KELLEN + BEN: ELEGANT, INDUSTRIAL, EFFORTLESS
Ohhh Kellen and Ben - where do I even begin. First off, they are patient - as it’s taken me some quality time to pull their blog post together since they submitted it this spring. So thank you to them for their patience and understanding while this wedding season is conquered! Seriously though these two are just rad. Kellen and I jived from the moment we had our consult call and I thought to myself - the bride-to-be is super organized, level-headed, and funny. Sparks were flying. Plus her taste? Impeccable (as you’ll see).
Fast forward to October 30, 2021 at Brick South in Portland, Maine - the wedding of a lifetime. We are talking THE venue, THE band, THE caterer, THE photographer, THE florist - the list goes on and on and you’ll see why and how as I get rolling here. But before we get to the wedding date, let’s learn a little bit about the bride and groom, shall we?
The meeting. Then the pursuit. Kellen and Ben met in June 2016 through a mutual friend. Kellen’s co-worker (Cheryl) was dating Ben’s best friend (Billy) and she had tried her hardest to set them up on a blind date for a few months. Although she didn’t have any luck with that, Kellen and Ben met by chance (aka FATE) at Billy’s birthday party, out in Portsmouth. Says Kellen: “I will admit, I knew there was a strong chance I would meet Ben the night of Billy’s birthday party so I was excited to finally meet the guy that Cheryl had told me so much about. I saw him the moment he walked through the door of the restaurant and immediately I started smiling and went to tell Cheryl that at first glance, her matchmaking skills were accurate. After being introduced and spending some time with Ben throughout the night, I found him to be incredibly charming. I had maneuvered myself onto an opposing shuffleboard team so we could continue to talk – nothing like a little friendly competition to find out if you are compatible or not. At the end of the night he had won at shuffleboard but I took the win at Jenga so we both got to gloat. Just like that first night, I still to this day find Ben’s humor to be my favorite thing in the world. He was so quick-witted and kept a smile on my face. The laughter we share together is my favorite thing.”
First impressions are everything. Ben’s first impression of Kellen: “First impressions of Kel were pretty simple. She was beautiful, absolutely killer eyes, and best of all, very kind. She was easy to get along with and had a knack for making me smile. I wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone when I met Kel, but thankfully she was a little persistent, and the rest is history as they say.”
They had a great night out getting to know each other, celebrating with mutual friends, playing shuffleboard, and ended the night playing games at Billy and Cheryl’s house. By the end of the night, Kellen was convinced that Ben would somehow ask her for her phone number . . . buttttt well, the phone dind’t ring. The recollection continues - “after two weeks of silence from Ben after their first meeting, Kellen took matters into her own hands and asked Cheryl for his phone number. After some initial texting banter Kellen asked Ben out on their first date – she proposed a beach walk. The planned walk turned into a few hours of walking, getting to know each other, and of course a few IPA’s while enjoying the sunset. At the end of the date, Ben bought two scratch tickets. Kellen’s was a winner (picture below) but she decided she would only cash it in if they stopped seeing each other. She never cashed it in and it now sits, framed, on their bookshelf.” Proof below, folks :)
The Proposal! Recalls Kellen - “the pandemic is when we decided to ratchet things up a notch. We bought our first house in and quickly realized that a whole house was way too much room for just the two of us (after sharing a 400 sq ft apartment for 3 years) so we added a new family member – Johnny Utah aka Toots (a dopey, puppy-eyed English Shepherd). After being settled for a few months, right at the start of the new year in 2021, Ben surprised Kellen with a night out at the Cliff House in Cape Neddick, ME. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset (just like our first date) and as the night was winding down, Ben joked about how he had promised Utah that he would lock Kellen down that night so he could officially have a dog-mom, and he got down on one knee to propose. Seriously cannot tell you the waterworks that followed.”
Ummmm, Cliff House - Ben, pro moves, sir - pro moves!! Post proposal, well - they booked their wedding date and venue and . . . met me! I’m so glad they did because we got planning and organizing like crazy. I loved Kellen’s earnest approach to spreadsheets and creativity. Kellen wanted to be involved in the beauty of her wedding day, which she was, in the best way possible! I mean her selection of bridesmaid dress colors was way ahead of the wedding trends folks, this chick has a knack for it all. Which leads me to . . .
The Wedding Day – Let’s just say that Kellen + Ben are the smartest couple in the world for choosing an indoor venue on this particular weekend. It was very, very windy and rainy on the day itself. We are talking you go outside to your car and it looks like you’ve been scuba diving type of raining. But, who needs a rain plan when you’ve got Brick South for both your wedding ceremony and reception? Genius. They each spent some QT with their crews getting ready, safe and dry from the elements outside.
Some sweet detail tidbits below. Kellen got her dress at Hinterland in Burlington, Vermont and it was designed by Alyssa Kristin. Her shoes were Loeffler Randall and the headpiece was. Beck Adluh. Ben’s suit and shoes came from Suit Supply. The wedding rings were from Jewelry Creations. Kellen’s engagement stone was from Springers the setting was from Jared. The wedding invitations and stationary were from Minted.
The First Look. – Sigh. This was Ben’s favorite part of the day. He writes that “Leading up to the big day I wasn’t nervous at all, but when Brian (Kel’s Dad) dropped me off at the venue, and I was walking around alone for a half hour or so, the nerves set in. Not because I had any reservations about the fact I was getting married, or wondering if I had picked the right person, I just wanted the day to go smoothly and for everyone to have a great time and be happy. Once Kel arrived and I was able to turn around and see her (she looked absolutely gorgeous by the way), the stress just melted away because she was there, and I knew whatever came up we would be able to tackle together, that night and for the rest of our days together.”
I would also like to point out the SPLENDOR that is Kellen’s bouquet. All floral for this gorgeous day was by Farmhouse Floral by Estabrook’s and my obsession with Kellen’s bouquet is a real one.
The Ceremony. I just love the setup of this ceremony. Dark garden chairs from One Stop Event Rentals were the perfect look for Brick South’s clean warehouse feel. Farmhouse Floral by Estabrook’s hung a gorgeous bout of greenery by wire across the corner of the room and added heavy smailx for texture. Lanterns were placed at the corners of the aisle for some added warmth. That being said not much added warmth was needed because with the friends and family there, and the emotion in the room, it was as cozy and intimate as a professor’s study!
The Reception. Kellen and Ben recall that “Although our wedding fell on a thematic weekend (Halloween) we wanted to stay away from embracing the typical styles that people would expect. Subtle nods to the fact that our nuptials were taking place on a weekend when people would typically be in costumes, trick-or-treating with their families, or seeing skeleton décor on people’s homes, were fun to seek out – our save-the-dates kicked us off with his and hers skeletons, the bridesmaids dresses were a beautiful terracotta color, the bouquet included rustic touches, and we can’t forget the neon “Til Death Do Us Part” sign and similarly stamped coffee cups.”
A few other things that made this reception extra special - Kellen and Ben rented a fun and boho lounge from A Family Affair of Maine for guests to sit and enjoy cocktails and appetizers which added such a great burst of color and texture to the space. Their guest book was none other than a Queen coffee table book (yes the band) - which guests signed and will live in their house forever. Hot cider and coffee were offered by the cute-as-a-button Roaming Speakeasy from their restored horse trailer. Maine Event Design and Decor provided unbelievably beautiful lights over the dance floor and as a backdrop for the band. Every time I look at the photos the lights just get me - they were SO magical and really took the beautiful space up to the next level.
Fire and Co served up a cocktail style reception with all their wood-fired goodness including their drool-worthy chicken and waffle bites, caprese skewers and mini buttered lobster rolls (with a housemate potato chip!) After waves of food - I’m talking passed appetizers like you read about, a taco spread, and wood-fired pizzas they brought out their signature peanut butter cup s’mores. Seriously heavenly. The waves of food had guests constantly anticipating what delicacy would be brought their way next. While I love a sit-down dinner, this type of never-ending cocktail style dinner is absolutely the way to keep the party going.
Just because it wasn’t a traditional sit down dinner didn’t mean there were not special wedding traditions! Kellen’s Father, Brian, gave a wonderful heartfelt speech. Kellen and Ben had their first dance to “Put Your Money On Me” by The Struts - Ben and his Mom, Sherry, danced to “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker - and then don’t even worry - Kellen and her Dad kicked off the dancing portion of the night in style by slowly dancing to “Danke Shoen” by Wayne Newton and then breaking out Ferris-Bueller Style to Twist and Shout. This was such a fun surprise for their guests and had everyone on the dance floor in no time. The Sultans came up from Boston and rocked the bricks of Brick South in a big way. I remember when I first chatted with Kellen she expressed her love for this band, and how at a previous wedding she attended no one ever sat down because the music was so upbeat and fun. I was so excited to hear them live, and let me tell you they are worth the hype.
It was all about the dancing. “Our goal was to throw a big party that started with a 15 minute wedding, and looking back at the pictures I think we easily accomplished that. Kellen’s favorites were the canopy of lights over the dance floor and the live band that kept her on that dance floor all night (seriously – if you look at the pictures we are drenched in sweat from dancing). “
When Kellen and Ben look back on what made their day extra special they said that “at a minimum we must recognize that not only was our wedding the day after Ben’s birthday, the weekend of Halloween, and we had a nor-easter from start to finish, but it was epic in terms of a celebration and finale (walking home in our wedding clothes, surrounded by people in costumes, while it was torrentially down pouring).” And yes, Kellen sent me the footage of this the next morning.
Let’s just take a look at a few more pictures of the merriment from this spectacular weekend.
Kellen and Ben took a few months to enjoy newlywedded bliss before embarking on their Maui honeymoon. They wrote that “putting a little breathing room between the wedding and the honeymoon was our master plan all along and now we have something special to look forward to in April.” I love this approach for a honeymoon - take a little time to recharge and reflect on what you just did and then jet-set later!
Oh Kellen and Ben, what else can I say other than I can’t wait to see you both again sometime in Portland for an epic reunion down the line. You are both wonderful, thank you so much for including me in your special day.
Also, a huge thank you to the incredible vendor team below - and extra special thanks to Warren Lane Photography, who I am so happy to have met. His eye for capturing every special moment is unparalleled, and I am honored to call him a friend in this wild and crazy industry.
CREDITS
Wedding Dress Shop: Hinterland in Burlington, Vermont
Wedding Dress Designer: Alyssa Kristin
Bridal Shoe Designer: Loeffler Randall
Bridal Veil/Headpiece: Beck Adluh
Groom's Suit: Suit Supply
Groom's Shoes: Suit Supply
Wedding Rings: Jewelry Creations
Engagement Ring: Springers (stone) and Jared (setting)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Groomsmen Suits: Personal
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Brick South
Event Rentals: One Stop Event Rentals
Lounge Furniture: A Family Affair of Maine
Lighting: Maine Event Design and Decor
Photographer: Warren Lane Photography
Band: The Sultans
Hair/Makeup Stylist: Zari from Akari Salon
Invitation Design: Minted
Floral Design: Farmhouse Floral
Hot Coffee, Tea, Cider: Roaming Speakeasy
Caterer and Desserts: : Fire & Co
Planning and Coordination: Dirigo Event Co.