Real Weddings: Nicole + Raul

It’s official.  I am very much in love with every detail of this wedding.  Nicole and Raul had a spectacularly fun Portland Maine wedding, and not only that, but Nicole’s best friend is none other than Sara from the amazing Whitebox Weddings.  So while Sara was vamping it up as the Matron of Honor, Melanie was capturing the day in a fabulous way!

To start the day, the wedding party headed out to the Portland Yacht Services for some pictures.  I love this one – what perfect weather for a wedding!

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

Nicole is a stunning bride – this photo may be my favorite from the day:

portland maine wedding

Or maybe my favorite is this one?

portland maine wedding

Nicole says: When we were planning our wedding Raul and I decided to have a large bridal party and I am so glad we did. Our bridesmaids and groomsmen were so calming and supportive for our day. They surrounded us with love and really helped us to appreciate how lucky we are to have found each other. Also they helped to remind us that we have a solid support system of friends to lean on during tough stressful times.

portland maine wedding

Nicole’s dress and veil were handmade by a family member.

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

Sigh to this photo, which to me, is absolutely perfect.

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

Nicole and Raul are amazing dancers – love this pose!

portland maine wedding

Sandy from Bea & Company was both the wedding planner and florist.  Nicole relied on Sandy heavily during the planning process, as she planned a Maine wedding while living in NYC.  Nicole says:

My wedding planner, Sandy Shapiro from Bea & Company did an amazing job decorating the reception site and helping us plan all of the details. It was more difficult than I imagined it would be to plan a wedding from out of state. Raul and I live in NYC and the wedding was in Maine. Sandy was a total lifesaver! Our goal was to have a beautiful wedding, but stick to our budget. We cut out a lot of the big expenses and really streamlined our choices so we would stay within our budget. We had gorgeous flowers, but instead of huge costly arrangements we went for simple glass vases with single flowers lining the center of the table.  I wanted to have a variety of color but in similar shades at the reception.  We chose a dramatic tablecloth pattern and the flowers combined with the candles created a hip but elegant vibe!

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

I really wanted to have a fun party that was relaxing and enjoyable for our guests. Raul and I entered the reception during the cocktail hour to our favorite song and opened the dance floor with our first dance. It was so great to have a dance and look around the room at the gorgeous reception site and take it all in before we started mingling with our guests. I would have been so antsy if we had a reception line.

Raul and I took a few dance lessons before the wedding. We did a swing dance at the reception as a surprise for all of our friends and family. I really wanted to have a dress to change into so I could dance the night away and this gave me the perfect excuse! On our first lift the zipper in my dress broke! We slipped away and pinned it all back together and started our dance again.

To incorporate Raul’s Spanish heritage, the couple hired Groupo Esperanza, a Latin Jazz Salsa Band.  Fun!

portland maine wedding

portland maine wedding

Sara and Melanie, thank you for sharing this FABULOUS, unique, and fun wedding with EAD!

E.