Where Love Grows: A Handmade Wedding in The Maine Woods
What an endearing story of love and hard work. We were beyond blessed to share this special day with our granddaughter and her fiancé as they became husband and wife. Truly a handmade wedding with all the props and ceremony of the best of weddings! Professionals plan some weddings, but not this one; this one was homegrown, built with care, and blessed by family.
In early October, far from any established venue, in the Maine woods, our granddaughter Chelsea married her true love, Eryk. This celebration came entirely from the hands and hearts of the people who love them most. And I’m not speaking metaphorically—I mean literally, they made every single element with just a little help from family and friends.
Chelsea had never grown flowers before this year. Not a single bloom. But when it came time to plan her wedding, she didn’t call a florist. She planted seeds, the beginning of a handmade wedding. She tended a garden through an entire Maine growing season, coaxing sunflowers in shades of gold and deep burgundy, cheerful zinnias, delicate Queen Anne’s lace, and soft eucalyptus from the ground.
And then? She handed those beautiful blooms to me and a few of their close friends. We had a blast. Imagine groomsmen and bridesmaids cutting stems and greening (adding a base of greens to shape the arrangements), using flower foam to create table settings that highlight the beauty of nature and the unique setting of a well-planned wedding.
What an honor it was to transform Chelsea’s homegrown flowers into her bridal bouquet, bridesmaid bouquets, centerpieces, and boutonnieres. With the help of their friends, we worked for several hours until every participant had a floral bouquet, and every table had an arrangement. Every arrangement you see in these photos was made with only flowers she grew, and we loved making them. There’s something sacred about working with flowers that were planted with a wedding day in mind, nurtured through a summer.
The Table Arrangements in the Shade for a Handmade Wedding
Eryk, the groom, is a forester who works in the woods. He built the home where they’d start their married life—and where this wedding took place. He cut every tree, milled every board, and planned every corner of that house himself.
Even an Original Ceremony
The ceremony was held on their own land, beneath a birch arbor he crafted, surrounded by Maine’s autumn woods. We all watched as he carefully built a dance floor for their first dance and a whole lot of celebration!
Dancefloor, Bouquets, etc., all Handmade
My husband is Chelsea’s grandfather, and she had asked him to officiate the ceremony; he was honored to do so! Grandpa is a minister, and standing there watching him bless the marriage of our granddaughter, on land her husband built, surrounded by flowers she grew that we arranged—well, there aren’t words for that kind of full-circle love.
The day was fantastic, almost beyond words, and all the guests stood in awe. Guests sat on white chairs across the grass. A memorial table honored loved ones who couldn’t be there. Pumpkins dotted the lawn. The air smelled like eucalyptus, which was grown in Maine! Everything was handmade, heartfelt, and deeply intentional.
Chelsea and Eryk didn’t just plan a celebration. Together with the people who love them, they grew it, built it, blessed it, and turned it into something unforgettable. Their wedding created a standard for a handmade wedding that was off the charts!
It was wonderful through and through.
