Maggie and Paul’s Chagall Inspired Wedding | The Farm at Eastman Hill

Maggie and Paul are big fans of the Russian artist Marc Chagall, and many of the beautiful elements of the wedding drew inspiration from his Modernistic artwork, from the custom designed wedding invitation to the vibrant colors infused in the many charming details.

Maggie and Paul truly wanted their guests that had traveled so far to this remote venue to participate in their day as much as possible.  Friends and family gathered at a central location in front of the remarkable property waiting for other guests to arrive.  They enjoyed warm citrus infused apple cider and were instructed to grab a musical instrument for the ceremony.

 

They were led by the officiant, a close friend to the Bride and Groom, to the farmhouse down the road that sat amongst hundreds of apple trees that overlooked the White Mountains. Along the way were excerpts from a poem by A. E. Housman-‘Hesper Loves To Lead Them Home’ hand painted onto signs by family members.

“Happy bridegroom, Hesper brings, All desired and timely things. All whom morning sends to roam, Hesper loves to lead them home. Home return who him behold, Child to mother, sheep to fold, Bird to nest from wandering wide: Happy bridegroom, seek your bride.”

Paul walked down the aisle with both of his parents, and Maggie soon followed with both of her parents.  It was such an incredibly special moment to witness. Oh, and her dress? An amazing score from a vintage bridal shop in California, and her shoes?  Pure  awesome.

A Texas swing trio led by Andy Happel, an outstandingly talented Maine composer and violinist, played as they walked through the standing crowd.

The two stood on a stone platform facing one another, and the officiant stood between them on a separate platform hand made by the Bride’s family.  The ceremony was beautiful, the weather and surroundings breathtaking.  A number of guests read other excerpts of poems or stories chosen by Maggie and Paul, and guests were instructed to play their piece at different times.  The vows consisted of beautiful promises of love, always maintaining their writing of love letters, and making strong coffee in the morning.  It was such a moving ceremony-the energy from the crowd was of pure love.  The experience was one I won’t soon forget.

When the ceremony was complete, Maggie and Paul ran back to the house together for some alone time, admiring their rings along the way.  Andy and his violin led the guests back to the house for cocktail hour.

As the sun set, paper luminaries were lit to light the long path to the dining tent.  There were bright-colored paper lanterns in red, orange, yellow and blue, and the long tables were adorned with wooden planks and small arrangements in vintage crystal and apothecary bottles consisting of bright orange roses, Scabiosa pods, blue thistle and ranunculus,  Guests enjoyed a family style dinner of wine braised short rib with roasted potatoes and kale, Lemon Maine cod over braised fennel and pancetta, wild rice with fall squash and goat cheese and individual bowls of traditional comfort food:  macaroni and cheese.

Following dinner, night had fallen and the bare trees were beaming with blue up lighting, and luminaries and custom crafted faux stained glass lanterns cast a gorgeous warm glow for guests to find their way back to the house, inside the renovated barn that was converted into an incredible auditorium with stage in the 1930’s.  I can’t even begin to explain what this looked like with the full moon in the backdrop, but once again, Sharyn did a tremendous job.

Guests were invited to enjoy an elaborate dessert table with various cakes, individual pies in jars and tea service and find a seat in front of a roaring fireplace and the old stage (which had the original floor lighting) to witness a two-hour cabaret.  Friends and family members were all invited by the Bride’s college friend who was the emcee of the event, to perform their own talents to pay homage to the Bride and Groom.  There were poets, puppeteers, comedians, singers, dancers and musicians that performed their incredible talents, before the finale, of the Bride singing Randy Newman’s ‘Feels Like Home’ to the Groom.  The finale signaled the beginning of a night of serious dancing well into the early morning hours by a DJ friend from California.

Thank you, Maggie and Paul, for including us in a most amazing day!  Congratulations on a perfect union and we wish you years of happiness, love and strong coffee! xoxo

A fantastic team of vendors helped to make this day so beautiful and special: