After meeting Rebecca and Jason last year and photographing their engagement session, I was very excited to also be photographing their wedding this year. It has been a couple of years since I photographed a wedding at Village by the Sea, so I was also excited to return there, as it’s also where I had my wedding 12 years ago!

August 12th, 2023 was Rebecca and Jason’s special day! We got very lucky that the weather was perfect considering it has been an unusually rainy summer. When I arrived at the venue, I photographed all of the wedding details, including the dress, jewelry, shoes, rings, flowers, décor and so much more! I was instantly drawn to their beautiful color palate of shades of blue, which perfectly gave off an Oceanside vibe.

Once the details were complete, I photographed Rebecca and the girls getting ready. Meanwhile, my second photographer, Hannah, photographed the guys getting ready. We took turns doing portraits outside with the guys and girls so Rebecca and Jason wouldn’t see each other. That way, we could get some of the portraits done before the ceremony.

Rebecca and Jason had a beautiful ceremony. The location and lighting were perfect! Many of their family and friends watched with happy tear-filled eyes as they exchanged vows and wedding rings. Julie Draper, who was their wedding officiant did an amazing job, as usual. I work with Julie often, so I always know when I see her that everything will run smoothly.

Rebecca and Jason were announced into their wedding reception and went right into their first dance with their entire wedding party, parents and family surrounding them on the dance floor. They received toasts and speeches from the Best Man and Maids of Honor and then dinner was served. We took more bride and groom portraits at sunset and then Rebecca and Jason cut their wedding cake. They had a caricature artist and photo booth during their reception as well, which were a huge hit with the guests. The rest of the evening, everyone danced the night away. It was truly an unforgettable day and I’m so grateful to have been part of it!

Here’s My Q and A with Rebecca:

Q. How did you two meet?

A. Jason and I met through some mutual friends but also happened to stumble upon each other on Facebook as well! I started the conversation and he kept it going.

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

A. We got engaged on May 21, 2022. One of our favorite date nights during Covid when everything was closed, was to get a takeout pizza and sit on the beach while people-watching or stargazing, etc. One Saturday last May we decided to do the same thing. We had gotten a pepperoni pizza and had been eating lunch on the beach. This is when Jason proposed! It was a cloudy day, but just after I said yes all the fog lifted and the sun came out, it was beautiful!

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

A. Jason and I have always had a special love for the ocean. We knew we somehow wanted to incorporate the ocean into our day. We got married at Village by the Sea and though it wasn’t ON the ocean, we could see the ocean from our suite. We didn’t want to go over the top with our décor so we got our “ocean” vibe mainly from our color scheme (Navy and Ice Blue). We also have two dogs that we love very much and wanted to incorporate them. We were so excited when we found drink stirrers we could use with their faces. We also printed dog treat bags for other dog owners to spoil their pups! We also had their faces put onto our cake, which was a huge hit!

Q. What is your favorite moment of your wedding day?

A. Jason and I decided to keep tradition so we stayed separately the night before our wedding and opted not to do a first look. The day of our wedding we didn’t see each other until the moment I stepped out to walk down the aisle. I had wanted to see him all day long so the very moment I got to see him, in front of all the people we love who came here solely to celebrate us - that was definitely my favorite moment of the day.

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

A. Our flowers were from Windham flower shop. We opted for light blue hydrangeas and white roses as our wedding flowers. They matched the bridesmaid dresses and the décor perfectly and really tied it all together!! My gown is Essence of Australia and was purchased at Madeleine’s Daughter in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I loved the Moscato undertones. The coloring complimented my skin tone so well. Our favors were tins of sea salts from Slack Tide Maine, which were hand harvested directly from the coast of Maine. These favors fit our ocean theme perfectly. We loved the look of them and the fact that we were able to support a local business was amazing too! Our cake was done by Let Them Eat Cake in Kennebunk— it was delicious! We also included marzipan sculptures of our dogs poking out of the bottom of the cake. We loved this and also received so many compliments on it!