I’m so excited to share Kayla and Maksim’s wedding that took place at Bonaventura Vineyards on June 19th, 2021. It was my first time photographing a wedding at this beautiful venue. I met Kayla at the Residence Inn by Marriot in Auburn, Maine where she and the other ladies got ready. The ceremony took place outside at Bonaventura Vineyards, where there is a spectacular view of the mountains and Little Bear Pond in Hartford, Maine. After the ceremony, the couple took photos with their families, wedding parties and included their three dogs. I really loved that the dogs were included in the wedding and that they brought along trainers as well. I took Kayla and Maksim over to the vineyard for couple’s portraits and then they began their wedding reception inside the barn. They were announced in and had a first dance, followed by parent dances, toasts and speeches. Next came dinner and dessert. They had pizza, catered by Steel House Oven and a gelato truck by Coppa Magica Gelato. Then, they cut their wedding cake and did a bouquet and garter toss. The dance floor opened up and everyone enjoyed an evening of celebration. To finish off the day, there was a perfect sunset, where we ended the evening with some amazing photos!  

I asked Kayla to tell me more about her special day:

How did you two meet?

We met through Kayla's cousin, Megan, and Megan's fiancé, Mitchell. 

When and where did you get engaged?

We got engaged in Santorini, Greece on May 27, 2019 while on vacation. We traveled around to a few of the islands, but Maksim knew Santorini was my favorite so he waited until we got to this island to propose. He also knew that I wouldn't want to be proposed to in a busy place where we would attract a lot of attention, so he brought me to a restaurant called the Liogerma Cafe, a cliffside cafe in Oia. He waited until just before dinner (before everyone else started showing up) to propose. 

How did you envision your wedding day?

From the beginning, we knew exactly what we were looking for in our wedding vision. I had a Pinterest board filled with ideas for barn weddings and rustic decorations. I knew I wanted the bridesmaids dresses to be light pink and Maksim knew he wanted a navy suit, so our color palette became blush and navy. We also knew that we wanted a summer wedding, but not so late into the summer that it was super hot out, so June was an easy choice. 

What is your favorite moment of your wedding day?

My favorite moment was having all three of our dogs in the wedding. As part of the family, it wouldn't have felt right to not have them there. Maksim's favorite moment was during the ceremony when we exchanged rings. We both struggled with getting the rings on each other and couldn't stop laughing when they got stuck! 

Tell us about your flowers/gown/favors/cake/etc.

Our flowers were done by Mary Emerson at Heart of Gold Gardens. We saw some bouquets and other arrangements on her Facebook page, and we visited her gardens in person. Seeing all of her flowers and arrangements made it easy to trust her judgment. We were looking for a lot of light colored flowers and she was able to create a perfect mix for all the bouquets and centerpieces. 

My dress was the easiest part. I already had an idea of the style I wanted after looking online. I went out with my mom to look around and see some options. We drove up to Blush in Portland, ME and I saw my dress in the window. It was the first dress I had looked at in person and I knew it was the one I wanted. We walked in for our appointment and asked if I could try it on. I was told to try on a few more different styles just to be sure, but I still ended up settling on the first one. We learned that this specific style was part of a trunk show and it was only at the store for that weekend, so it was pretty lucky that we chose to go on that day. Had we gone on any other day, I wouldn't have found my dress! 

We went to a cake tasting at Heavenly Delights Bakery in Vassalboro, Maine. There were so many flavors that we liked and couldn't decide on just one, so we got a three-tier cake and chose a different flavor for each tier. We wanted cascading flowers going down the cake (another idea from Pinterest), and also a unique cake topper. After looking on Etsy, we found a shop called Mudcards that made us a custom topper, and she was even able to include our three dogs and cat on the top with us! 

We had favors for people and favors that they could bring home for their dogs. Kayla's mom planted some succulents for everyone to take home. We purchased some dog treats from the bakery at Four Your Paws Only in North Conway, NH and boxed them up individually for everyone to take as well. 

Wedding Vendors:

Venue: Bonaventura Vineyards

Second Photographer: Enid Arvelo

Florist: Heart of Gold Gardens

Hair & Makeup: Sophie of BlushTan Portland

Caterers: Steel House Oven & Coppa Magica Gelato

Desserts: Heavenly Delights Bakery

Dog Trainers: Partners in Canine

DJ: DJs Maine

Dress: Blush Bridal & Formal - Portland