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!

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