When an old friend asked if I could do her wedding decor I jumped. I knew this would take place at her families compound on a small island off the coast of Maine. The family has owned the property for several generations (I think 5, maybe 6) and it shows: the tiny cottage that has several ‘add-ons’, an art studio shack, a boathouse with graffiti dating back to the 40s, a couple sailboats and dingys, and the neighbors who bring by lobsters like other people would bring by excess tomatoes from their garden.
Beside the obvious party decor elements such as table centerpieces and food displays, there were a couple practical design challenges: illuminating the walkways and turning the functional boathouse to inspirational dance floor.
She wanted the design to be representative of Maine as well as her home in Hawaii. She also required that all materials be locally sourced and not end up in a landfill.
At the time I was living in Fire Island so inspiration wasn’t difficult. On that island everything we use is generally found on the boardwalk or the beach – yes some of these things maybe used coat racks from Ikea, but more often than not its driftwood, rope, glass, brush, pine, feathers…whatever shows up and we can use…we use it!
In the end we settled on something nautical…slightly inspired by the boathouse itself. Its one of my favorite projects and one of my favorite events I’ve been involved in.
