Sara and Dean, Eco-Elegance: Asticou Inn, Northeast Harbor

Who: Sara and Dean
What: A classic Maine coast wedding for 150, grounded in nature and with many touches reflective of the couple's love of traveling the earth and their commitment to caring for it.
Where: The weekend opened with a lobster bake welcome-party for 100 guests who traveled from as far as Montana at the Causeway Club in Southwest Harbor (this rustic cottage chic-esque barn would make such a great wedding spot as well) and the remainder of the weekend's festivities were housed at one of my favorite venues, the graceful Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor.
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008
How: Hair and makeup by Cori-Lynn Nobbin (she also coiffed Nikki at her August wedding in Bar Harbor); bridesmaid's dresses from J.Crew's wedding shop; bridal gown from the famed Kleinfeld's Bridal in NYC; fall flowers for both the rehearsal and wedding from the mother-daughter run Queen Anne's Flower Shop in Bar Harbor (their Kingfield shop did the flowers for Sarah and JT's wedding at Sugarloaf the weekend before- more on that later); cake by Janice Strout of Celebration Cakes in Bar Harbor); and DJing by the delightful Dana Lavertu.

Why: I knew there was "something" about Sara and Dean when I first met them, back on a bitter overcast afternoon, just two days before Christmas for their outside engagement shoot. It was so, so, so cold, and they never once complained. And through that December dusk, Sara and Dean radiated such warmth- both beaming in appreciation of each other, and the opportunity to be outdoors in Maine.

Sara and Dean are one of those couples. You know, the ones you watch in awe, amazed at all they've accomplished as individuals and just imagining what they could create together. Watching the slideshow Dean's mom made at their rehearsal dinner, I was struck by the similarities of their separate lives before they met one another- both crowded around the Christmas tree with lots of siblings, both competing at track meets, then both going to Yale for graduate school. That's where they met, Dean serving as the leader of Sara's orientation to the public health program, where Dean was a doctoral student. Friends first, it was Dean who Sara turned to for direction when she was struggling with a decision to switch programs within the Connecticut college. It was in those discussions that they learned of their mutual affection for adventure and they've been exploring the world together ever since from Alaska to Argentina, and many, many places in between.

With their lives dedicated to studying the health of the planet and its people, it's no surprise that Sara and Dean had a green wedding, recycling, reusing and reducing as much as they can, and even purchasing carbon credits through Terra Pass to offset the impact their wedding, guests travel, etc. had on the planet. Flowers and food were local, the candles were soy, and flowers from the rehearsal were reused at the wedding, as just some of the things the couple did to keep their wedding eco-friendly. (In the coming weeks, I'll blog a post-wedding recap interview with Sara and Dean as to how the greening of the wedding actually worked, so check back for that.) You see, Sara and Dean are the type of people who live out their beliefs in the most brilliant of ways. For two people so grounded in compassion and conviction, I and so many others are so eager to see how high they'll soar, before going for a 20 mile run to cool down!


One of the many ways Sara and Dean greened their wedding was by using locally grown bittersweet that decorated the tables at the rehearsal dinner and then reusing it the following day in their reception centerpieces (which you'll see below).


Guests to the rehearsal (including three of Sara's bridesmaids seen in the background) enjoyed lawn games beneath the setting sun.


Then lined up for local lobster, corn and clams.


Such a beautiful barn in the twilight.


The rehearsal dinner toasts spanned the serious, the sentimental and the silly!


Saturday started with Sara getting her hair done.


Checking it out in the mirror.


Then it was makeup time. Look how much fun she was having- her love for life infuses everything she does, from the mundane to the major!


Sara's stunning yet simple dress.


A favorite for sure. I love this tender touch as Sara's bridesmaid and Yale chum cradles her with excitement as the bridal look comes together.


An equally fond look came moments later from Sara's father.


The afternoon light on the water for the ceremony was rather dramatic (read blinding). Sara was completely bathed in a shaft of light, symbolism that was not lost as anyone, as she looked angelic and radiated such warmth throughout the weekend (and always). The way Dean looks at her, ahhhhhh...as my friend Kate would say: Yummers!


It doesn't get better than fall in Maine!


And finally, the kiss! And what a kiss it was.


When Sara and Dean come together, there is serious smiling. They just seem so at peace and so content in each other's company that it is a gift to witness. Also, notice they locally-grown wildflowers and rosemary in Sara's green bouquet.










I've never seen anything like this. Dean's mom created this quilt, which features the double wedding ring pattern and hundreds of photos of Sara and Dean. Family members from both Sara and Dean's sides created the quilts many square's, sewing messages of support and wellwishes on its edges. What a treasure.


Another look.


Sara and Dean share a love of traveling, a commonality celebrated at their wedding. Guests enjoyed ginger lemonade (using a recipe they brought back from Patagonia) and sat at tables named after destinations the couple had visited together from Alaska to the Andes. This map pinpointed those places for guests who weren't so geographically savvy.


The dinner tables. Notice the bittersweet from the rehearsal, reinvented as centerpieces in mason jars lined with fresh cranberries, and the soy candles. The photographs on the tables were taken by Sara and Dean in the place on which the table name is based. I think this might have been in Argentina or Chile.


The Philly table, a nod to Dean's childhood.


The autumnal centerpieces seen by candlelight. Makes you hanker for a warm cup of cider.


More toasting. I swear there wasn't a crack of candlelight to be seen between Sara and Dean- they held each other so close throughout the night.


This got a good, endearing laugh from all of their friends. Sara and Dean are admitted (and proud of it) nerds (in the best of ways) and so they had to have a quick cram session before their choreographed first dance. Literally, Dean had notes!


Do these wild dancers look familiar? If you look at my previous post on Sarah and JT's wedding at Sugarloaf, you'll see them busting a move there as well. But fear not, they are not professional weddings crashers! A few days before I left for Sarah and JT's wedding, this wedding's Sara emailed me after seeing my Twitter status and asked if the wedding I was shooting at Sugarloaf was by chance that of her cousin, JT. Sure enough and only in Maine. As a result, there were many familiar faces at Sara and Dean's wedding.

Witnessing their wedding was an honor, and a humbling one at that. I was leveled by their love and respect for each other and those around them and I will follow their futures closely. Congratulations Sara and Dean, and may the honeymoon period last at least until your Scandinavian backpacking adventure next summer!

Update- Received this kind email from Sara and Dean upon their return home after their mini-moon: "Dean and I are just getting home from MDI and from a few nights in VT on our way back to CT. We have been reflecting on the many moments that flew by over the wedding weekend and are so thankful that you were there to catch them! I was so appreciative for your steady and calm presence during the excitement. I am so glad you were there to tell me to switch my engagement ring over to my other hand, to tell me (in your polite way) to cool it when I was worrying about grooms house photos, to put family members in line who were encroaching on photo time, and to help us with set up and tear down of the rehearsal dinner (SO above and beyond!) - I think you should start billing yourself as a photo journalist AND MORE, because although you do unparalleled work with your camera, your ability to be present as an advisor and friend at the same time is truly amazing, and something I could never articulate that I needed - but that I did!!

I keep recommending you to others in my neck of the woods planning weddings, not sure how excited you are about expanding your SWW empire beyond ME though, so tell me if you'd rather not. Anyhow, thank you again for all your hard work, for your generous donation of your time at the rehearsal, and for your presence at such a special time in our lives!! We will look forward to the results when you have them!"

And, when the pictures and slideshow went online, here is what they wrote: "I had been (ok fine, compulsively) checking your blog hoping for a slideshow...and you duped me and sent me an email about it! Luckily, I almost as frequently check my email so you didn't dupe me for long! I posted the slideshow on facebook and everyone has just LOVED it! I am so grateful for all of your creative work!! You did such an outstanding job battling the bright sunshine and herding our families which is no small feat. I've now watched the slideshow at least 15 times, and I'm sure I'm not done yet! Thank goodness for the slideshow though, because on Saturday morning I had to tortourously get on a train to DC and was away from internet all weekend as Dean and I competed in the Marine Corps Marathon. Knowing the rest of the photos were out there but being unable to check them out was tough! I have started to go through them now though, and man there are a lot! I am finding so many that I love and have no idea how in the world I will ever whittle it down! Thank you thank you thank you!!"