Wedding at Migis Lodge, South Casco, Maine :: Heather + Peter



Today, you are cordially invited to share in Heather & Peter's amazing wedding at Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake in South Casco, Maine. This was my last wedding of 2015 at the beautiful Migis Lodge and I'm crossing my fingers I get to be a Migis Lodge Wedding Photographer next year too!

In case I have any new blog readers I should just take a moment to tell you why Migis Lodge is the very best wedding venue in Maine (and should I ever convince Paul to renew our vows it will be my venue of choice!):
- Opened in 1916, Migis Lodge is a little slice of tranquil heaven in Maine. The lodge and 35 beautifully appointed cottages and cabins nestle in 125 acres of tall swaying pine trees and as soon as you arrive you can't help but let out a relaxed breath and feel like time stopped still.
- Your wedding can take place on Petunia Lawn with the lake as your backdrop or under the tall pine tress outside of the lodge. Your guests can stay one or two nights in their private luxury cottage (with daily firewood delivery service no less!) and you'll get to spend real time together over a lobster cookout, breakfasts on the point, kayaking, tennis and boat rides and maybe a late night bonfire on the terrace.
- Weddings take place in May and the first half of June, the last half of September and then through to November. Robyn, Jed, Maddy, Chef John, Richard, Peggy and the whole Migis team are simply wonderful, they work with each couple to make their wedding completely unique. A lot of venues will claim to offer that kind of attention to detail but each wedding is kind of the same/cookie cutter. Having now photographed six weddings at Migis I am happy to 110% confirm that each one was meticulously planned and executed and completely different!

But enough of my Migis ramblings! Of course to be invited to a wedding you'll need a beautiful wedding invitation so you know where you're going and at what time. Love the pair of little pine cones on all of the wedding stationery from Smudge Ink in Charlestown, MA. 

Heather chose wonderfully comfortable yet super stylish Kate Spade flats - a very smart decision when your wedding is taking place in an venue with forest, grasses verges and occasionally uneven ground. Also loved these thoughtful gift bags that Heather & Peter had put together and delivered to each cabin for all of their guests. 

Migis Lodge's own florist Marcia Davis created beautiful bouquets:

I thought I'd use some of the pine cones sitting on the ground as a backdrop for the wedding rings: 

The hair and make up team from Ollo Hair in Portland ME made Heather look even more amazing than usual: 

Heather was helped into her wedding dress by her bridesmaids/sisters Melanie and Sally and bridesmaid friend Abby, I should also take a second to say what amazing bridesmaids they all were. Once in a while I'll come across a bridesmaid or three who kind of forget that they're there for the bride - they're all me, me, me. Melanie, Sally and Abby couldn't have been more thoughtful, helpful and caring! 

Over at Moose Point cabin Audrey photographed Peter and the guys getting ready, helping each other out with their ties and having a wee Scotch (water for Peter's younger brother!). 

Back at Cliffside, Heather was dressed and ready for the first look. I love, love, love Harvey & Cindy's reaction to seeing their daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. 

Heather and Peter wanted to thoroughly enjoy their time with their friends and family so they decided to do a first look and take all of the formal pictures before the ceremony so they could spend more time talking to guests at cocktail hour.

If there was an award for best reaction ever then it might just go to Peter on seeing Heather for the first time: Groom sees the bride for the first time in Migis Lodge, Wedding Pictures

There two are just so sweet together. Look closely in the top left picture, Heather and Peter had a small audience watching from the Cliffside balcony! 

This is one of my favorite pictures of the day: 

At their rehearsal dinner Heather and Peter gave everyone these phenomenal "Krazy Straws" so of course we had to take a picture with them. I'm totally ordering some of these for our home! 

We took pictures with the awesome wedding party: 

Seriously? Loving the color pop of the flowers against the beautiful dresses from Flair Bridesmaids on Newbury St in Boston:  

Family pictures were next - the best part about doing a first look is that we can do these in a relaxed and unrushed manner (compared to when we have maybe 45 minutes between the ceremony and the reception!) AND everyone is fresh out of hair and make up so they look flawless! 

And with that, it was time for Heather and Peter to actually get married! 

At Migis Lodge, the beautiful antique Chris-Craft Tykona II brings in one half of the couple to the ceremony. Heather and Peter broke with tradition and Peter and his groomsmen arrived by boat and then Heather made her way down from the lodge. I had a photographer friend Katie join Audrey and me and the picture of the guys boarding the boat and the wide ceremony shot from the point is Katie's:  Migis Lodge Wedding Ceremony on Petunia Lawn with bride and groom kissing

Once married, Heather and Peter took a short boat ride to celebrate. If I had to give this image a name I think it would be "Joy!" due to Heather's fabulous expression and how Peter can't take his eyes off her :) 

Cocktail hour out on the deck and under the tall swaying pine trees with Lake Sebago in the background - it doesn't get much better! 

Guests enjoyed a choice of 3 signature cocktails and signed Heather & Peter's guest map of Maine: 

There are six bedrooms in the main lodge and as long as you get permission from a kind guest it gives your Migis Lodge wedding photographer a great vantage point for a group shot! A shout out to DJ Brian Zutter who helped make the announcement in order to make this picture happen! 

As cocktail hour drew to a close guests picked up these beautiful handmade escort cards and entered the main dining room: 

Beautiful centerpieces by Marcia Davis:

Guests were welcomed by Heather's father Harvey and Peter's father Bill and then there were the most epic toasts and speeches by Heather's mom Cindy, Heather's sisters Melanie and Sally, and Peter's good friend Jenny. Heather's Mom surprised everyone when she pulled out a picture from that time that Peter asked Heather to their high-school prom under a neighbor's twinkle-lit gazebo: 

As the sun dropped below the horizon and the sky turned a deep twilight blue it was time for Heather and Peter to open the dancefloor with their rather impressive first dance and then parent dances:

Heather and Peter disappeared for a few minutes during the reception before returning in these custom-made Qipao or Cheongsam to make a speech thanking everyone for their support and attending the wedding. Peter's grandparents in Kaifeng, China were unable to attend the wedding and so they sent over these stunning outfits. 

And with that the dancefloor was well and truly opened, Brian Zutter playing some fabulous music:

One last picture of the newlweds outside of Migis Lodge at twilight. Heather & Peter - thank you for choosing me as your Migis Lodge Wedding Photographer, it's been an absolute blast getting to know you both and it was an honor and a pleasure to document your wedding. 

But wait...you may or may not know but we're super lucky to have a home just minutes away from Migis Lodge.

And you may also know of my love/obsession with grandparents (having lost my last grandparent, my beloved grandmother just last year),  I thought it would be lovely for Heather and Peter to have some beautiful portraits of them at Migis in their Chinese outfits to send to Peter's grandparents.

So after confirming that Heather and Peter wouldn't mind me showing up in my morning-after-a-wedding sweats we agreed to meet early the next morning for a mini shoot. Enjoy! 

Next up on the blog (next week) will be Lauren & Tom's elegant Boston Harbor Hotel so don't forget to check back!

And if you're not loving this Wednesday hump day and you'd rather while away time looking at more beautiful wedding pictures here are some more Migis Wedding Pictures:
Amy & John's Migis Lodge Wedding Pictures
Caitlin & Paul's Migis Lodge Wedding Elopement in a torrential summer storm
Wedding Pictures at Migis Lodge for Joanna & Joe
Wedding Photographer for Sabrina & Mark's Migis Wedding

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