A Modern and Whimsical Wedding in Maine

Morgan and Andrew

Andrew MacLeod Rand's best friend was getting hitched to a good pal of Morgan Rose Cronin in the summer of 2009. The betrothed couple plotted to set them up, and after their wedding, Andrew and Morgan began a long-distance romance, never going more than three weeks without seeing each other. Three years after meeting, on July 7, 2012, they married during a weekend-long destination celebration.

Following the bride's design mantra to "choose things you'll love, and you'll love the outcome," (she's an interior designer) the decisions they made during the planning process helped create a completely customized and personalized New England fete that fused of fun and formality.

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The Stationery

Amber Moon of Pitbulls and Posies created the one-of-a-kind invitation suite and all of the day-of paperie.

The bride's mom got in on the fun of the color palette by putting her expertise as a skilled candy maker to use. She made chocolate lollipops in the shape of deer heads as favors -- though the younger attendees got more festive sprinkle-covered ponies.

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The Location: French's Point Estate

The pair returned to Andrew's home state of Maine for their nuptials. After a long location hunt -- made a bit more challenging because the bride and groom were living in different states than each other and their families -- they fell in love with French's Point Estate. The venue hosted the wedding and served as home base for many of the guests, with plenty of local attractions and activities for them to enjoy during their time in town.

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Colorful Wedding Fashions

Both the bride and groom opted for traditional garb in less traditional colors. She, in a soft blush, and he, in blue. Morgan paired her Watters "Olivia" gown (found at Lovely Bride) with Jimmy Choo heels, earrings from L'Elite, and a diamond bracelet on loan from her paternal grandmother, who first received it as an anniversary present from Morgan's grandfather.

Andrew sported a Versace suit, Allen Edmonds shoes, and J.Crew shirt.

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The Groom's Accessories

The groom kept his Etro tie in place with an engraved monogrammed tie clip from JC Jewelry Design.

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Playful Boutonnieres

Gold sequined Ban.do hearts were incorporated into the boutonnieres.

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Natty Groomsmen

Andrew's groomsmen wore Zara suits, J.Crew ties, American Apparel suspenders, and monogrammed tie clips of their own.

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Bridesmaids in White

Bridesmaids selected their own white cocktail dresses and gold shoes. They all wore white-and-gold beaded necklaces from 31Bits, a gift from the bride. They sported oversized bows in their hair and oversized Kate Spade earrings, both of which are signature accessories of the bride.

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A Sparkling Bouquet

Morgan carried a clutch of roses, dusty miller, scabiosa pods, succulents, poppy pods, and craspedia, made by Judith Bourgeois of Flora Fauna, and bound with a bit of sparkle.

To honor her maternal grandparents, who couldn't make the trip north for the celebration, Morgan carried her grandmother's clover-embroidered hankie with the bouquet. To honor her late paternal grandfather, she attached his US Marine pin to the bouquet too.

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Corsage for Mom

The mother-of-the-bride wore a corsage made from a slap bracelet covered with gold sequined fabric and fresh blooms.

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Oceanside Ceremony

The venue's gazebo lends itself naturally to a ceremony site. To add some personality to the spot, gold tissue-paper tassels were hung and a gold sequined runner covered the paved pathway. The Atlantic Ocean provided a picturesque backdrop, and the sounds of the water a subtle soundtrack.

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Sassy Wedding Signage

The couple enjoys playing strategy games, so they made a subtle nod to one of their favorites, "Dominion", in the wording of their signage: Chapel, Horn of Plenty, Treasury, Wishing Well, and Potion are all cards in the game and were turned into fun signs throughout the day.

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Modern Wedding Playlist

The couple opted for nontraditional tunes during the ceremony. The groomsmen entered to "Daylight" by Matt & Kim, which features the line "In the daylight we can hitchhike to Maine," also printed on the duo's invitations. The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to "Go Do"by Jonsi.

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The "Groomtots"

Jay (and his brother Ben, who are Morgan's nephews) were referred to as "groomtots" because they were too young to carry the rings, though they were still part of the processional and official bridal party. Their New England-chic ensembles were from Zara.

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A Nervous Entrance

"No one ever prepares you for the awkwardness of walking down an aisle with so many eyes on you," Morgan said. "My dad was so wonderful, while we were walking he was just saying calming things like 'Ok Missy, we'll just take it nice and slow. Everyone here loves you.'" The soundtrack for their processional? "Gobbledigook" by Sigur Ros.

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The "Maine Event"

Programs for the "Maine Event" were printed on small packets, which included fun tidbits about each member of the bridal party, a nod to family members passed, and the order of the service and "how it's going to go down."

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Bagpipe Ceremony

Traditional elements—like the exchanging of vows and the inclusion of the song "Blessed Be Your Name" -- were fused with more modern, off-beat touches, like a bagpipe serenade after being announced as husband and wife.

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Rainbow Connection

At the conclusion of the service, massive amounts of rainbow confetti was tossed as the couple recessed up the aisle. "Even though we knew it was coming, I think we were unprepared for the actual effect," Morgan said. "It felt like we had just won 'So You Think You Can Dance.'" As for the groom, he had completely forgotten about the confetti exit, and was totally surprised when it happened.

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Group Portrait

Mr. Haack snapped a picture of all of the guests. "It's a French's special," Morgan said. "The estate has so many great balconies, and our photographer was able to stand on one and get a shot of everyone on the terrace below. It took less than five minutes, but it's one of our most cherished pictures of the weekend."

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Wedding Portraits

Morgan and Andrew decided to wait until the ceremony to see each other, creating a magical moment as Andrew saw his bride approach, veil blowing in the wind. After the ceremony, they took portraits on the grounds of the Inn and around the farm house.

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Picture Perfect Maine

The venue's coastline and clear blue skies were a striking backdrop.

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Hot Pink Escort Cards

Pitbulls and Posies commissioned laser-cut charms instead of traditional paper escort cards. Hot pink twine connected each person's name with a disk sporting table numbers.

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Signed with Love

Instead of a guest book, the couple opted for a more interactive approach, fitting for the seaside setting. A mix of lobster buoys -- snatched up from a neighbor who was selling them in their front yard the week before the wedding -- were affixed to an old door and dubbed the "Wishing Well".

This fun detail, and many of the other festive designs, were dreamed up and produced by Jesi Haack of Jesi Haack Design.

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Buoy Guest Book

Guests signed the buoys with sharpies. After the wedding the newlyweds hung them up in their spare bathroom.

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Golden Reception

Long tables were decked out with sparkly gold runners, low arrangements made in a variety of vessels, and gold votive candle holders. Triangular plates (a tie in to the shapes that festooned the invitation and hand painted bamboo flatware in the stationery's color palette were at each place setting.

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Gold Table Numbers

Laser cut gold numbers labeled each table.

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Fringed Accents

Long Reception Table with Red Flower Arrangements — Mr. Haack

Bold-colored tassels hung on the back of each chair and oversized balloons with fringe of their own floated overhead.

"One of my favorite stories from the wedding is Jesi texting me the day before asking for permission to spend more than she quoted us on helium for the balloons because apparently 'the world is running out of helium,'" Drew said.

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Wedding Swing

Near the main terrace is a huge tree with an equally impressive swing hung from its branches. Before the venue hunt began, Morgan's dad saw a picture of a bride on a swing and thought it was the coolest thing. So the fact that French's had a similar one made the location feel like it was meant to be!

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Newlywed Chairs

Laser-cut gold plexiglass signs were hung on the backs of the couple's chairs using antique fishing hooks and twine from a local shop. "We call each other by our first and middle names," Morgan said. "So those full names are what we chose to have on our seats."

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The First Dance

The reception began with the newlyweds dancing to "Springtime" by The Annuals. During their engagement, the couple took classic dance lessons to prepare for the big moment, and to take the stress off being the center of attention. Thanks to their instructor, Tessa Antolini, they wowed the crowd with their moves.

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In Limbo

Later, everyone hit the floor when friends and family began an impromptu limbo. One of the gold sequined table runners stood in for a pole, and everyone got in on the fun -- even the bride "got low" with her groom, in her 6-inch heels.

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A Trio of Cakes

Nothing Bakes Like a Parrot made three cakes since the couple couldn't narrow it down to just one, which were the central part of the dessert table. The biggest, a raspberry lemon confection boasted glittery ribbon around the base of each tier and a laser-cut topper.

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