Sunday River Grand Summit Hotel Newry Maine Wedding

I'm so excited to share the first wedding of my 2019 season! This gorgeous wedding took place at Sunday River's Grand Summit Hotel in Newry, Maine on May 25th. Hara and Tyler had an amazing day celebrating their love and their Greek and American families came together to celebrate the special occasion.

Hara and the ladies got ready in Grand Summit Hotel's Bridal Suite. One of Maine's most sought after hair and makeup artists, Jessica Candage, did an outstanding job with Hara -she looked like a Greek goddess! One of the groomsmen brought a letter from Tyler to Hara. It was such a sweet moment to watch her read his heartfelt words. Meanwhile, my second photographer, Sara Cormier, photographed the guys upstairs on the other side of the hotel.

Outside on the patio of the Grand Ballroom, the ceremony site was decorated with lovely floral arrangements and elegant white chairs lined the sides of the arbor. Hara walked down the aisle with her father as everyone looked on. They had a beautiful ceremony filled with tears and laughter. After being pronounced husband and wife, family and friends joined the couple for portraits. Hara and Tyler spent a few minutes alone together on the bridge behind the Grand Ballroom. It made for a perfect portrait location!

After the portraits were finished, the wedding party made their grand entrance into the ballroom for the wedding reception. Hara and Tyler then shared their first dance as husband and wife. As their dance continued, guests made their way to the dance floor and tossed dollars into their air toward the couple, which I learned was customary at Greek weddings. This tradition continued on into the evening and was quite an entertaining site to see!

A Greek band took the center of the dance floor, where everyone joined them for traditional Greek dance. The band had two singers, a clarinetist and tambourine player. It was a lovely touch to honor their culture. After Hara and Tyler did the cake cutting, it was time for the bouquet toss. This event went on as expected. Though no one could have guessed what was to come next. When it was Tyler's turn to throw the garter, he was carried into the ballroom on a chair. He proceeded to perform his own choreographed dance, which included several different songs. Family members even joined in! All in all, it was a memorable day of celebration that included honoring cultural tradition, the unity of two families, and of course, love.