Bonaventura Vineyards Hartford Maine Wedding | Kayla & Maksim
Bonaventura Vineyards Hartford Maine Wedding | Kayla & Maksim

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

Bonaventura Vineyards outdoor wedding ceremony overlooking Little Bear Pond.
Trina DinnarTrina Dinnar Photography
The Lodge on the Cove Kennebunkport Maine Wedding | Lisa & John
The Lodge on the Cove Kennebunkport Maine Wedding | Lisa & John

When I arrived in Kennebunkport, Maine on October 17th, 2020 to photograph Lisa and John’s wedding, it was very rainy, but I was relieved to see that the ceremony site had been set up indoors at the Lodge on the Cove, which is a beautiful wedding venue. I began by photographing the details inside the venue. The décor had an elegant nautical theme that included sand-dollar table placements, seashell and starfish accents and a personalized anchor for guests to sign.

Lisa and John both got ready separately at Yachtsman Hotel and Marina Club, also in Kennebunkport. I loved how well-coordinated their attire was —Lisa wore a hat and boots with her detailed lace and sequent gown and John wore an embroidered vest and long coat.

The couple exchanged vows inside the lodge surrounded by their closest family and friends. As the ceremony was ending, the weather did a complete turnaround and it ended up being a beautiful sunny fall day! We took a limousine to Kennebunk beach for bride and groom portraits. It was great that the couple built in time for just the two of them. That allowed us to have plenty of photo time without feeling rushed.

Once we arrived back at the venue, Lisa and John were announced into the reception where they shared their first dance. The best man and maid of honor had heartfelt (and funny) speeches and toasts. The whole room was filled with smiles and laughter. Then came the fabulous food, which consisted of clam chowder, garden salad, marinated stead tips, chicken, roasted red potatoes and green beans.

After dinner, Lisa and John cut their wedding cake and mingled with their guests. As the sun was setting, I took the couple outside for portraits onsite amidst the stunning fall foliage. The rest of the evening was filled with music and dancing. All in all, it was a beautiful day and I’m very grateful to have been part of it.

Wedding Vendors:

Venue: The Lodge on the Cove

DJ: Michael Mahoney of M&M Entertainment

Officiant: Cheryl Cadmus of All in One Weddings

Flowers: Off Mill

Cake: Let Them Eat Cake

Transportation: Maine Limousine Service

Dress: Tide Buy

Bride’s Shoes & Hat: Victorian Trading Co.

Men’s Attire: Historical Emporium

Favors: Robins Confections

 

 

Trina DinnarTrina Dinnar Photography
Mary and Stefan’s Elegant Backyard Wedding in Gorham Maine
Mary and Stefan’s Elegant Backyard Wedding in Gorham Maine

I met Mary and Stefan last summer when I did their engagement session photos. We had a lot of fun taking pictures around a few of my favorite places in Cape Elizabeth. I was so excited to be photographing their wedding this year. While, they originally had their wedding date set for May 24th, we worked together to come up with a new date that worked for all of us. Flexibility has been a key component of navigating weddings throughout the pandemic and I’m so grateful that I was still able to photograph Mary and Stefan’s special day.

On the day of their wedding, I arrived at Mary’s parents’ house, where they had transformed their backyard into a beautiful wedding venue. There were so many flowers and cute little details to photograph! I loved how they live-steamed the wedding for Stefan’s family in Germany and even incorporated a virtual toast into their day. Their dogs were absolutely adorable and we definitely had fun bringing them into a few of the photos. The father-daughter dance was so unique —it was evident that both Mary and her dad spent a lot of time practicing their clogging dance. It really was a great addition to their wedding! All in all, Mary and Stefan truly made the best of having to change up their wedding plans — it was such a beautiful and perfect day.

I asked Mary and Stefan for more details about their special day:

How did you two meet?

While working for a public accounting firm in Portland, ME. 

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

We got engaged on February 19th, 2019 in Yountville, CA (Napa Valley) while on vacation. We rented bikes and biked along the Napa Valley Bike Trail. While in Yountville, we grabbed lunch, after which we walked through a cute little park. With no one around Stefan knew it was the perfect spot. He went on one knee. Mary, very surprised, told him to get up, while saying YES. We then celebrated by visiting a local winery. We will forever remember this day. 

Please describe your unique father/daughter dance.

For as long as Mary can remember, her dad was clogging. He used to belong to a local clogging group that put on shows throughout Southern Maine. At home, without music her Dad would just randomly start clogging. So when Mary began planning the wedding and thinking about the father/daughter dance, there was no question — it would be clogging! Mary had never clogged before in her life. Her dad found a song from a German country band (which is significant since Stefan is German) and began choreographing a routine. They began practicing in October 2019, an hour once a week. It was a good thing they started so early as once Covid-19 hit, they had to take a break from practicing for a couple of months. However, in April the weekly practicing resumed and it paid off, as the dance was a hit with all the guests! 

Tell us about your virtual toast and the significance of including this special event. 

Unfortunately Stefan’s family could not be here physically due to travel restrictions (Stefan’s family is from Germany). Thanks to technology we were able to stream the wedding live. Everyone who was originally coming to the wedding in May, met up at Stefan’s parents’ house to celebrate. Given the six hour time difference we thought it would be really nice to toast with them immediately following the ceremony. All of our guests with champagne in hand met on the dance floor in front of a camera that was streaming live to Germany. Stefan’s family was able to see us, and we were able to see them. To everyone, this was really special as it allowed us to be close while being far apart. 

What was your color palate, style and overall vision of your day?

Our wedding vision seemed to continuously change. However, the one thing that remained constant were the colors for the wedding: light pink and white. Having to downsize our guest list, we decided to turn our venue wedding into a small backyard wedding. As we began planning, that small backyard wedding turned into a much bigger event. We went from just lawn games to a full reception including a killer dance party!  We still stayed within the 50 guest limit; however the scale of decorations and individual events evolved. This was our special day and we wanted everything that came with that. 

Tell us about how your wedding was impacted by Covid-19 and how you overcame these challenges.

Our wedding was supposed to be on May 24th, 2020 in York at the Golf and Tennis Club. Unfortunately, having our wedding as planned was not feasible once the pandemic struck. While we wanted to get married in 2020, we knew we couldn’t have as big of an event as originally anticipated. Without hesitation, Mary’s parents opened up their home and yard, and gave us a wonderful ‘Plan B' for our wedding. Family and friends helped overcome the many challenges we faced in planning this wedding and made this a special day despite Covid-19. Of course another big challenge was that Stefan’s family could not travel to the USA to attend the wedding. However, thanks to technology we were able to stream the wedding live, and have a virtual toast with them, which allowed them to be part of the wedding in a unique way. We still plan to have our large reception with all family and friends next May in York — fingers crossed!!

Wedding Vendors:

Venue: Private Residence in Gorham, Maine

Florist: Broadturn Farm

Caterer: Sebago Brewing Company

Cakes and Desserts: Hanami Cake Design

Hair Salon & Make-up: Bei Capelli

Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid’s Dresses: David’s Bridal

Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Rentals: Party Time Rentals

Trina DinnarTrina Dinnar Photography
Kelley and Dave's Old Orchard Beach Maine Wedding
Kelley and Dave's Old Orchard Beach Maine Wedding

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.


Wedding Vendors:

Venue: Private Residence in Old Orchard Beach

Second Photographer: Lauren DelVecchio

Caterer: The Maine Lobsterbake Co.

Florist: Mimi & Mum

Cake & Desserts: A Little Suga

Hair & Makeup: Maeghan French

Bride’s Dress: Blush Bridal & Formal

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Lulus

Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Rentals: Savvy Event Rental

 

Trina DinnarTrina Dinnar Photography
The Red Barn at Outlook Farm South Berwick Maine Wedding | Stacey & Michael
The Red Barn at Outlook Farm South Berwick Maine Wedding | Stacey & Michael

I first met Stacey and Michael late August of 2018 when I photographed their engagement session. These two were so much fun to work with and I was so excited that they chose me to photograph their wedding on October 19th, 2019.

Stacey and Michael both got ready for their wedding at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel. They met up nearby at Prescott Park for their first look in the garden. After that, the couple took a trolley over to their venue with their family and wedding party.

The Red Barn at Outlook Farm in South Berwick, Maine was the perfect place for an elegant rustic fall wedding. The property offers a lot of variety! We took most of the formal portraits before the ceremony using different locations onsite. Stacey and Michael exchanged vows in front of the large iconic tree that sits in front of the red barn at the venue. It was a beautiful fall wedding ceremony!

We walked the property again during cocktail hour and took more portraits in front of the venue, in the gazebo and near the golf course. Sunset was happening at this time so we had amazing lighting for the bride and groom portraits. After that, Stacey and Michael were announced into their wedding reception, where they shared their first dance, followed by toasts, dinner and lots of dancing! They cut their wedding cake and celebrated into the night with their family and friends.

Here’s my Q&A with Stacey and Michael:

How did you two meet?

Despite growing up in the same town and attending the same High School, we met after college through mutual friends and discovered we had a shared love of tennis. After several "tennis dates" our friendship and affection grew.

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

On a winter evening, Stacey and I were out celebrating our "date-iversary" in Boston. We had dinner on Beacon Hill and were strolling through the Boston Public Gardens to our usual after-dinner drinks and dessert spot when we paused on the bridge. After a short time of watching people gingerly shuffle out onto the ice and take photos, I dropped to one knee and asked her to marry me. Her reaction was positive, but I'm not sure I actually heard a "yes" until I asked a second time.

How did you envision your wedding day? Tell us about your color palette, style and/or vision.

We knew we wanted to get married in the fall, a time in New England that we find to be our favorite. We both enjoy time in nature and knew we wanted to have our ceremony take place outside. Sticking with the fall theme, we wanted to get some rich fall colors but also incorporate our own style with the bridesmaids' dresses' color and try to tie it all together with repeating these colors and variations of them throughout our decor.

What is your favorite moment of your wedding day?

That is a tricky question. One moment that stuck out to us was the wedding party introductions. It gave a brief point in time to catch our breath with each other before our first dance as a husband and wife, but was also an incredibly fun and exciting moment that kicked off the evening of music and dancing. Another moment that we particularly enjoyed was the sunset photos taken with just the two of us. It was a nice opportunity to have some alone time, digest the ceremony and prepare ourselves for the whirlwind of the reception.

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

Our flowers were done by Lyndsey Loring Design. As long as I've known my mother she's had a love and appreciation for flowers, and for her it was the most important thing to get right for our wedding day. We were amazed by what Lyndsey was able to do for us. The bouquets were a beautiful mix of dark burgundy, pale orange, and ivory flowers, some cascading eucalyptus, and a mix of white and red berries for a fall touch. With Lyndsey's guidance we chose eucalyptus as our primary greenery in centerpieces and bouquets, as it blended nicely with the bridesmaid dress color. A garland of eucalyptus, brightly colored flowers and berries accented the mantles inside our reception space, and we had deep red mums on another mantle we used to commemorate loved ones who are no longer with us. The men wore less traditional ivory calla lily boutonnieres. 

I really had fun trying on as many different wedding dress styles as I possibly could. After all, I won't have the opportunity again to shop for a wedding gown for myself (that's the goal anyways!). After countless stores, dresses, and late nights comparing photos, I finally narrowed down my choices and returned to a store to try on one particular gown. Upon trying on the dress I had gone back for, I was somewhat dismayed as I realized it was NOT the one.

However, the sales woman brought over another dress I had tried on weeks before and asked to be set aside, which I had since forgotten. After exploring so many options, the moment I tried on this gown, I knew it was perfect. It was classic, flattering and elegant. It also came with a detachable train which was a stunning addition, and I cannot wait to see all of the photos! I bought my dress from Modern Bride in Bedford, NH and highly recommend them! All of the staff were wonderful to work with and all of the tailoring was done there. Plus...no sales tax!

For Mike and I, picking (and tasting) dessert was the piece of wedding planning we were most looking forward to. There are so many delicious dessert options out there and we didn't want to settle on having only cake, so we opted to go with a dessert bar. There were pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese frosting, mini cheesecake bites, mini cupcakes in two flavors, pecan tassies and oatmeal/white chocolate/cranberry cookies, with autumn apple cider donut favors. We had a small, ceremonial carrot cake with cream cheese filling/frosting, decorated like a birch tree with some flower accents. Everything was beyond our expectations and we absolutely will be going back for more in the future! All desserts were provided by My Friends Bakery. Lara did such a great job with everything!

Wedding Vendors:

Venue/Catering/Coordinator: The Red Barn at Outlook Farm

Second Photographer: Alicia of Portland Photo Company

Ceremony Musician: Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki

DJ: Frank of Benway Entertainment

Florist: Lyndsey Loring Design

Cake, Desserts & Favors: My Friends Bakery

Hair and Makeup: Lara Christine Hair & Makeup Artist

Bride’s Dress: Modern Bride & Formal Shop

Men’s Attire: Generation Tux

Rings: Baubles Fine Jewelry

Transportation: Regal Limousine Services and Grace Limousine

MaineTrina DinnarTrina Dinnar Photography