Weddingbee Blog

Part I

Day two of the venue search put us back in my trusty Honda Civic and headed even futher North. We had a long day ahead of us! First stop was Captain A.V.. Nickels Inn in Searsport.

This place advertises online as a $10,000 complete wedding package - how could we not check it out? It was a charming old (very old) house, had a spectacular lawn set right on the ocean, and it certainly would have been a unique spot for our guests.


The owner and her daughter were there the day we visited, setting up for a wedding. They do everything themselves- food, flowers, decorations, even dj! It would have been a little small for us though, and we didn’t like the idea of splitting our guests up into different areas.

We moved on to The Samoset Resort in Rockland. Again I had great childhood memories of Rockport (another great Maine harbor town), and of the Samoset. The events manager who took us on a tour was really great, and I could really see us getting married here. The Resort had plenty of rooms for all of our guests to stay, beautiful grounds, and great views of the ocean.

We saw a great spot on the lawn there for an outdoor ceremony, a fun place with great views for a rehearsal dinner lobster bake, and really cool spots for taking pictures. Unfortunately, the actual reception room….

BLAH! Dealbreaker.

Moving on… and we both realize after the loooong drive, that we should probably start looking for something a little closer to a major airport!

On to Kennebunkport! If it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for us right? Actually, don’t get me started on the President, but Kennebunkport really is beautiful. First off, it’s located right on the southern border of Maine, making it WAY more convenient for 99% of our guests. There’s tons to do (unlike some of our middle-of-nowhere Northern Maine venue ideas), and it’s easy to get to. It also opens up the option of all the Boston area vendors for us!

First stop, the Colony Hotel:Another gorgeous location with a great view, another fabulous coordinator who spent a ton of time with us. I could definitely picture our guests enjoying the cocktail hour on the lawn, or while wandering around the huge wrap-around porches. Their ballroom, far from boring, had huge windows and views of the water… ok I’m torturing you all just like I was tortured, because just before we were leaving, we remembered to ask about timing. And we found out that all wedding events had to be O V E R by 6 pm. Whaaaaaaaaaat? “You’re invited to our wedding in Maine- please travel hundreds of miles, but don’t expect us to entertain you for more than an afternoon.” Not happening. Moving on.

The Cliff House in Ogunquit is famous for its breathtaking views. As Mr. Tiramisu and I pulled up into their parking lot, we were both truly impressed. We could definitely picture our guests pulling up to this spot and being psyched to be in Maine.

The spot to hold a ceremony here was by far the best we’d seen. The cocktail hour location was too, as it was on a patio overlooking the rocky coastline with definitely audible wave-crashing (Miss Tiramisu squeals in delight). But the reception room? You never would have guessed….

Ok that picture isn’t actually from the Cliff House- I found it in a google image search for “new jersey hotel banquet room”, but it’s almost identical. Which is my point exactly.

Stop #3 was the Nonantum. I was familiar with this location as my mom and step-dad had their Sunday afternoon wedding reception here back in 1998. It is set a little ways back from the actual ocean, although still has beautiful river and harbor views. Mr. T was pretty excited when the coordinator described to us the possibility of renting a sailboat, and having the groom and groomsmen arrive via boat to the ceremony!

May can be hit or miss in Maine, but the week we were home to look at venues couldn’t have been more perfect, making all the locations seem right out of a postcard! This one was definitely on the top of our list. The Nonantum didn’t fare so well in the excel spreadsheet of costs department, however. I really hated that they had a HUGE minimum that you had to meet, which varied by which part of the hotel you used, and when you wanted to use it. Ballroom? That would run you a minimum of $15,000. Oh you meant on a Saturday? Try $25,000. Want that fabulous lawn too? How does $30,000 sound?

When we added up the cost of having our wedding here, it wasn’t too too bad. BUT it fell well below the minimum, meaning that we’d have to figure out how to up the cost- ie. paying for things we didn’t want or need. Can you feel the Tiramisu frustration?

Stay tuned for the final chapter..