it's a bird, it's a plane.. it's my bride! kim+jake. shin pond, maine wedding photographersamantha marie photography

oh goodness gracious, when Kim came up to my table at the Northern Maine Bridal Expo last year, I had no idea I would be in for the time of my life. (btw, the photo on the expo's page is from THIS WEDDING. too sweet!) Kim came to the expo with her mom and wandered around a bunch before she stopped at my table and gushed over the photo of the rings on the cherries.. who knew a little creativity and some bling would draw so much attention? she was so energetic and excited to be planning and she booked me that day. talk about a compliment!

she is such a beautiful lady and so full of fun energy, and her wedding was the same way. the girls got ready at a lakeside camp in Shin Pond Village. oh goodness, I wanted to move in right then and there! it offered so many awesome backdrops for ring + bouquet shots, some family photos with Kim and her family and of course, bride + bridesmaids photos!

isn't the scenery and lakehouse insanely pretty? I'm not even a country girl and I fell in love with it. After the girls got ready, Kim left for a surprise and we headed over to Camp Wapiti for the ceremony. it looked like an absolutely perfect summer day on the lake..until it started downpouring.

rain isn't has bad as HAIL (link to julie), at least ;) I was starting to think I was a jynx though! luckily it was just the wedding party, their dates and family for the most part, cause we had to hide under stuff until the freak storm was done. and super luckily, it lasted under ten minutes! and some smartypants grabbed towels and started wiping off the chairs. I guess that's a risk of having an outdoor ceremony in Maine!

soon after, Kim arrived to Camp Wapiti. in a seaplane. (is that even the right term? it's the planes that take off and land on water.) yes, it was SO cool and unique! her dad always wanted to take her and her brother in a plane trip and what perfect timing they had ;) no one was expecting it and it totally made the ceremony that much more memorable. Along with her grand entrance, Jake had built a birch archway for them to get married under. he's a keeper!

one of my favorite moments of every wedding is the first time the groom and bride see each other. whether it's during a first look (I will be blogging about that soon!) or when you walk down the aisle, it's such a romantic moment. and you would never be able to tell it even rained if there wasn't proof! the day turned out perfectly gorgeous for them.

bride and groom pose in front of the lake

I didn't realize almost all my fave posed photos from this wedding were of them smooching. oh well ;) they're just so cute especially when they're being all kissy! after I was done having them make-out, we went to the gaaaaah-or-geous reception. everything was set up beautifully, from the ridiculously beautiful cake made by Heather's Cakery which had blueberries like from their first date and snowshoes, to the orchid centerpieces and the insane view! and Kim had one last surprise - her dress doubled as a shorter reception dress! totally perfect for the hot summer nights when you don't want to wear a dress that adds a hundred extra pounds.