant container, perfect for indoor houseplants or spring blooms on an outdoor patio.
RUSTICCOMFORTMAINE.SHOP
z CORNHOLE BOARDS
FROM THE MUDDY DOG r PORTLAND
We all know that one couple whose favorite spot is their backyard, and maybe they get a little competitive when it comes to playing cornhole. Why not surprise them with their own personalized cornhole boards? The Muddy Dog has several designs to choose from with the option to customize. Each design is UV printed onto the surface of the board to avoid the cracking and peeling that sometimes happens with vinyl stickers over time. The boards can be moved around by holding the nylon rope carrying handles and stored away by snapping the collapsible legs. Plus, you can add LED lights to go around the hole in each board. A Bluetooth phone app can create a light show by strobing, flashing, fading, and changing the color of the lights. It’s a fun gift for the couple to enjoy together or with friends.
THEMUDDYDOG.COM/COLLECTIONS/CORNHOLE-BOARDS
z RABBIT LAUNDRY BASKET
FROM MAIDSAMAKIN r SEARSPORT
Home accessories are not only helpful for the couple but can also be an upgrade to what they already have. This Rabbit Laundry Basket from Maidsamakin will add a whimsical touch next to any washer or dryer. It is made with a linen and cotton canvas fabric and lined with a thin layer of foam, plus a layer of fleece. There are three variations of sizes to choose from, as well as the option to have a custom size designed. The basket can also be machine washed and tumble dried on low. If you’re looking to gift a laundry set, you may also want to add maidsamakin’s fabric storage baskets that would be great containers for detergent, softeners, and dryer sheets.
ETSY.COM/SHOP/MAIDSAMAKIN
z SKI WICKS COLLECTION CANDLES FROM SEAWICK CANDLES r RICHMOND
Gift smells inspired by Saddleback, Sunday River, and Sugarloaf, even during the off-season from the slopes. Ski Wicks Collection from Seawick Candles features comforting scents such as fraser fir (featured in the Hit the Slopes candle), cypress and bayberry (in the Fresh Powder candle), and saffron, sandalwood, and amber (in the Ski Lodge candle). This gift is a little nod to the couple’s favorite hobby and love for snow.
SEAWICKS.COM
z FLOATING VINYL RECORD STORAGE SHELVES
FROM KROVEL FURNITURE CO. r PORTLAND
Record-collecting couples will appreciate having a new storage space for their collection. Krovel Furniture Co. crafts modern floating record shelves from a selection of different woods such as walnut, white oak, maple, and cherry. There are also sizes from small to large, with additional options to purchase a set of all three sizes or a set of six with two of each size. Use the special coupon code BANGOR15 at checkout for 15% off your gift purchase, plus shipping is free!
KROVELFURNITURE.COM
z CUSTOM COUPLE PORTRAIT
FROM ITSYBITSYSCISSORS r PORTLAND
Is the soon-to-be married couple a fan of animated movies? Cut paper artist Christina at ItsyBitsyScissors can reimagine any photo of the couple into a fantastical piece of art. Share your favorite photos of the couple and ideas such as the landscape, adding the couple’s anniversary date and other creative elements. Once you have brainstormed the details with Christina, she will create a custom 3D cut paper artwork that is carefully framed, packaged, and shipped to your door!
