Setting the Scene for a coastal Maine wedding

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!

Sincerely, Michael J Mahoney, your DJ