The Beautiful Days wedding season officially started this past weekend and what a fantastic beginning!!! After predictions and preparations for thunderstorms, rain and hail we ended up with a beautiful clear sky for a lush and romantic ceremony at the Camden Public Library followed by a perfect celebration at the fresh and fabulous Camden Harbour Inn. David Murray shot the wedding so I’ll save the details and whole story to pair with his sure to be stunning shots. For now take a sneak peek at some of the romantic and wild floral arrangements we created.
Back in February super talented photographer Brea McDonald contacted me about collaborating on a photo shoot. I of course jumped at the chance to work with her! She had a photo for inspiration that was a gorgeous, moody range of romantic blues and we started brainstorming from there. Sara O’Brian the lovely and amazingly inspired custom watercolor invitation and paper notions creator of Griffin-vites was part of the party too. Between the three of us we came up with the romantic yet melancholy story of a mermaid waiting for her sea captain to arrive for their wedding celebration. The scene was set on the beach where the table was made up of shipwrecked items that floated to the shore. Vintage silver, antique glasses and china, found objects, simple flowers accented with seaweed and a driftwood table top were just some of the elements that helped create an amazing vignette. The fantastic photos from Brea are coming soon. For now you can see the process of the design, set up and the shoot captured so wonderfully on film by Meg Simone. Special thanks to Ashley at Occasions Bridal for the stunning dress!
Thanks Kate – your work, concepts, and ideas speak for itself… simply amazing! So fun to work with you and the girls. It was really such a calming, dreamy, romantic shoot, and so soothing to edit. Thanks for the props and can’t wait to work with you again Meg
I know Spring is officially here but I can’t help to take one last look at winter! We have a little pond behind the house and this winter we got lucky enough to have perfect ice skating conditions which means ice skating party! This was also a great opportunity for my good friend and fantastic photographer Geneve Hoffman and I to put our new venture of custom designed and styled family photo sessions to test. The results were precious! I had so much fun enjoying one of the last days of winter with dear friends and family skating as the sun went down and then snacking on warm treats in front of the bon fire.
Homemade berry muffins wrapped in parchment paper (inspired by Martha Stewart of course!), homemade marshmallows to top of hot chocolate, popcorn in bags decorated with snowflake stamps (we do get crafty around here!), vintage mason jars packed with snow made perfect candle holders, twinkle lights over the pond and a blazing bon fire were some of the just right special details that made everyone happy. But what truly made this a beautiful day was the gathering of friends and family on one of the last great days of winter!
Special thanks to Geneve for capturing the festivities. If you are interested in a custom family portrait session you can reach Geneve at LuminaLife.com. It would truly be our pleasure to help you and your family create and capture a very special day in your lives.
This shoot gave me awesome ideas to play with for winter weddings. Thank you thank you thank you for the inspiration. Loved the kids innocent faces too – so special to have captured this! Awesome job Kate and Geneve!
Yes warmer days are here and tomorrow is the first day of spring but I can’t resist posting more photos from the holidays! The lovely and super talented Geneve Hoffman spent a day with my little family back in early December to capture our day of finding just the right Christmas tree and then bringing it home to decorate. Even though there wasn’t snow on the ground it was still the perfect day spent together getting into the holiday spirit!
Luckily we have a tree farm just down the road from us and after a very thorough search we found the perfect tree.
We’re big on crafts around here! Groovy paper from Gus & Ruby’s fantastic Portsmouth shop ready to be made into garlands and Wyatt and Geneve’s daughter Sage are busy making wrapping paper!
Special snacks and treats are a must! Gorgeous organic carrots, pear, ginger honey and cheddar paninis and hot cocoa of course!
Decorations ready to be hung on the tree..I definitely have a thing for anything that sparkles around the holidays! And I adore my little silver birds!
Tree trimming! So much fun especially now that Wyatt is a little older and can participate with out tearing the whole thing down! The garlands are perfect (thank you Whitney at Gus & Ruby for the inspiration!)
Decorations around the house..more fun with paper from Gus & Ruby to make extra special candle lanterns!
Many thanks to Geneve for capturing so beautifully a very special day!
A few weekends ago I was part of the Greater York Chamber of Commerce’s annual Wedding Expo. A lovely event for brides getting married in Southern Maine. I am always amazed at how many people flock to this area to tie the knot! It was alot of fun and a great excuse to play with flowers in the middle of winter!
I am LOVING the mussel shells with the hydrangeas, succulents and anemones! Perfect seaside colors with a contemporary twist! A few other lovely seaside blues and whites but a bit softer and romantic. The red amaryllis and red roses weren’t coming together until I added the yellow kangaroo paws and billy balls – HOT! I saw the pink protea and had to have it…fantastic combinations with the deep purple and pink mini callas, fluffy pink roses, jasmine vine, fiddle heads and dark burgundy ti leaf wraps. The classic white parrot tulips with ferns and hyacinth are given a vintage feel by arranging in a silver pitcher I’ve had for ages and the wonderful green and white bouquet that complements it is so fresh and sweet. And finally the butter yellow arrangement was inspired by a perfect little pear!
Extra special thanks to Geneve Hoffman for the great photos!!
Every bride and groom who are planning a coastal Maine wedding need to be prepared for any kind of weather regardless of the season…it could snow in April, sleet in October, rain all day long in June but hurricane in August!? Yes Hurricane Danny was Matt and Ashley’s loud, beligerant, obnoxious, univited guest at their wedding this summer. Some couples would lose it, break into tears that rivaled the rains, call the whole thing off when faced with the fact that mother nature was going to commandeer their perfect seaside summer wedding but NOT Matt and Ashley! Such a cool, fun, fantastic couple..they stayed calm, shrugged their shoulders and knew they were going to have a great celebration no matter what. Thankfully we were at the Newagen Seaside Inn, one of coastal Maine’s most beautiful wedding locations which is staffed by an amazing crew headed by the wonderful Jason Schlosser and we were able to move the party inside instead of the being in the tent by the water. Matt and Ashley did however use the tent for the rehearsal dinner which was decorated with fantastic wasp catcher lanterns provided by the groom’s sister and friends and family were able to take in the gorgeous seaside views. Sure enough the next day the winds blew hard, the rain didn’t stop and the seas were churning. Inside we created a warm ceremony space in the lobby using all the ceremony flowers that were planned for outside and as many lanterns I could get out of the tent before I was blown into the sea. The inn’s dining room was bright and lovely with fresh white linens, white chairs and seasonal flowers from Blooms of Hope against the grey skies outside and the Lisa Love Experience ROCKED the party ! There was a lot of love in that room and the vibe had everyone smiling, dancing and singing all night long…especially Matt and Ashley who I just adore and love that they embraced the fact that despite the weather they were still surrounded by their nearest and dearest and were getting married no matter what the weather! It was truly a beautiful day and I am so honored to have been a part of it.
One very special piece was going to be missed on that day…the quintessential seaside, summer day photos. Ashley had the brilliant idea of having their phenomenal (and all around awesome person!) wedding photographer Brian Wedge come back the following Monday to capture those seaside shots. And they are gorgeous!
Congratulations to Matt and Ashley! Now I know who to party with the next time a hurricane strikes!
Christmas is my favorite holiday! I plan menus, look forward to gatherings of friends and family and deck the halls. I am so pleased with the decorations from this year! Some gold and green, a little glitter, some gorgeous plants and alot of candles….
Some of my favorites…my glitter deer family and little birds hidden throughout the house, the gorgeous succulents, creamy poinsettias and rosemary topiaries, glowing, gold votives, our beautiful tree cut on a sunny winter morning just down the road, modern paper garlands and gorgeous candle lanterns made from fabulous paper from the fantastic Portsmouth shop Gus & Ruby , handmade wrapping paper by Wyatt, simple yet special gold ornaments scattered everywhere, lovely little green and spiky gourds, making my favorite treat – Whoopee Pies (with some crushed candy cane for good measure!), “The Nutcracker Suite”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “James Brown Christmas Collection” playing all day everyday, the ivory burlap runner on my dining table, a warm fireplace, a pre christmas trip to the farmers market to stock up, my kitchen overflowing with homemade sweets and savories….but I truly get the most joy from having all my family around my dinner table for a feast after watching Wyatt and his three cousins eagerly and excitedly open presents… and my heart is full after seeing the huge smile on my husbands face on Christmas morning as he put on his skates to teach our son Wyatt how to skate for the first time on our pond. I think I’ll hold on to that moment and carry it with me into 2010…
Fall is a lovely time of year in New England - so much rich and colorful change! Over the past few weeks I’ve collected some snapshots of fall…all inspiring and a reminder of why I love living in New England.
A burst of color on a gray day.
Love the texture, movement and colors!
Homemade cinnamon sugar donuts are the best treat at the last farmer's market!
The summer has come and gone but Kerri and Patrick’s Boothbay Harbor wedding will always be the perfect summer day to look back on. After a dreary start to the summer the sun shone on Kerri and Pat and their guests for their gorgeous coastal Maine wedding celebration at the Spruce Point Inn. Even if it stormed, this day would have been flawless…Kerri is a natural beauty and sooo sweet and charming and has such wonderful taste and Patrick is one of the most easy going, sweetest grooms I have met! Pink and green prevailed and Kerri, her lovely mother Patti and I worked together to create an elegant, contemporary, chic and special day with all the trimmings…unique finds from Etsy, the button detail from Kerri’s grandmother’s wedding dress wrapped around her bouquet, the perfect hot pink shoes under a stunning gown, flip flops for tired feet, customized guest book with fantastic engagement portraits (Beth you rock!), pomegranate martinis with a twist, special family photos, fun napkin wraps, limes, limes and more limes, fresh wheat grass, elegant linens and sparklers for a festive end of the night send off. This was beyond a beautiful day and I am so proud and honored to have been a part of Kerri and Patrick’s wedding! Very special thanks to Beth Fitzgerald of Blush Imagery for the stunning photos!
Day-of coordination, flowers and design by Beautiful Days.
I love this time of year…the leaves constantly changing color, the air a little cooler and visions of gathering friends and family for holiday feasts fill my head. I’ve always wanted a BIG dining table and thankfully I got my wish a few Thanksgivings ago when we fit 13 adults and a baby at each corner around a 10′ long x 40″ wide farm table made of old pine barn boards! Thank goodness my husband is an amazing craftsmen and carpenter! I have a lot of fun decorating it through out the seasons but this fall I am loving some new finds that are perfect for the table…a super cool, old chicken feeder dug up at a funky antique shop a few weeks ago, mini and spiky gourds from farmer’s market and lovely, perfectly shaped small pumpkins from a local farm…add a few oak tree branches with acorn tops from the back yard and my table is looking lovely! I’ll nestle a few votive candles in the mix when we sit for our next family gathering. My husband calls it the most unique horn of plenty he has seen…I’m already thinking about what will take it’s place for Christmas!
Oh Kate! So beautiful as always! It makes me want to jump in a big pile of leaves, drink hot apple cider and eat turkey!:) The chicken feeder is such a great find!
Thanks Kate – your work, concepts, and ideas speak for itself… simply amazing! So fun to work with you and the girls. It was really such a calming, dreamy, romantic shoot, and so soothing to edit. Thanks for the props and can’t wait to work with you again
Meg