This one time at Band Camp, Chad, a smooth sax player met Ashley and said “look at that cutie with the Flute over there.” One date, watching Finding Nemo, and she was hooked. Chad and Ashley were headed for a Journey that would land us right in the heart of Portsmouth on a Thursday afternoon with only their very closest family and friends.
One Day, At Band Camp
Chad and Ashley know how to laugh, play, and have fun together in a very rare and wonderful way. It’s almost as if it’s what they do for a living. They are so sweet and fun! Part of the reason they are this way is that they are very good at making the complicated seem simple. Their wedding day exemplified that.
Small Guest List, Large room. Let’s get creative!
With maybe 60 guests, they were able to make very creative use of the Portsmouth Harbor Events Center Ballroom. Lauren, their coordinator, took care of every detail to a T. The ceremony was in a section of the ballroom, completely separate from the cocktail hour. The cocktail hour was completely separate from the Ballroom, until the guests were invited in and seated. Almost like magic, the cocktail hour walls disappeared! The bar was now in the ballroom, and the guests were ready to receive the bridal party with open arms and rowdy cheers!
Simple Elegance
The ceremony was sweet and simple. The only flowers were those being held by the bride and bridesmaids, along with corsages for the groom and groomsmen. The bridesmaids walked in to Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Ashley walked in to Canon in D. Their ceremony was brief, at 10 minutes or so, but heartfelt, and sprinkled with humor. Ashley’s uncle officiated masterfully. After presenting the Newlyweds, the happy couple exited to OneRepublic’s “Feel Again” Forming a receiving line that welcomed their guests to cocktail hour.
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The Reception!
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After a relaxing, yet upbeat cocktail hour, the guests took their seats as the cocktail hour room magically became part of the ballroom. Amanda Perkins from Amanda Rai Photography was there with her assistant ready to capture the introductions and festivities to follow. Chad and Amanda chose to make their entrance to the tune of Imagine Dragons On Top of the World!
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They went right into their first dance – Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – They are huge movie buffs, and while almost no one wants “wedding” and “Armageddon” in the same sentence, especially when talking about their own wedding, for Chad and Ashley it was a must! The song and movie had very special meaning to both of them.
Dinnertime fun
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Fun and sweet toasts followed by Chad’s Best Man Kevin, his brother Anthony and Ashley’s Maid of Honor Jasmine, and dinner was underway. During dinner the glass clinking began getting overwhelming, so we leveled up. Now everyone at a table had to sing a line or a verse of a song with the word love in it. That didn’t stop this fun and crazy bunch, in fact each table went around and did it! It was time for some serious action. This time, if they want to get Chad and Ashley to kiss, the whole room had to do the wave! They did it not just once, but twice!
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Let’s get this party Started!
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As dinner was wrapping up, we had a high energy centerpiece giveaway that brought them to their feet! Ashley danced with her dad to the acoustic version of Forever Young by Rod Stewart. Chad danced with his mom to Mom by Garth Brooks, and we kicked of the dancing with Beyond the Sea from Finding Nemo, the very first movie Chad and Ashley saw on their very first date together.
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And the crowd goes wild!
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This wedding was so much fun! Thank you Chad and Ashley for asking me to be a part of it!
Jill & Alex meet in high school. All they knew at the time is that they enjoyed each others company. At one point Alex asked her out, and took her to a restaurant that had been a favorite of her families for years! From there things just kept getting better. In a quiet moment at home a few years later, Alex popped the question. He did it right, got down on one knee and surprised the heck out of her (in the best possible way!).
Pleasant Point Inn, When you’re here, you’re family!
Now here we are at the Pleasant Point Inn on Kezar lake in Lovell ME. The inn has been in Jill’s family since 1900! I’ve enjoyed getting to know Jill and Alex, but hadn’t meet them in person til this moment. They and their friends and family were so warm and welcoming. They made me feel right at home. Jill’s grandfather offered me a cookie when he greeted me at the door. I knew at that moment this was going to be an epic day 🙂
Jill was beautiful, and Alex was sharply dressed as well. I had the opportunity to work with the super talented Brittany Jones of 207 Weddings who, along with her team captured everything in amazing photos and video.
Lakeside Ceremony
The ceremony was on the side lawn of the Inn with the breathtaking view of Kezar Lake just feet away. The bridesmaids came down the aisle to an instrumental version of “A Day without Rain” by Enya. After a brief pause the brides dad walked her down the aisle to the instrumental version of Haley Reinhart’s “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”.
The ceremony was sweet and emotional with a few light moments courtesy of their officiant Price Hutchins. After a kiss The new Mr & Mrs England were formally presented to their guests and they walked up the aisle to an instrumental version of “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban. It was a chili, but absolutely beautiful day. Even still guests were as much inside as outside enjoying all the beauty and elegance Pleasant Point Inn and Kezar Lake have to offer.
Let the Party Begin!
When the time came, guests were invited into the ballroom, champagne was poured, The bridal party was introduced with the newlyweds coming in to “Love Never Felt So Good” by Michael Jackson. When they got to the dance floor the bride laid her flowers down on the table while the groomsmen did a sweet dance step with the groom, and then The new Mr & Mrs Alex and Jill England took to the dance floor for their very first dance as husband and wife to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran and Beyonce.
Deception at the reception
Alex handed his bride over to her dad for their dance. The chicken dance started, played for a few seconds, long enough for the bride burst out laughing, and the correct song began playing, Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle. It was a nice light moment. Next it was Alex’s turn to dance with his mom, and it was only fair that he get pranked as well. As they took to the dance floor, “Hit The Road Jack” began playing. Everyone laughed including his mother Pamela, while Alex looked a bit surprised, and the correct song began – “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. this was definitely one of my favorite parts of any wedding I’ve been in
To the Newlyweds!
The toasts followed. Best man Christopher Griffin began with a masterful presentation. Maid of Honor Emily O’Connor followed with a sometimes emotional, heartfelt toast. With that, dinner was served. A bountiful feast to be sure. The energy was high, and the guests would be ready to dance. Sure enough, as the dinner music gets more modern and peppy and we get into Motown and early 70’s toes start tapping, heads start bopping, and voila, they are dancing!
Explosive experience
We take a brief break as loud booms begin outside… Fireworks! The guests all head outside for an amazing fireworks display. Fairly short, maybe 10-15 minutes, but just awesome! Everyone came back in, Alex and Jill cut their wedding cake, and we danced like crazy people to everything from Grand Funk’s Some Kind of Wonderful to Prince Royce. It was a grand evening, and I am so grateful to have been a part of it.
Happily Ever After…
Congratulations Jill & Alex! Thank you for asking me to be a part of such a very special day. I wish you all the best and hope you will stay in touch!
It was early afternoon at Merepoint in Brunswick Maine early on September 15, 2018 for Ben and Grace’s wedding. There were orange tiger prints leading the way to the point, and the yacht club. The view of the Atlantic ocean on the point was breathtaking. Mostly smaller boats passed by as the warm sun beat down.
About 4:15, fog socked us in, and stayed for the duration of the day. It was a fitting setting for a Captain to marry his Clemson Tiger superfan bride. The energy was electric! You could feel it all over the point. Today was going to be an amazing day, and no amount of fog had any chance to stop it!
A foggy day in Brunswick town
Even with the fog, and in a rather enchanting way because of the fog, the setting for the ceremony was beautiful. Guests arrived by bus. The groomsmen gathered, and soft music played as we awaited the bridesmaids. There was no guessing on their arrival as the bright red double cab 4×4 pickup pulled up with the bright orange Clemson banner waving.
Ben and their officiant strode down to the tip of the point. The bridesmaids and groomsmen paired up for their journey down the aisle to the Piano Guys version of Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars followed by Grace and her dad, an equally ardent Tigers fan, coming down the aisle to The Piano Guys version of Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years. After a beautiful heartfelt ceremony, the new Mr & Mrs Ben and Grace Bailey led the way up the aisle to the triumphant horns of You Are The Best Thing by Ray Lamontagne. They and their bridal party hung back to grab a few photos while the guests adjourned to the yacht club for cocktails.
The warmth of friends and family
The fog brought a chill with it, but friends and family of the newlyweds flowed freely as did the drinks and laughter, keeping the atmosphere light and warm. When the time was right, Alane and Nicky from Salty Sea event planning gathered all of the guests for photographer Sara Jane to capture a photo of everyone on the massive porch of the yacht club before everyone gathered under the beautifully lit and decorated clear tent provided by Robyn from Maine Event Decor.
Let the celebration begin! To the newlyweds!
Once the guests were seated comfortably, the bridle party and the new Mr & Mrs Ben and Grace Bailey were introduced to I Gotta Feeling by the Blackeyed Peas. Moments later, the Clemson Tiger Rag played. The father of the bride Mark Kirshe took the microphone for a dynamic, yet very touching speech and toast. The best man, younger brother of the groom, followed up quite nicely. Finally the Matron of honor, sister of the bride, herself just married in the same location 3 months earlier. Each gave a sweet, funny and not too long tribute and toast to Ben and Grace. Now it was time for Coastal Critters to take over, getting everyone fed, and not just fed, they were treated to lobster, steak and a plethora of grilled veggies, it was a feast for the ages!
Let there be dancing!
As dinner wound down, guests began filling the Yacht club. Soon after Ben and Grace took to the dance floor to You Make it Easy by Jason Aldean. Ben then handed his beautiful bride over to her dad Mark. They then danced to Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. Ben then escorted his mom to the dance floor. They danced to I Hope You Dance by Leanne Womack followed up by one more rousing rendition of Clemson’s Tiger Rag! The already packed dance floor buzzed with energy!
There were a couple of breaks. One for the uncle of the bride to offer a humorous toast and presentation to the newlyweds. The other break was for the newlyweds to cut their wedding cake in front of the beautiful Yacht Club fireplace. After the cake was cut, dancing continued and the energy stayed high right til the very last song. What an amazing day from start to finish!
Thank you Ben and Grace for asking me to be a part of your wedding day. It was my honor and pleasure!
We LOVED working with M&M Entertainment when planning our wedding. Michael started the interaction by replying to our inquiry almost immediately, and continued to stay in constant contact throughout the entire process. He made many helpful suggestions, not only regarding the music but for reception details as well, helping us create a timeline of events. During the event, the fire alarms went off and he was very helpful in guiding guests, and even more helpful restarting the party once everyone was seated again. My husband and I are incredibly thankful for all the effort and hard work that he put into planning our reception. If you have an event that requires the services of a DJ, we HIGHLY recommend Michael and his company. You get exactly what you pay for, which is someone with lots of experience who has been doing this for years, and knows how to make your dreams come true!
