Posts Tagged ‘lobster’

Tara + David | Seaside Engagement Party in Kennebunkport, Maine

September 21st, 2012

As promised, here is a peek at David & Tara’s adorable nautical themed engagement party. Tara’s mother hosted a full weekend of engagement festivities, with family and friends traveling in from all across the country. On this day, everyone gathered for a delightful Lobster Boil at the family home. No detail was spared… and no [...]
 

As promised, here is a peek at David & Tara’s adorable nautical themed engagement party. Tara’s mother hosted a full weekend of engagement festivities, with family and friends traveling in from all across the country. On this day, everyone gathered for a delightful Lobster Boil at the family home. No detail was spared… and no tummy left empty! Everything about this party can be summed up as Delicious.

 

 

Tara & David, you have utterly charmed me. May your wedding & your marriage be as colorful, comfortable, and full of warmth as this day.

 

Cheers,

Briana

 

 

Lobsters/clams – Port Lobster in Kennebunkport, Maine

Side Dishes – Kitchen Chicks Catering in Kennebunk, Maine

Cake – Let Them Eat Cake in Kennebunkport, Maine

Tablecloths – Anniebell’s in Kennebunkport, Maine

Placemats – Stonewall Kitchen in York, Maine

Buoys/Tiki Torches/Plates – borrowed from Kennebunk River Club

Chalkboard – DIY by the Maid of Honor, Priya Gonsalves

Seashell décor – borrowed from a family friend

Personalized Napkins – The Stationery Studio

Tara & David Sign – Etsy, CreativePartyBanners

Invitations – Etsy, ItsyBitsyPaper

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Tara & David | Seaside Engagement in Kennebunkport, ME

September 21st, 2012

This two part engagement post is filled with huge smiles, lots of style, and a whole lotta love! This gorgeous couple currently lives in Chicago, but have deep ties to Kennebunkport. Tara spent much of her child hood in this charming town on the rocky coast of Maine. She met David while attending Boston University, [...]
 

This two part engagement post is filled with huge smiles, lots of style, and a whole lotta love! This gorgeous couple currently lives in Chicago, but have deep ties to Kennebunkport. Tara spent much of her child hood in this charming town on the rocky coast of Maine. She met David while attending Boston University, and had him equally hooked after one visit. 7 years later, they could think of nowhere better document this new stage of their relationship.

Meet David & Tara:

 

 

 

When Tara reached out to me about the possibility of photographing her engagement party, I had no idea what I was in for… which was a whole heap of awesome. ;) The more I learned, the more excited I became.  David and Tara both have this magnetic energy that draws everyone in. David is endearing & so at ease with himself, and Tara is a pure bundle of joy. Together, they are a truly balanced and beautiful pair.

 

The next stop on our adventure around town is the very bench that David proposed… but I’ll let him tell you that story!

Tara and I got engaged on the coast of Kennebunkport, Maine on Christmas Eve 2011.
My plan for the proposal was to take Tara on a horse-drawn carriage ride through town and along the coast where I would “pop the question”. In order to make sure Tara had no idea the proposal was coming, I worked with her mom to convince Tara this was an early Christmas gift from her parents (which she totally bought, since we’d both been wanting to do this for years.)   Although there was no snow, it was a gorgeous winter day, freezing cold (in the single digits, the coldest day in Maine that year!) but with a beautifully shining sun. Under a heavy bearskin blanket and with hot coffees to keep us warm, we finally took the idyllic carriage ride we had been looking forward to for so long. We were both full of smiles, but inside I was still a mess, hoping I would have the right words to say to Tara when the time came…
A few days prior, I had coordinated with our carriage driver to suggest we stop at a lookout point along the coast so we could walk over to the rocky shore and I could propose right on ocean with just the two of us there (something we’d both always said we wanted). However, there was miscommunication and instead of stopping at the desired spot the driver actually began to turn back towards Tara’s home!   Not wanting to make a scene, but also knowing that in two blocks, we would be leaving the coastline, my mind was racing when I saw a group of benches with an elderly couple sitting there. I thought to myself “God, what am I going to do?” and at that exact moment, the elderly couple stood up to leave!   Seizing the opportunity, I quickly asked the driver if we could stop to “look around.” While most people might think this would lead Tara to suspect something was up, Tara (knowing me as well as she does) knew this is hardly far from the ordinary as I’m a very “stop and smell the roses” kind of guy. Poetically, as we were walking on the path toward the benches about to begin the first step in our marriage together, the elderly couple was walking out, presumably after a long and happy life together, smiling at us, as if with their blessing.
Finally, after all the planning and stressing, the moment that we’d both been waiting so long for was here. After sitting on the bench for a few minutes, me looking out to sea and stumbling over trying to find the right words and Tara holding my hand and beaming, I finally did what I’d been practicing for behind Tara’s house all week: with the glistening ocean behind me, I dropped to one knee, pulled out the ring I had designed for Tara, and said, “I’ve known for a long time it was you. Tara, will you marry me?”   With a look of extreme surprise and tears already streaming down her face, Tara didn’t answer my question but responded with another one “Is this for real???”   We’d been dating for so long – 7 years that coming January – that it was hard for both of us to believe the moment was really for real. I don’t think Tara ever answered my question (at least not in that instant) since we were busy hugging, kissing, giggling, smiling, and, yes, crying. But she didn’t have to say anything; as her boyfriend now turned fiancé, I knew exactly what she was thinking.
 

 

 

 

After a quick change, we headed down to the rocks for a bit of fun. I also asked for David to bring on the GQ, and he didn’t let me down!

 

 

 

Our session ended down along the water. We had originally hoped for blue skies, but I think the weather knew better than I what was needed at this moment. There is something so gorgeous about the juxtaposition of the moody clouds with their bright colors & gleeful faces. Looking at these images, one can get the sense that they will hold onto each other tightly, laughing in the face of any storms that may come their way.

 

And this is just half of it… stay tuned for coverage of their GORGEOUS nautical themed engagement party!

 

Cheers,

Briana

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Hoppy days are here again

February 27th, 2011

I should probably express right now that I love beer. Good beer. Craft beers and microbrews, in particular. In addition to better taste and satisfaction of supporting smaller businesses, I find that craft breweries still see brewing (and drinking) as an art. the   Upon moving to Boston, enjoying a good ale has transitioned from [...]
 

I should probably express right now that I love beer. Good beer. Craft beers and microbrews, in particular. In addition to better taste and satisfaction of supporting smaller businesses, I find that craft breweries still see brewing (and drinking) as an art. the   Upon moving to Boston, enjoying a good ale has transitioned from pleasure to interest to hobby. As I type this, James is in our kitchen embarking on his first home brewing adventure.

James and I are not quite sure how this started, but most milestones in both our dating and married life has involved a good brew, our most epic yet being a tour of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, with all of our guests, the day after our wedding. Here is a cherished picture of that day… destination weddings are awesome. ;)

Last week was the first trip we have taken alone, with no other responsibilities or obligations, since our honeymoon over 3 years ago.  Naturally, we realized we needed to keep with our consistently successful travel theme of Hoppy = Happy,  so we headed up to Portsmouth, NH.

Portsmouth is a lovely town full of good food, great beer (holla!), and charming shops. I believe it deserves a spot on a list for Perfect New England Getaways. I must give a quick shout out to Scott & Doug at The Ale House Inn for our perfect accommodations, and for being the greatest of hosts. Their warmth and knowledge pushed our trip from enjoyable to beyond fabulous. Also, this inn was every artists dream. If I could make their lobby my living room, I would. I’m surprised I didn’t damage the gorgeous wood flooring with my constant drooling. The inn is a former Brew Co. warehouse, remodeled with such amazing style and attention to detail. Their website does not lie when it claims to be Portsmouth’s ultimate destination for those seeking a unique blend of history, style and comfort. I could not recommend them more highly!

The rest of our trip consisted of our favorite things. Local pubs, bookstores, sifting through junk yard-esque antique shops (scoring a bottle press for our home brewing in the process), and naturally, taking far too many photos. Though really, can there every be enough photos? :)   Here are a few highlights:

James and I return to everyday life tomorrow. Refreshed. Life is beautiful again. :)

Cheers, Briana

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