The Big Question
Perhaps that special someone popped the long-awaited question as you strolled down a quartz-white beach at sunset. Maybe he ceremoniously got down on one knee and asked you in your favorite Italian restaurant, causing a hot and crimson blush to spread across your face as curious onlookers clapped, whistled and raised their wine glasses in celebration. Possibly that ten-day skiing trip to Vail or the Alps was not just your average, run-of-the-mill winter holiday, but a covert and well-crafted design to ask for your hand in front of a romantic fireplace at your log cabin retreat. The possibilities and variations are as endless as love itself. However, once you smile, wrap your arms around his neck and say I Will, the next piece of the puzzle is figuring out where to say I DO.
An Ideal Setting That Suits Your Style
Choosing the right wedding venue is like finding the ideal gown and the perfect tuxedo. The setting needs to fit your style and sensibility as a couple. It needs to be uniquely tailored to your personal aesthetic and adhere to your idea of love and romance. Maine’s historic and iconic inns, sprawling country estates, coastal resorts and lakeside retreats provide a wealth of different wedding venue possibilities. From lighthouse weddings and vows taken aboard schooners to the white-steepled churches that dot the rural landscape like a Norman Rockwell painting, if you can dream up an ideal setting and scenario, then chances are Maine can provide it.
On The Coast
Summer in Maine is tranquil and idyllic. The beaches, inlets and raggedy granite shoreline are not only sun-dappled and romantic, but as close as you can get to photogenic nirvana. It stands to reason that wedding parties flock to the Maine coast like migratory shorebirds.
The York Harbor Inn hosts wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners and provides beautiful, ocean-side ceremonies. This quaint and quintessential New England style inn has fifty-four guestrooms. Bridal suites are also available. There is 5,000 feet of banquet space, including seven specially designed function rooms. The crowning jewel of the inn is its Yorkshire Ballroom, which has a stunning, 35-foot cathedral ceiling. The inn offers off-site catering for up to 200 people at the York Golf and Tennis Club.
The Village By the Sea, a resort hotel in Wells, can accommodate 175 people in its elegant and refined ballroom. There is an onsite gazebo in which to exchange your wedding vows. One and two bedroom suites are available for guests. The hotel offers a complimentary night for the bride and groom. The hotel specializes in food preparation and can provide catered buffets or plated entrees. Cocktails and bridal brunches are also available.
The lavish and sophisticated Cliff House Resort and Spa, which is located in Ogunquit, is like something out of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Operating since 1872, it provides seaside ceremonies and receptions in its Coastal Ballroom. At the Cliff House, you are required to have a minimum of 100 guests. The maximum is 200. There is also a $15,000 minimum for food and drink purchases. It is recommended that you make a reservation 1 year in advance.
Are you looking for something intimate and eco-friendly? The Merryspring Nature Center, in Camden, is a 66-acre park. From June to September, its hexagon garden is blooming with colorful flowers and is the perfect outdoor setting for a small wedding. The reception can be held in the adjoining function room, which can accommodate up to 50 people. The function hall is outfitted with a deck that majestically overlooks the nature center.
The Alamoosook Lakeside Inn, which is located in Orland, combines the best of the Maine woods with elegant lakeside lawns, all of which make a perfect backdrop for your special day. There is a 150-seat dinning room and onsite catering. Whether you prefer a lakeside cookout, lobster bake or refined dinner, the Lakeside Inn is the perfect host. The six guest rooms provide an intimate setting for family and close friends.
Turn of the century charm and lovely floral gardens is what you will find at the Asticou Inn. Located in Northeast Harbor and adjacent to Acadia National Park, this picturesque inn redefines coastal elegance. There is a main inn and four separate accommodations on the property, with a total of 31 rooms. From prime rib to a lobster feast, the Asticou Inn provides an array of high-class menu choices.
In The Lakes Region
The Maine air is fragrant with the crisp smell of pine and wildflowers. The colors are sharp: mountains of dense, green fir trees sway against the bright blue sky. You are standing beside a crystal clear lake about to say I Do, and all you can hear are the Black-capped Chickadees and the sound of fish jumping somewhere in the distance. This is why you chose a wedding venue in the Lakes Region. You wanted Mother Nature to be in attendance.
Point Sebago Resort, in Casco, offers several different wedding packages. Whether you choose to have a lakeside ceremony, a reception in the Beach Pavilion, Grove Pavilion or an outdoor beach BBQ, the great outdoors is never far away. In the spring and fall, it is mandatory for your wedding party to have a minimum of $1,000 in lodging accommodations. Guests can enjoy the resort’s 18-hole golf course as well its marina and boat rental.
Established in the 1800s as a fishing camp, Bald Mountain Camps Resort, in the Rangeley Lakes Region, is a nature lover’s dream venue. It has fourteen log cabins. Each one can accommodate 2-4 people. Onsite catering specializes in New England cookouts and fine dinning. Peaceful, tranquil and far from the maddening crowd, Bald Mountain offers its brides, grooms and guests four seasons worth of outdoor activities.
Small, quaint and personable, the North Country Inn Bed and Breakfast provides traditional New England charm in a quiet, rustic setting. This is the perfect venue for an intimate wedding. The guest rooms are named after trees (Fir, Birch, Maple) and each one has slightly different features and period details. Cozy up to the fireplace in the North Country’s parlor. Depending on the season, hiking, water sports and cross-country skiing are right outside your window, making it the ideal place for a true country wedding.
Whether you want a ski-themed wedding or a breathtaking autumn view, Saddleback Ski Resort, in Rangeley, provides full-service wedding accommodations. The lodge and banquet hall can accommodate up to 250 guests. Furthermore, wedding consultants, photographers, DJs and florists are all on hand to make your day as stress-free as possible.
In Greenville, relaxed sophistication is on full-display at the Blair Hill Inn. This opulent, Victorian mansion sits atop 15-acres of hillside estate and has panoramic views of Moosehead Lake. Onsite catering services offer an array of fine dining options. Inside, the inn can accommodate 50 guests, but a tented wedding on the plush estate lawn can accommodate up to 125 people. Travel and Leisure Magazine has called the inn “a pure North Woods Fantasy.” Prices range from $150-200 per guest.
Surrounded by lush fields, woods and lakes, The Lodge at Moosehead Lake is a romantic hideaway. You can choose to hold your reception at a variety of locations throughout the grounds as well as in its function rooms. From May to October, the lodge hosts intimate wedding receptions on Sundays through Thursdays. From November to March, weddings are held throughout the week. Weddings are scheduled between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm. The lodge has nine rooms to accommodate guests. If you are looking for something even more intimate, then be sure to check out the lodge’s Just for 2 package.
On The Water Or In A Lighthouse: Love Is In The Air
While the Maine coast and the Lakes Region provide a wealth of different wedding venue options, if you fancy yourselves the more whimsical, adventurous and outside-the-box type of bride and groom, then why not tie-the-knot aboard a classic boat or in a picturesque lighthouse? It’s true: When it comes to marriage, boats, knots, and rough and tranquil seas….the metaphors are endless. Could there be anything more traditionally New England than a wedding on the ocean?
A classic windjammer. A ceremony officiated by a certified captain. Red sunsets at night, a sailor’s delight. This is the setting when you plan a wedding with the Portland Schooner Company. Rehearsal dinners and overnight honeymoons are held on the Windameen and Bagheera. If a wedding aboard a 19th century schooner is not your tankard of ale, then at least consider sailing aboard one of these boats to your coastal or island wedding ceremony. This type of grand entrance trumps a traditional limo any day.
Charter a wedding cruise for your family and closest friends on the SS Katahdin and explore the natural beauty of Moosehead Lake. Operating from June to October, the SS Katahdin sails around Deer and Sugar Islands. It passes below the stunning, 800 foot cliffs of Mount Kineo. The boat is outfitted to accommodate 225 people. Sip some French bubbly, feel the breeze on your face and watch the falcons glide through the air. This is The Way Life Should Be.
Are you in the mood for some scenic cruising and whale watching? Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watching Charters, in Boothbay, are equipped to handle all the details of your wedding cruise. These luxury yachts are adorned with 360-degree decks. They have a dance area, two temperature controlled salons for those hot summer days, a full-catering and liquor service as well as a state-of-the-art sound system. Oh, that’s right, there are whales, puffins and auks too. Cap’n Fish’s Whale Watching Charters operate from late May to mid October.
The fair-weather clouds drift across the blue sky like billowing white sails. You can feel the salt tang on your lips (and his). Sailboats are anchored in the nearby harbor, bobbing gently as sun-shadows ripple across their colorful hulls. The sound of lapping waves and seabirds is your only cue that the wedding ceremony is about to begin.
A lighthouse is a classic New England wedding venue. From the popular Nubble Lighthouse, in York, to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, these stately, nautical structures provide the perfect backdrop to your special day. Is there anything more memorable and romantic than looking out at the sea together as husband and wife, with a lighthouse to help you guide your way through the many years ahead?
