Emily and Andrew were married in the middle of a Bar Harbor summer, with a Mass at Holy Redeemer Church and a celebration at the Bar Harbor Club right on Frenchman Bay. They kept the palette strictly black and white, saw each other early so they could trade vows in private, and spent the evening between the terrace, the ballroom, and a sky that went gold right on cue.
A summer day on Mount Desert Island, from the first look in the garden to the sparklers at the door.
The Bar Harbor Club sits right where downtown meets the water, with the mountains of Acadia rising behind the town and the harbor full of boats out front. From the terrace, the lawn runs straight down to Frenchman Bay. It is hard to find a better backdrop anywhere on the Maine coast.
Emily got ready upstairs at the club, with two dresses hanging side by side on Mrs. hangers: one for the church and one for the party. The details were black and white down to the stationery, with lace heels, a silver box engraved for the new Yagers, and a little navy book for his vows. Her bridesmaids, all in black, crowded onto the balcony with her before heading down. Andrew got ready in the poolhouse by the water, finishing with a gold watch and a long look out at the harbor.
Before anyone else, Emily found her dad in the club's front hall. She tapped him on the shoulder, he turned, and the hug went on for a good long while. Andrew had his own moment with his mom in the garden. Then it was their turn: a tap on the shoulder by the stone balustrade, a grin from Andrew that took over his whole face, and a hug that pulled her right off her feet.
They had decided to trade vows privately during the first look, just the two of them in the garden with a mic tucked away to catch every word. Andrew read his from the little navy book and Emily read hers from a folded card. There was a lot of laughing, and a few pauses to collect themselves. Those words became the backbone of their film.
The ceremony was a Catholic Mass at Holy Redeemer, a short drive up Mount Desert Street, with gold walls, stained glass, and a white marble altar. Andrew walked in with his parents, Emily came down the aisle with hers, and white calla lilies lined the pews. When it was over they turned to face everyone as husband and wife, and Andrew dipped her into a kiss on the way out.
Back at the club, cocktail hour spilled out onto the terrace under strings of lights, with the bay just past the railing and a grazing board that never stood a chance. It was also the debut of our Fireside Chats: family and friends stepped up to the camera one by one and shared stories about Emily and Andrew, the kind of memories that never come out in a toast. A few of those clips found their way into the film.
Then the sun started dropping over the bay and we stole them away. The terrace, the stone stairs, and the water all lit up orange. Andrew lifted her off the ground in front of the club, Emily threw her veil over the two of them, and they finished leaning on each other at the railing while the boats sat still in the harbor.
The ballroom was all white draping, hanging greenery, and candlelight, with white roses and hydrangeas on every table and oyster shell place cards with a pearl tucked inside. They came in to a room on its feet, with Emily's bouquet up over her head. Her dad raised a glass, another toast had Andrew reaching for his napkin, and a live violin played them through the parent dances. Andrew swept her right off the floor while everyone clapped, and the cake came out under the chandeliers.
Emily changed into her second dress and the ballroom turned into a party. Arms went up, someone found a pair of heart shaped sunglasses, and the two of them stayed in the middle of it until the very end. The night closed outside under a tunnel of sparklers, with Emily's bouquet raised one more time.
A Mass under stained glass, vows they kept to themselves, and a sunset on Frenchman Bay that nobody could have planned better. Congratulations, Emily and Andrew.
Sixty seconds of Bar Harbor, black and white, and gold.
Planning a wedding in Bar Harbor?
The Bar Harbor Club gives you a terrace and lawn right on Frenchman Bay, a ballroom made for candlelight, and the mountains of Acadia just behind town. If you are planning a wedding on the Maine coast, we would love to hear about it.