(Photography credit: Kara Waller)
It is always a pleasure to perform a wedding in Hallowell, where I was raised. So I was thrilled when Todd and Dulcey asked me to officiate at their Hallowell Maine wedding in June at a restaurant called Joyce’s on Water Street. If you’ve never visited, Hallowell is a personable little city (yes, it’s a city and not a town) with tons of historic charm and colorful residents.
Todd and Dulcey were a couple a long time in the making. They didn’t start dating until quite some time after they met. Turns out, the two were smitten with eachother after their first and very brief encounter. Shortly before the wedding, I overheard Todd tell a friend he wished he had met Dulcey twenty years sooner. Fast forward to June…
Joyce’s features a large patio which overlooks the Kennebec River. Todd and Dulcey opted to hold their ceremony and reception here. Guests witnessed the ceremony from their tables and were allowed access throughout the entire restaurant, though the patio was reserved for wedding guests only.
A fence and gate on the Water Street side made for the perfect entryway for the bridal party’s entrance directly onto the patio and straight down the aisle. Pre-ceremony photos of the bridal party lining up on Hallowell’s quaint and picturesque Water Street are a must!
Local musician Dana Kelley strummed an original song as Dulcey made her entrance, escorted by her two sons.
In addition to exchanging vows and rings, the couple also exchanged self expressions during the ceremony. When it was Dulcey’s turn to read hers, she reached down into the bustline of her dress to retrieve the words she had written. It was quite unexpected. Not every bride could pull off a move like that. But Dulcey certainly did and it was hilarious.
Post-ceremony photos were taken with the river as a backdrop. Though the weather forecast threatened rain on this day, it held off. Mother Nature seems to have a knack for knowing when to be kind. Todd and Dulcey honeymooned in the Bahamas. Despite my pleadings, I didn’t get to go. They came back with fabulous tans…Except for that one little spot which remained white on their left ring fingers.
