Christiana and Joel both grew up in Bangor. In fact, they both went to Bangor High School but didn’t really connect until 10 years after they graduated. “We both left Maine and lived in other parts of the country—I moved to California and he moved to Boston,” Christiana says. “We both ended up at the same bar in Boston one night and the rest is history!”
The couple, who now live in Austin, Texas, wanted to return to their home state to get married. “Joe’s father is from Bar Harbor and we both love Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island,” Christiana says. A wedding at the Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor made perfect sense. “We had a lot of guests coming in from around the country that had never been to Maine, and we wanted to show them one of the most beautiful parts of our home state.”
Because the couple lives in Austin but are from Maine, they included items from both places in the welcome bags they gave their guests. They also planned a very personal ceremony, which included a Native American wedding blessing to honor Christiana’s maternal grandmother’s side of the family. To honor her paternal grandmother, who passed away before the wedding, Christiana wore her wedding band and wrapped her locket in her bouquet to keep her close to me. “She would have loved our wedding day,” Christiana says.
Bride’s Eye View
We asked Christiana more about her big day…
I wish…that I hadn’t worried so much about the weather. We spent over a year planning an outdoor ceremony on the ocean and it was pouring rain the day of our wedding. We had to move the ceremony to the covered deck at the Asticou. But it honestly didn’t matter, it was an amazing day regardless of the weather.
One of my favorite moments was…when we had a quiet moment together by the ocean to take it all in.
I’m glad that…we had a friend marry us. People still tell us how much they loved how personal and fun our wedding ceremony way.
I really liked…seeing all of our guests having such a great time. We really wanted a fun party, and looking at the photos afterward, it was clear that people were definitely enjoying themselves on the dance floor!
My advice to other brides is…that you don’t have to DIY your wedding if you don’t want to. One thing I noticed was that there is a lot of pressure to do it yourself—the websites and the blogs are endless on how to create everything on your own. It can be overwhelming.
Photography by Peter Jensen Bissell Photographic
Ceremony venue: Asticou Inn, Northeast Harbor
Reception venue: Asticou Inn
Wedding planner: Tom Weverstad at the Asticou Inn
Tuxes: Henry’s Bridal, Bangor
Florist: Chapel Hill Floral, Bangor
Cupcakes: Frank’s Bake Shop, Bangor
Entertainment: Dana Lavertu
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To see more of his work, check out our Friday Featured Photographer interview with Peter Jensen Bissell.
