Heidi & Hunter's Elopement in Camden, Maine

As with most things in 2020, Heidi and Hunter’s wedding plans were drastically altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. What was originally slated to be a beautiful dockside wedding ceremony in Hanover, New Hampshire with all of their friends and loved ones transformed into a much more intimate nine person wedding off the coast of Camden, Maine. When we first started discussing this backup plan with Heidi and Hunter we hyper focused on words like “island” and “lighthouse,” and our brains started formulating images we wanted to make long before we ever saw photos of the place itself. Stepping out of our car we were met with bountiful sunshine, the smell of salty ocean air, and the sounds of seagulls and boats of all shapes and sizes sloshing in the harbor. We met up with Hunter and Heidi at a local inn and split up into separate groups to taxi to the island where they would be married, about a ten minute ride via boat. After we thanked our sea shepherd for the lift and crawled up the rocks from the beach, beautifully weathered outbuildings and a quaint lighthouse came into view down the pathway leading ahead through the trees. The site decor of lobster pots, beautifully handmade arbor (by Heidi’s sister!), mesh-potted flowers, and a handful of creaky wooden chairs were all carried on beforehand and carried off afterwards, leaving the island as we found it. The short ceremony was followed by champagne all around with guests enjoying the lofty views of the surrounding area from the top of the lighthouse. As we walked away from the ceremony site back towards the mainland, we rejoiced with the happy couple in how incredible what they had just accomplished together was. A breathtaking setting reflecting their mutual love for boating and the water and made accessible by Hunter’s friendship with the island’s caretaker combined with the absolutely perfect weather could conclude in only one way: rowing back to shore under their own power. Heidi climbed first followed by Hunter into the Double Surprise, an adorably named and quite handsome rowboat, and with a healthy shove to break free from the gritty rock and shell laden shore of the island they were off. We watched in awe with the rest of the attendees as the two worked in sync to break free of the tide and seaweed and make their first voyage together on the water as a married couple. It’s hard for us to put into words how beautiful this was, so we’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

Dress: Foxglove Custom Bridal Gowns
Rings: Designer Gold Jewelry
Hair: Green Envy Salon
Florals: Room To Celebrate
Boat Shuttle: Lyman Morse