Oh my goodness it’s blog season.

That’s right. With our final wedding wrapping up just a few weeks ago and then the holidays taking life over momentarily I’m now diving headfirst into this past wedding season. And the blogs. For all of my amazing clients. Because really how much fun is it to have a whole review of your wedding day that you can look back on for years to come?! It’s like a little journal, in my voice - which if you worked with me you can likely hear as I type each word. So expect the next few months to be packed with memories – beautiful ones, things the couple has volunteered but also things I observed. I’m so excited to start this first of a whole series of delightful memories.

Today, I bring you the first official client in review blog, to shine light on their amazingness and highlight the perfection that was their wedding day. So here we go, meet one of the nicest, most level, down-to-earth couples – Sara and Kyle - hitched on August 14, 2021 at the Autumn Lane Estate in Sebago, Maine.

Sara and Kyle: Where do I even begin with these two? Well first off, they are polite. I mean really polite, kind, good hearted, people. Second, they complement the heck out of each other – you ever see two people and think – yup, that definitely works. That’s how they are. They work without any effort at all. Sara says that they have the same core fundamentals, which she thinks allow them to grow individually and together. I love that. Third, Sara is an amazingly organized person and the two of us hit it off on our first phone call. She told me all about Kyle, and their dog, Faye (no name could ever be cuter, and then you meet the dog and allllll the heart emojis come rushing out). Cheesy insight, they got engaged on Halloween and then set their wedding date for August 14 the following year. When Sara reached out and told me this timeline the fateful butterflies within me rose – well wouldn’t you know it my husband Matt and I got engaged on Halloween and then married on August 15 the following year. It was like I was meant to be a part of their celebration. I could not wait to be a helping hand to these two for their special day.

Maine Bride and Groom Golden Hour Photo — Kyle and Sara Golden Hour Photography

They stumbled upon little old me through a referral through the Autumn Lane Estate. Mackenzie, who owns the venue with her husband, Dan, suggested Dirigo Event Co. as a planning partner, which I had of course launched 2 months prior to COVID draping itself around the world and both me and my company were spinning around a little bewildered. Mackenzie and Dan are legit best friends with these two – like best friends in the sense that Sara and Kyle got ENGAGED at Autumn Lane Estate. And they helped with the proposal. That kind of best friends. So needless to say they were both in the wedding party and wanted to enjoy the day as much as possible, and turn the reigns over to a planner! More about the engagement later . . . let’s look a little about how these two found each other. . .

Bride and Groom with Wedding Party — Kyle and Sara with their dear friends and Autumn Lane Estate: Mackenzie and Dan.

Sara’s words really are best for how they met – “Kyle and I met in August of 2017 while I was home (in Maine) for my brother’s birthday. I was living in New York at the time and was showing my grandfather how “people meet people these days”. He swiped through Bumble until he found Kyle and swiped right! I returned to New York and we continued talking for a few weeks before I had to come home again because my apartment’s basement caught on fire (lol) and I needed a place to stay for a few weeks. While in Maine, Kyle and I met - he took me on a date to Peaks Island - and the rest is sort of history! We dated long distance for about a year and then I moved to Portland in 2018.” So, after getting to know each other from afar, the big in-person date was of course exciting but slightly anxiety provoking! And, naturally, on the day of their first date it was super hot and they were both melting nervous wrecks, and yet Sara, ever prepared, arrived early to make sure she could find the perfect place to wait.

Groom and Bride Inspo — Kyle and Sara in front of mural at Autumn Lane Estate.

Then they laid eyes on each other. And it was all downhill from there. “First of all, his pictures did not do him justice - something I tell him to this day!” Sara gushed, “I was so surprised with how easy it was to talk to Kyle and how patient he was with my nervous energy. We went to a small restaurant on Peaks Island on our first date and Kyle ordered lobster edamame fritters and I was like ‘who is this guy? He can drink a beer and wants to eat lobster edamame fritters?’”

And Kyle says of Sara “I remember being a little surprised how tall she was, although I’m not sure why because she didn’t look short from her profile pictures, but other than that I was mostly surprised by how easy it was to talk to her and how her personality through text in the dating app felt like the same in-person which I really liked. On our first date on Peaks Island she talked about growing up in Maine and how much her family meant to her so at least early on I knew I had a shot at someday convincing her to move back here.”

***I mean if you know Kyle and knew on the first date he was already thinking of convincing her to move back to Maine you’d be melting just as I am right now. It’s about 10 degrees as I type this, and I’m still melting.***

Groom and Bride Portrait Photo — Kyle and Sara in front of the barn at Autumn Lane Estate.

So, they met online (with help from Sara’s grandfather), they had their first date on Peaks, they started getting serious, Sara moved to Maine(!!) and then of course there was . . . the Proposal! According to Sara “This is when I learned that Kyle knows how to lie! Oh the lies! The trickery! Kyle proposed on Halloween in 2020. With the state of the world (hello global pandemic), Halloween was certainly not going to look normal. We decided to have dinner with our close friends (and the owners of Autumn Lane Estate!) in Sebago. We drove up to our friend's house and Dan had a large projector set up in front of the barn. Dan is always finding cool new toys so I wasn’t suspicious at all when he yelled from inside the barn “Hey guys, check this out!” and the projector started to show Halloween-themed images (witches, cats, ghosts, you know the deal). And then this ghost came on the screen with a bunch of posterboard and with each poster this “ghost” dropped it started to hit me. All of the sudden Kyle was on one knee and Dan had moved some cardboard to show “Will You Marry Me” carved in pumpkins. We celebrated with champagne and lots of great food! Apparently he had been coming to Sebago for days, carving pumpkins and filming that video - all while I had no idea!”

I mean KYLE with the organized engagement for the win! Wow! I wish I could have seen Sara at that moment because I’m sure the look on her face was totally priceless, and that Kyle was surely proudly grinning for having quietly created this romantic moment, and Mackenzie and Dan were looking on joyfully. It’s just so darling. And made Autumn Lane Estate the most obvious place in the entire world to get married. Of course they’d want to get married where they got engaged. Not to mention (ahem) Autumn Lane Estate is absolutely insane. Win win win for all involved.

What about the big day? Let’s take a look at some of the moments that made this day ever so glorious. Molly Breton was there behind the camera artfully capturing every second.

The details of this fine day were nothing short of spectacular. I mean the succulent boutonniere! The buttons on Sara’s dress! It’s all beyond splendid.

Autumn Lane Estate Wedding Groom Details

Autumn Lane Estate Wedding Bride Details

Autumn Lane Estate Wedding Bridal Accesories

They had one of the most award-winning First Looks ever, on the dock of the beach overlooking Sebago Lake.

Sara and Kyle’s dog, Faye, literally walked down the aisle with Sara and her Dad. She wasn’t on a leash. She’s a little bit timid and there were a ton of people there and she voluntarily did this. It was adorable.

Their ceremony was so charming - one of the dear friends, Erin, officiated and did a lovely job. Sara states that “It was really important for us to acknowledge all the people at our wedding who had supported us as individuals and as a couple. We had small bowls with rocks that we collected at the end of each ceremony bench. During the ceremony we asked our guests to hold on to each rock, to warm it in their hands and then place it at the base of a plant when the ceremony concluded. To us it symbolizes that relationships take a village and acknowledges the important role our friends and family play in our lives.” I’d love to add that bride and groom had spectacular taste in music - not that there’s anything wrong with the traditional or cheesy but their recessional song was Little Bird by Ghost of Paul Revere(!!) Love that they incorporated a local band into their day.

Moonset Farms had a hay-day incorporating tons of color into the arbor, bouquet, and bud vases. Having bright pops of color everywhere the sun hit was so beautiful. AND THE ARBOR. Good grief- it’s like the natural embodiment of the sun and Leo-rays! Oranges, reds, yellows, glorious.

Fire and Co hit a grand slam as always, with everything from chicken and waffle bites to brisket bahn mi sliders and then naturally had a spread of their grilled favorites including smoked chicken with chimichurri, flat iron steak with horseradish crema, and seared salmon with roasted pepper tapenade. Their bar featured a slew of local breweries, and they had two specialty cocktails - Kyle’s was comprised of equal parts lemon juice, bourbon, aperol, and amaro - and Sara’s was a white wine sangria loaded with fresh fruit and ideal for a warm summer night. They even had a had a custom sign made for the bar with their names!

The dessert table was a remarkable creation that sweet tooth dreams are made of. Seriously, the Winey Baker outdid herself as usual, and of course this kind, thoughtful couple remembered to put out little bags so guests could take items home with them. We’re talking oatmeal crème pies, brownie salted caramel whoopie pies, mini carrot + cream cheese cupcakes, mini lemon + blueberry + lemon cupcakes, blueberry cheesecake bars, and raspberry white chocolate streusel bars. They were not messing around.

The dancing was remarkable. These people could GROOVE. I wanted to grab a bag of popcorn and watch the show it was terribly impressive. During the dance party we handed out countless light up headbands, bracelets, sunglasses, and beach balls, and things got very, very fun (and weird). At the end of the night they played “Closing Time” and all the remaining guests formed a giant circle and swayed back and forth together and sang.

After their wedding the two dears went to Pagosa Springs, Colorado for a week long trip and spent the week hiking, eating great food, enjoying the hot springs and riding in a hot air balloon! They plan to take a follow up trip when the world is a bit safer….oh COVID. Thank you for not ruining this wedding. It was perfect.

I want to wholeheartedly thank Sara and Kyle for including me in their celebration. I also want to thank Mackenzie and Dan at Autumn Lane Estate for referring Dirigo Event Co. to be a part of this joyous day. Sebago Lake in August at Autumn Lane Estate surrounded by sweet, kind, genuine people – not much better than that, folks! Oh and now for a pretty major life update - since the wedding Sara and Kyle have moved into their first home together, in Portland! They are still enjoying newly-wedded bliss. <3