Lyndsay and Nate's Fall Elopement in Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine
Nothing makes me happier than when people I’ve known for a very long time ask me to shoot their wedding. It’s seriously such an honor. What’s even sweeter is when my long time friend’s fiancé (whom I’ve never met) reaches out because he knows that having me as their wedding photographer would make his bride-to-be so happy. That’s what happened with Nate and Lyndsay and in that very moment, I knew my friend was marrying a man who holds her love and happiness above anything else. I couldn’t wait to start planning with them!
Lyndsay and I spent many long chats and a wine date or two talking about her wedding plans. Something I stress to all of my couples is to do what makes you happy, not what makes everyone else happy. Ultimately, this is your day and you know what’s the absolute best for you two as a couple. When wedding planning wasn’t going exactly how they had hoped, they thought that eloping to a destination they’ve always wanted to go would make them happy and reflect them as a couple much more than anything else. Being there with Lyndsay as she was stressing over all of her wedding planning, I knew her heart was telling her to go to Maine, and I’m so happy they chose to follow their hearts and elope in Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. Honestly, as a friend, I wanted them to do what was best for them, even if that meant I wasn’t going along for the wedding. But when she asked me to come - total heart explosion. All signs pointed to this wedding being totally epic, and it definitely didn’t disappoint!
Around 30 hours round trip in a car with my BFF from college (all while being pregnant mind you) was worth every second - even when we were so tired and had to blast random music and dance obnoxiously to stay awake as we drove through the foggy night to get home to our families. I will say that we finally got to experience cooler Fall weather in Bar Harbor. The morning of the wedding was 55 degrees and raining, but just as we walked across the street to Nate and Lyndsay’s bed and breakfast, the Atlantean Cottage, the rain stopped and held off for the rest of the day! And I’m so happy that it did, because we got to take full advantage of the New England charm that the Atlantean Cottage had to offer with a gorgeous ivy wall, a cute stone walkway and a beautiful yard and patio area. The inside was equally beautiful and I can’t even tell you how wonderful and accommodating the employees were! Then, I saw all of Lyndsay’s details come together for the first time and it was like a wedding photographer’s dream (or just mine at least). When I say she thought of everything, I mean she literally thought of everything. I could’ve stayed there to photograph all day, but that wasn’t even the best part! We had a wedding to get to!
The ceremony took place in Acadia National Park on a stoned area overlooking Eagle Lake. The mountainous backdrop with the fog rolling in and just a pop of that Fall color on the trees made for the most beautiful ceremony site. Being in a national park, I was surprised at just how private this area was - Lyndsay and Nate really did a stellar job at picking the perfect location. Once the ceremony and formal photos wrapped up, we made our way up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was so foggy at the top, but it added such a cool and different vibe to their photos. As we drove down the mountain, we found the perfect spot where the fog broke and we could see the amazing scenery down below. That’s where we wrapped up their photos, with lots of snuggles, some dancing on the mountain top and belly laughs so hard that my entire body hurt and there were tears in my eyes (thanks Nate! ;]).
Afterwards, we got to pack our cameras away and wrapped up the night around a bonfire with some seriously incredible catering by Mainely Meat BBQ at Atlantic Brewing Company and dancing under the twinkle lights. I ended the night with such a grateful heart and didn’t think it could get any better. But I was wrong! Come back to the blog tomorrow to learn why :]
Vendors:
Venue: The Atlantean Cottage, Eagle Lake, Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine
Florist: Queen Anne’s Flower Shop
Stationery: Vistaprint
Wedding gown: David’s Bridal
Necklace: Custom made by Marikay Bellino
Groom attire: The Black Tie Company
Hair and makeup: Echo Salon
Second photographer: Christie Leigh Photo
