York Dockside Guest Quarters Wedding in Southern Maine : Bri + Justin

Bri + Justin tied the knot on the hottest day of the year in York Maine – and while I sweated through every moment (as did everyone else!), I also loved every moment. Their wedding was at the Dockside Guest Quarters in York Maine where Bri got her hair and makeup done in a room overlooking a little cove in the Atlantic ocean shoreline and on the yard below they would exchange vows, dance a first dance in the shade of a gazebo, and play along the marina waterfront before a dinner surrounded by close family and friends.

They planned the day to be intimate and decided to forgo the massive celebration in exchange for a day that suited them best and Dockside Guest Quarters was an ideal location for just that kind of evening. I’ve been talking with them both frequently as they planned their celebration and from all that I knew of them, this was going to be a day that fit their quiet and loving personalities and wouldn’t overwhelm them with a bunch of different tasks or traveling to a bunch of locations.

They wanted to focus on the time they could spend being still next one another, enjoy longer stretches of time in between events, and they wanted to focus on getting married to their best friend.

And man, they and their wedding gave me so much love to photograph and it was so wonderful to be a part of.

Wedding season is something I always look forward to every year – I get excited to try new things, to meet new couples in love, to be a part of their unique celebrations and make art that is treasured for years and years to come.

But I will say that it can also be very stressful and taxing emotionally. Yup, emotionally! I’m very invested in my couples and their days so not only does my body feel tired at the end of the night from running around with a bunch of cameras and climbing on stuff and all that awesome jazz, but this empathic, extroverted introvert photographer also is very emotionally involved and I can feel their butterflies, the overwhelming love, and the tears all the way down to my core and that part is sometimes the hardest to recover from the next day! Put that on top of everyday life things that are totally separate from work, and whew! it can be a lot! However, when I left this wedding, I felt so very good and it truly was the place I needed to be that day surrounded by those people. It was just what the doctor would’ve ordered :)

And Bri, oh man, Bri she just is the warmest and most loving soul who is almost never more excited than when she is in the presence of an animal which we totally are alike on! She runs her own pet care business and we just got each other on how animals are just the best :)

She is also the person that will greet everyone who walks into the room. She’ll hold your gaze and honestly ask how you’re doing and complement your dress all while she’s doing a million other things to get ready on her wedding day. She showered everyone with love, was full of grace even when the pressure was heating up (literally, their room kept losing power on this hot hot HOT day because of hair appliances which meant the small air conditioner wasn’t running right most of the time and she sat roasting under the heat of a curling iron and cape) and all day, she remained the kindest person.

And they were so excited to get married! He spun her around in her long beautiful pale pink dress full of layers of tulle, he kissed her and told her how beautiful she looked, and she tearfully read her vows aloud while getting ready because she was so nervous about saying them in front of a crowd. And by the way guys, the vows were GREAT and if I hadn’t known how nervous you were, I would’ve never thought you felt that way! Promise!

They and their families created little whirlwinds of excitement around them and were so happy for this wonderful couple to be wed. And I loved photographing the tea ceremony between the couple and Justin’s family to honor the Chinese wedding tradition – even though it was brief, it was one of my favorite little vignettes from the day.

After dinner and cake cutting, I stole the two of them for some photos out in the tall seagrass in the last light of the day before returning them to their families for drinks and yard games. It was a beautiful day surrounding two wonderful people that I’d been looking forward to photographing.

Bri + Justin, thank you for bringing me on your wedding day. I loved being there for you two and damn, you two look good together!

The bride and a bridesmaid get their hair and makeup done at York Dockside Guest Quarters on the wedding day

On the hottest day of the year the bride fans herself while getting her hair done on her wedding day in York Maine

The bride nervously practices her vows while getting last minute touchups in her room at York Dockside Guest Quarters in Maine

The bride nervously practices her vows while getting last minute touchups in her room at York Dockside Guest Quarters in Maine

The bride comes down the stairs to head to the first look in Maine

The groom gives the bride a spin on their wedding day while out on York's Wiggly Bridge over the ocean

The bride and groom laugh while out on the Wiggly Bridge in York Maine for their wedding day

The bride and groom share a kiss by the Wiggly Bridge in York Maine

The bride and groom hug one another in the woods on their York Maine Wedding day

The bride and groom share a kiss while he holds her in the cool woods on their York Maine Wedding day

The groom helps pick leaves out of the bride's dress after walking through the woods

The groom makes the bride laugh in the sun while standing on the Wiggly Bridge in York

The bride and groom laugh while playing around on the ocean's edge in Southern Maine

The bride and groom walk to their wedding ceremony while she holds her gown

The bride and her teary mom and dad walk her down the aisle at her southern Maine wedding

The bride and groom read their vows to one another at their York Maine Wedding

The bride and groom read their vows to one another at their York Maine Wedding

The groom smiles at the bride during their wedding ceremony on the lawn

The bride tears up while listening to the groom read his vows to her at the York Dockside Guest Quarters at her Maine wedding

The bride and groom dance in the gazebo at York Dockside Guest Quarters with family cheering them on

Family members pass tea in the Chinese Tea Ceremony after the wedding

The groom laughs with his family during the Chinese Tea Ceremony on his wedding day

The bride and groom share a laugh during the Chinese Tea Ceremony in their room at York Dockside Guest Quarters in Maine

New family welcome one another in the Chinese Tea ceremony on the York Maine wedding day

The bride in her tulle dress heads down the stairs to the wedding reception in Maine

The best man toasts the bride and groom on their wedding day in York Maine

The maid of honor and a bridesmaid toast the newlyweds at their York Dockside Guest Quarters restaurant while they laugh

The bride and groom hold onto each other while out on the docks at York Dockside Guest Quarters on their wedding day in Maine

The bride and groom get close to one another out in the sea grass on their southern Maine wedding

The bride and groom hold hands while out in the sea grass on their southern Maine wedding

The bride and groom hold hands while out in the sea grass on their southern Maine wedding

The bride and groom take photos while hanging out in the tall Maine sea grass in York

Dockside Guest Quarters York Maine Wedding Photographer: I AM SARAH V Photography
Ceremony: Dockside Guest Quarters York, Maine
Reception: Dockside Guest Quarters Restaurant
Officiant: Tyler Shira
Wedding Dress: BHLDN
Suit: J Crew
Flowers: In Bloom
Cake: Cakes by Debbie
Makeup: Morgan Hansen Beauty
Hair: Jillian Tobin
Decorations: Maine Event Decor
Pianist: Katherine Mayfield

Maine & New Hampshire wedding photographer, I AM SARAH V Photography, photographs events for wildly in love couples seeking an NH & Maine wedding photographer with a photojournalism & cinematic approach. You can see more of my work online at www.iamsarahv.com or on Instagram. I photograph many locations including being a Dockside Guest Quarters wedding photographer in York Maine and I would enjoy photographing your day too! If you’d like to contact me directly, please email me at hello@iamsarahv.com

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