I met Kelley and Dave last summer when we did an engagement session together. It was so much fun working with them and I was excited to be photographing their wedding. This spring, Covid-19 hit and we were all uncertain of what that would mean for wedding planning. Kelley and I communicated every step of the way throughout all of the changes that occurred while trying to navigate a wedding during a global pandemic. Ultimately, Kelley and Dave decided to get married at their home and were fortunate in having friends and family help them transform their property into a wedding venue. A beautiful white tent was set up in the back yard, along with a ceremony site and even a dance floor on the patio. They did an amazing job! The day of the wedding, they set up the tables with blue linens and candles. Flowers of white and blue added a beautiful touch to the décor.

Kelley and Dave got ready separately in their house. Then, they met at Ocean Park Beach for their first look. Their family and wedding party joined them for portraits. After that, we returned to the house and guests began to arrive. Kelley and Dave exchanged vows in their back yard. After the ceremony, the couple shared their first dance. Everyone enjoyed a Maine-style dinner under the tent, with Maine Lobsterbake catering the event. The lobster dinner was a great addition to the quaint nautical theme Kelley envisioned for their day. After dinner, family and friends danced and mingled outside. They truly made the best of an unpredictable situation and I am very honored they chose me to be part of it!

I asked Kelley to tell me more about her and Dave’s special day:

How did you two meet?

Dave and I met on Tinder in 2013.

When and where did you get engaged? Tell us about the proposal.

We got engaged on October 28th 2018. The plan was, we were going to walk Pine Point Beach with our dogs (which I love to do), but I had just worked two night shifts and when he had asked me I was laying in bed and said nahhhh and rolled back over and went to sleep. Later, we went out to dinner to celebrate Dave getting a promotion and he proposed in the kitchen before we left the house.

What is your favorite moment of your wedding day?

Having everyone together in one place.

Tell us about the color palate, style and overall vision of your day.

Originally, the wedding was supposed to be at the Inn on Peaks Island. I wanted the whites, grey-blues, sand colors. I wanted quaint nautical.

Please describe your flowers, your gown, your cake, etc.

I loved everything about my gown, flowers and cake. My gown was an A-line that just felt so comfortable the moment I tried it on. The flowers were way past my expectations. They were beautiful. The cake was not only gorgeous, but it was so yummy!

How was your wedding impacted by Covid-19?

Goodness... how was it not impacted? I planned a total of three weddings. Our wedding was initially going to be at the Inn on Peak’s Island, then we considered another location, and finally, we planned for our back yard in Old Orchard Beach. Our back yard was a mess with only 30 days to get it wedding-ready. So many people came to help transform our back yard into the venue of my dreams. I couldn’t thank everyone enough for all their help to make our wedding happen. Lastly, we had to cut our guest count down from 160 to less than 50 people. We had to cut it down so much, but it was still so special for both of us.