Celia & Jimmy – An Ocean-Inspired Coastal Wedding in Kittery Point, Maine

August 1, 2019

Weddings

The coast of Maine serves as the backdrop for a lot of Northeastern weddings. Celia and Jimmy, however, decided to let the scenery play an even more important role in their wedding. Their color palette was originally described to me as “the colors of a mussel shell.” From there, it was obvious that every touch of their wedding was going to be filled with the same elements that make Maine weddings so captivating in the first place.

Although the bride and groom reside in Los Angeles, the choice to host their wedding at Kittery Point was an easy one. A year before the couple was even engaged, they visited a place near and dear to Celia’s heart – her family’s coastal home, where Celia’s family summered during her childhood. The land where the house is built belonged to Celia’s great great grandmother, Celia Thaxter – an artist and poet who is celebrated on the Isles of Shoals to this day. The historic residence sits adjacent to Sea Point Beach, a picturesque place where you can’t ignore the serene sound of the Atlantic Ocean lapping the shore. It was during this visit that Jimmy and Celia instantly knew this was the place they were one day going to get married.

On a breezy day in June 2019, white chairs stood all in a row on Sea Point Beach’s sandy shore. The ceremony was set against coastal Maine’s sweeping scenery. The dusty blue sky (which just happened to match the bridesmaid’s dresses, and perfectly complemented the bride’s stunning champagne-colored ballgown) slowly transforming into a wash of pastels as the sun set upon the tented reception later that evening.

The décor was accented with thoughtful touches of blue, green, and ivory. The bride was even presented with – quite appropriately – a beautiful mussel shell necklace from her groom, along with a touching handwritten love note. As I said before, Maine’s coastline serves as the backdrop for a lot of weddings in this part of the county. But somehow, Celia and Jimmy’s picture-perfect love story made it all just seem a bit more enchanting.

Four years before their beautiful nuptials took place, Celia and Jimmy met at the bride’s birthday party, which was hosted at a Malibu vineyard. Two weeks later, the couple was again brought together at the same Malibu winery. Although he was short on cash at the time, Jimmy decided he wasn’t going to miss his chance with Celia. He borrowed $20 from a friend so that he could officially buy her a drink. The drink led to dancing, dancing led to a kiss on the sidewalk, and before they knew it, that $20 loan turned into a magnificent love story.

Three years later, Jimmy decided to throw Celia a very special birthday party. He surprised her with a brunch at the same winery – and on the same bench – where they met. After taking a few celebratory photos, Jimmy asked the birthday girl to take a photo of him inside of a special mini bus on the property. Once inside, she noticed it was completely decorated with photos of their relationship. Celia then turned around to find Jimmy down on one knee. If a day full of surprised wasn’t enough, the couple’s family and friends soon emerged from their hiding places and they spend the rest of the day celebrating the newly engaged couple.