Planning Your Maine Wedding: Part V: Wedding Flow and Set-Up

The last installment in our five-part series is crucial to the overall success of your wedding. You’ve finalized your budget, chosen vendors, planned your ceremony and organized a timeline for your wedding day. You have all the pieces that you’ll need. The last step will be to arrange all the chosen elements in a way that serves your vision of your ideal day. With the perfect flow, you will have peace of mind, and your guests will move seamlessly through the events of the wedding without feeling delayed or rushed.

The set-up of your wedding is like an architectural drawing for a new home. We start by asking the same questions as an architect.  Where do you spend the most time? Are you an entertainer who needs a large kitchen? Do you work from home and need a spacious office? We need to know where you want to spend your time and energy during your big day. Your priorities will lead the flow from space to space.

Here are 4 of the most common options based on what is most important to many FP couples.

For the Socialites
You love to mingle and you want your guests to get to know each other. This is one of the few times that your friends and family will be in the same place at the same time. What an opportunity to mix your interesting and diverse group of friends! Just imagine; your uncle telling embarrassing stories to your college friends, your families chatting about something other than the wedding colors or the bachelorette party. This is the perfect time to start building relationships that will last the rest of your lives.

For couples who want to focus on the social aspect of the wedding, we suggest a brief ceremony at our gazebo and a scenic walk to the cocktail hour. We can host an extended cocktail hour that allows your guests the freedom to mingle with ease and explore the property. We will serve passed hors d’oeuvres and have an open bar which allows people to mix company easily.  Stations dinner service will extend the social atmosphere beyond the cocktail hour throughout dinner. With open seating at varied table options, guests are not anchored to an assigned seat or constrained by dozens of tables.

For the Foodies
You celebrate life by celebrating spectacular food. Many families honor marriage with extravagant dinners, as a delicious rite of passage. Birthdays and holidays are often remembered by the smells and tastes that came out of the kitchen.

We want to facilitate this celebration with a meal that will be unforgettable. This comes down to the details of planning and set-up. Our chef is not just a matter of taste, but she strives to create a magical experience. During the cocktail hour, we recommend ample stationary food presentations that will draw guests in with impressive displays to delight the eyes. Variety in the presentation is offered as well, with tray-passed hors-d’oeuvres. The food becomes a part of the experience and will be a fantastic conversation starter.

Formal plated, multi-course meals will leave guests satiated and impressed. The focus on family and intimate conversation will also give more significance to the speeches and toasts that are often missed during a less structured meal.

For the Celebratory
You want an unforgettable and meaningful ceremony. For couples with strong beliefs and a commitment to the rich traditions of marriage, we offer a variety of ceremonial setting options.

The gazebo is our most popular location, with a gorgeous backdrop for memorable photography and video. But the most obvious choice isn’t always the best option for everyone. People who have fallen in love with the Maine coastline want to host their ceremony on the front lawn with an unobscured view of the ocean. Couples who choose a traditional Jewish wedding also prefer the lawn as a picturesque place to set up our gorgeous Chuppah.

The lower level terrace is our recommended space to host your ceremony if you are accommodating family members with disabilities or those with limited mobility. The transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception is much smoother. This is also a great option for weddings with children. The subsequent stages of the event flow is quite easily post-ceremony in this location.

For Music Lovers
You want to celebrate with great music and lots of dancing. Many couples want to celebrate by throwing the dance party of the year. They want their friends to relax and have a good time. Their focus is on the amazing band setting the soundtrack for the rest of their life.

The key to a great party is keeping the energy up and starting it on time. We move people through a short ceremony, light cocktail hour, and dinner as smoothly as possible. We suggest a 2 course seated meal to save time during dinner. Speeches and toasts are presented with a preset first course. A delicious meal ends with an arranged cake cutting and leads people naturally to the reception. Having arranged seating saves a surprising amount of time as it avoids guests having to make tedious decisions on where, and next to whom, to sit.

We are equipped with everything needed to create an amazing musical experience for your guests. We can host live bands, DJ’s, intimate rock bands, retro-styled swing or big band jazz ensembles. We can create the perfect environment for people to get up and let loose. We want this to be an experience of a lifetime for you and your guests.

Just remember, this is your day. Decide what is most important to you, whether it’s the dancing, the ceremony, the conversations or the food. We will make it flow smoothly for an unforgettable experience & great memories.