Melanie and Dave’s Wedding at the Maine Maritime Museum

Say hello to Melanie and Dave. They first met at the super romantic “Extra Space Storage” in Somerville, Massachusetts. After this romantic encounter, it didn’t take long before they went on their first date. This turned into a years-long relationship, during which time they discovered their shared love of animals, music, travel, and the outdoors. Eventually, they moved into a new home together and, one year later, welcomed a puppy (Lucy) into their family. Dave later proposed on a day trip out to Baker’s Island Lighthouse in Salem, Massachusetts, and he and Melanie were married just shy of their tenth anniversary!

Melanie and Dave chose Maine for their wedding because they wanted to get married by the water, and they had been coming to Maine every summer for vacation. They looked at several Maine venues, but the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath ended up being the perfect spot for their celebration. We always enjoy photographing at the Museum, and we were excited when we heard that Melanie and Dave had picked the location.

We started photography coverage at the Inn at Bath. Melanie and Dave had rented the entire Inn, so Melanie was able to get ready on one side of the building while and Dave and Lucy got ready on the other. Their closest family and friends were there to help, and it was a lot of fun photographing all the excitement.

The ceremony took place at the Museum overlooking the river and was officiated by Dave’s mom, Nancy. Nancy did a wonderful job, and you could tell just how special it was for her her to play such an important role in Melanie and Dave’s wedding. Lucy also played a special role as “best dog”. She took her role very seriously and was just as excited as the human guests when mom and dad were pronounced husband and wife.

While everyone was off enjoying cocktail hour, Jenny and her team at All Aboard Event Planning transformed the ceremony space into an outdoor reception space. They did a beautiful job bringing Melanie and Dave’s outdoor coastal reception to life, as you can see in the pictures below. We just loved the string lights and how cozy everything felt, even though it was outdoors with no tent. Now that we’ve seen a tentless reception in person, we think more couples should consider it!

As the evening progressed, there was dancing, great food, cake, and lawn games. Lucy even cut-in during mom and dad’s first dance, she was so excited.

We loved spending the day with Melanie and Dave. They’re a wonderful couple, and Lucy is just the cutest! We wish this fun little family a lifetime of happiness and adventures together. Below are a few favorite photographs from throughout their beautiful day!