Scott and Brenna's Wedding in Portland, Maine

We were lucky that the weather on the day of our wedding, unlike our engagement trip, turned out to be the most perfect of the month! The bridal party, consisting of my two sisters as maids of honor, two college best friends as bridesmaids, and niece as junior bridesmaid, began the day at my childhood home in Windham. We had our hair and makeup done while enjoying breakfast and mimosas and it was so laid back and fun! I wore a dress that I designed myself with the custom dress company, Anomalie. My mom sewed in a heart from my late grandmother's own wedding gown, which had been blue because she got married during Lent. My mom also made my stunning veil herself. The bridal party all picked out their own dresses within the jewel tone color scheme I had chosen.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke has a lot of history for my family. My grandparents were married there just under sixty years ago and my parents were also married there. I was born directly across the street at Mercy Hospital and was baptized right in the garden where many of our pre-ceremony photos were taken. My parents also got engaged in the Emmanuel chapel where many more of our photos were taken. It was so amazing to feel the history and memories throughout the day.

Scott and I both have a strong faith, so it was important to us that our ceremony be very spiritual and follow the Episcopal tradition. We had my father's childhood priest, Rev. Sam Henderson, and my childhood priest, Rev. Tim Higgins both marry us. One of my best childhood friends who I acolytes with as a teen served as our crucifer. As a musician, it was also very important to me to have beautiful music. We were very lucky to have the cathedral's organist Albert Melton, as well as my Juilliard graduate cousin Nash to play violin, and four of my best friends from college to sing.

Several photos were taken to replicate my grandparents' old wedding photos in the same spot, including the shot of Scott winking in the back of the car following the ceremony. On the way to our reception, we made a stop at beautiful Fort William’s Park for pictures.

Our incredible reception venue was the Purpoodock Club in Cape Elizabeth. This location also had a lot of history for my family - in 1961, my great-grandfather was on a team to help clean up after the club had suffered a fire. He collected tea pots that had survived the fire and one of them is now in our possession. My dad also had his senior prom there!

We had miniature candles as favors and signature drinks named after our home states - the Maine Moose and the Florida Orange. Following the touching speeches made by our parents, best man, and maids of honor, our delicious dinner was served. On the menu was chicken marsala, steak, and crab and lobster stuffed haddock, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options served with mashed potatoes and broccolini for sides. We also had butlered hors deouvres of chicken and lemongrass dumplings, BBQ meatballs, and tomato-basil bruschetta. Our guests raved about the food!

After dinner, Scott and I showed off what we had learned in ballroom dance classes with our first dance to I’m Glad There Is You by Seth MacFarlane. Following that was the father-daughter dance to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, during which my dad surprised me with a recording of himself singing it! Scott and his mom had a very emotional dance to It Happens in a Heartbeat. I also surprised my mom with a mother-daughter dance to Slipping Through My Fingers from Mamma Mia. We then opted for an Anniversary Dance rather than a garter and bouqet toss. It was so sweet to see all the married couples on the floor. Other than a short break for cake and donuts from The Holy Donut, our killer band had everyone on the dance floor for the rest of the night. Even our priest showed off his moves!

We ended our night with a private last dance to Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin and a sparkler exit! Every aspect of our wedding day turned out just as perfect as we had imagined. We are so thankful to my dad’s best friend Joanne Lee for capturing our day in gorgeous photos that we will cherish for the rest of our lives!