The Maine Event

Bet you thought you wouldn't see me around here again. That's what happens when life gets in the way and it's easier to just log onto Instagram to post pictures. Anyways, it feels good and almost cathartic to be able to write down my most recent adventures. Enjoy this brain/picture dump of the most funnest wedding ever!

Traveling to Maine for my cousin's wedding was stressful and rewarding and lots of fun. My favorite guy cousin was getting married, finally, this was the family event of the year! 

I'd already been remotely helping Elise, the bride, plan everything from the overall timeline to tiny details here and there for a few weeks, but I'd yet to see the actual space--hello it's in Maine. I'd also been stressing over what to wear. (it ended up being for nothing because believe it or not, the weather in Maine was the exact same in NOLA--oh well)

And, let's face it, going anywhere with my entire family on a time restraint (aka catching a flight) has its ups and downs. I swear I should've had a Xanax with my Chardonnay on the plane. #drunkonaplane

The crew--Ellen selfie style!

We made it to Maine without any MAJOR bumps in the road (though there were actually bumps on the plane ride--hence needing the Xanax--I don't do drugs I promise).

The funny thing about where we were staying in Maine was that there were literally NO major hotel chains to stay in. None. So we were forced to stay in this absolutely GORGEOUS bed and breakfast--Admiral Peary Inn. The leaves actually change colors up north, like it's amazing. On to the wedding festivities.

Admiral Peary Inn -- Freiburg, Maine

My cousin Jonathan and his fiancé, now wife! Elise found the most perfect place to get married, a teen camp. Yep, that's right..who would've thought that it would be an appropriate place to get married (not me), but wait until you see the pictures + it fit their personality perfectly. 

The second full day we were there was for major set up and planning/organizing and the rehearsal dinner. That meant we had to get a place where annoying, grubby teens gather every summer to shove food down their throats into a spick and span place to say nuptials and party the night away in less than 24 hours. Anyone slightly freaking out yet? 

I was, but luckily for me, that fuels my creativity and take charge attitude--besides I'm the resident wedding planner of the family, it's what I do.

Ok so,

Ellzey's--in charge of stringing the lights... How many Ellzey's does it take? (Five plus a Baumgartner)
The Men-- in charge of the heavy lifting (and helping Ellzey girls figure out the best way to hang lights)
Bomar/Baumgartner's-- floral design

AND BREAK!

That's a lot of flowers!

After struggling with stringing the lights for LITERALLY I KID YOU NOT the ENTIRE DAY, they were all hung and they all worked. 

Hint: "Bridal Lights" are the same as Christmas tree lights except they are white. Don't be fooled, be a savvy consumer. So they also work the same way as Christmas lights, as in sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. And if you plug more than three strands into each other a time...NIGHTMARE. Luckily my dad is a whiz at all things tinkering and was able to replace fuses as fast as we could blow them. Now you can see why it almost took the whole day/night.

They looked pretty spectacular in the end AND stayed up and lit the entire time!

We were rewarded after all of our hard work of stringing lights and various other wedding preparation with tacos for dinner! More specifically, it was a taco bar. Died and gone to heaven here people. Perfect ending to a hectic, busy day.

The day of the wedding could NOT have been any more perfect! Sunshine, warm, AH-MAZING!

From the Lodge--reception space looking down at the Beach--ceremony space

Note: See how steep that hill is? Yep, I definitely tripped up the hill a few times during the day--Carol is my only witness, hopefully. It takes skill to trip up. 

Ceremony Space! 

This wedding had a lot of firsts for me. It was really the first wedding I coordinated all on my own AND it was in Maine. People in Maine do weddings way differently than in New Orleans. Also, usually at work I have other people with lots more experience in the industry to help guide me, but this was all me calling the shots. 

This is my "I got this" face + two sisters

I conducted the rehearsal all by myself and people looked to me as the expert to answer questions. 

I was introduced as the wedding coordinator-- OMG BRB DYING

I coordinated when the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and bride walked down the aisle, cued the ceremony music, told the food truck where to park and set up (while the ceremony was going on + yes, there was a food truck--HOW COOL?!)

I made bunches of flower arrangements, don't forget about those lights, set up the decorations, etc.

I guess you could say if I wasn't before, I'm totally a wedding planner/coordinator/extraordonaire now!

Dysfunctional--gotta love em!

Hello food truck!

The personal details throughout the reception space were probably my favorite. The plaque was a gift from us Ellzey's that we were able to display at the reception. They had a friend do all of the chalkboards seen in all of the pictures--she did a fab job too, totally Pinterest worthy. Plus, it was all family that decorated and set up. Very special for them!

Best Men and Best Women!

 Someone found this sign "Elise for Congress" on the side of the road while on the way to the wedding. Boom, instant sign in book. Since they didn't have one before, it was literally the most perfect thing. The T-shirt: JP's Pub was just another personal touch. (Side note: ALL of Jonathan's friends call him JP, which is so weird for me and the rest of the fam. He will always be Jonathan to us!)

Their cake was Vegan Chocolate and "she" was Harry Potter and "he" was a Ninja Turtle--all made out of legos of course. 

The crazy couple during their first dance!

The reception was hands down THE most fun I've had since my last college date party (without my main man, Josh of course). The stressful part was over and it was time to party! My Mimi learned the YMCA and had her first taste of red wine on this trip, my parents were dancing (like I've never seen them dance), we were all drinking like fish, it was an all around great time.

And this is basically my most favorite picture of me and Jonathan-- I mean JP

Dad busting some kind of "old school" dance move.

The best part of helping plan this wedding was that it was for my most favorite cousin AND I got to enjoy it and take part in it instead of just being a bystander. I will never ever forget this experience and will be expecting BOTH of y'all (Jonathan and Elise--since you'll likely read this) at my wedding, eventually!

Getting married and need help planning? Call me. Because I said so!