A sweet wedding held at the groom’s parent’s home in central Maine, complete with colorful flowers, Maine-themed treats, and Chipotle for dinner!

Emily and Drew met 6 years ago at a frat party where they both attended college, the University of Minnesota. They forgot to exchange phone numbers that night, though they stayed up late, talking for hours. Thankfully a friend was able to connect them again, and the rest is history! Drew’s Dad works part of the year in Japan, so 3 years ago, Drew invited Emily along to visit his Dad with him. They planned a visit to a cute Japanese village on Lake Ashi. After a lunch of spicy noodles, and climbing hundreds of stairs to a pagoda overlooking Lake Ashi and Mt, Fuji, Drew surprised Emily by proposing!

Drew’s family lives in Maine, and Emily ended up moving here with Drew, buying their first home together. They have an adorable white pug, a cat, and a little hedgehog as pets! They had originally planned a huge wedding at a venue in June 2020. As we all know, Covid changed so many couples’ thoughtful plans last year. Emily and Drew went through a lot this past year with all the changes, restrictions, and such, and Drew’s parent’s graciously offered to host their rescheduled wedding in their backyard in Wayne. They spent the last few months preparing the space, even building a wood-fire oven by hand in the backyard!

I was excited to only have to travel a few minutes down the road to Emily and Drew’s house the morning of the wedding, it’s rare for me to have a wedding so close to home! The town his parents live in is one I’m familiar with as well. My family goes strawberry picking at the local farm in Wayne every summer, and we do the hike up Mt. Piscah often, which is right down the road from them! The day before the wedding, the area was hit with torrential downpours, but thankfully the wedding day was a perfect 70-something degrees and sunny! Emily wore Drew’s grandmother’s ring and a beautiful dress adorn with tiny white flowers. She asked her florist to make her a bouquet that was just bursts of colors, and that’s exactly what they did for her! After such a tough year, Emily and Drew needed an abundance of color, sunshine, and happiness on their wedding day!

It was so special watching these two finally say the vows they have been planning for so long, and in a place that is so special to them. We took photos by the birch tree where Drew and his sister posed every year on the first day of school. Drew’s best man told funny stories during his toast about growing up spending summer in this yard. Every detail that day was so carefully planned and beautifully executed! The couple chose to have Chipotle catered for dinner (alongside the handmade wood-fired pizza) – how fun is that, and delicious too!  My personal favorite details were that they made sure to offer Moxie and Whoopie Pies – Maine classics!

Thank you so much, Emily and Drew, for trusting me to photograph your special day! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Shacter!

Florals: Bad Rabbit Flowers

Hair and Makeup Artist: Kimberly Savage  Makeup Artist and Hairstylist

Bride’s Dress: David Tutera dress from Dreams Bridal Boutique and Tuxedo Center

Suits: Men’s Wearhouse

Officiant: Lauren Crowley, Maine

Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Azazie

Wedding Cake: Drew’s Mom

Whoopie Pies: Wicked Whoopies, Farmingdale, Maine

Rentals: One Stop Event Rentals, South Portland, Maine

Tent: The Tent Shop, Monmouth, Maine

Catering: Chipotle, Augusta, Maine

Photographer: Andrea Simmons Photography LLC, Gardiner, Maine

Second Photographer: Laura Stevens of Laura Stevens Photography, Winthrop, Maine