weddings, reviews, and marriage

We are the Behrmann's!

Brace yourselves. I've had a few people ask about some of our vendors or the things we did for our wedding. It's a bit long, but well, here it is. Here is everything I think about everything having to do with getting married. And it's not all that bad.

Let me start by saying that my now "husband" (that will be weird to say for a while) Mr. Behrmann has been an absolutely amazing person throughout everything in this entire process. 

Mr. Behrmann has understood my quirky ways since day one, but he honestly took on a lot more than the average groom takes on (I think) when it comes to the details of planning a wedding. Not only did he help with coordinating....  with various vendors, but he also helped pick smaller detail items like napkin colors and which invitation looked best out of 3 (which I painted myself! Ah thank you.) and printed through vistaprint.

And I can't take credit for the entirety of our wedding website through weddingwoo.com.

Even though he didn't agree with the amount of dresses I needed for various events, he understood that there are some things that a girl needs to take care of on their own. This includes not only what you're wearing on the outside, but also what you're wearing for jewelry, hair and makeup which vanity hair studio did a phenomenal job for the wedding party, the moms, and myself, and don't forget about what you're wearing underneath ;) 

This leads me to the gift end of things. Even though I wanted to get Mike a nice new shiny watch, I opted to go for a more personal gift. So, I took the time to write down small cute things mike did ever since the day we got engaged for an entire year. I booked a nature shoot with a nature photographer (because we both love the outdoors) william kramer (who also shoots engagements/weddings!), and created a photobook on snapfish and called it "Reasons I want to Marry You" and gave it to him the night before the wedding. (He told me he fell asleep with it that night). Here is one of my favorite photos from that shoot that ended up being the cover of this book.

Besides the things we did for each other on a personal level, there was a lot of communication with the vendors that made the whole process that much more amazing.

Wedding Coordinator: Nicole Mower, based out of Portsmouth, NH, was an absolute godsend, and really one of our best investments. We wanted a day-of wedding coordinator not only because our venue in New Castle, NH, was its first wedding, but because we wanted peace of mind for the day-of with minimal worries...and we got just that. Nicole is a seasoned expert when it comes to unique and challenging wedding venues, and she has worked with many tented seacoast weddings, which made her perfect for us! It was way too windy the day of our wedding to keep the siding off our tent for the stunning views of the ocean, so windy that the linens wouldn't stay on the table. But Nicole made sure she had the tent company come down again to put the siding around the entire perimeter of the tent so that ourselves and our guests could enjoy themselves, and all within hours of our event! She went the extra mile to ensure that everything was perfect down to the last detail. Even though I was happy to be a DIY bride, she made sure we remembered a lot of small detail items that would have been too important to miss. She even sent me a good morning text the day-of reminding me to drink some water and eat snacks even if I wasn't feeling hungry! I would recommend Nicole to any bride, anywhere, anytime.

Florist: Heidi Hamblett from Flowers by Leslie in Portsmouth NH was one of my favorite vendors to work with. She is incredibly enthusiastic and passionate about what she does and she will work with you to go above and beyond what you imagined. I changed my mind A LOT about the centerpieces and she was there to take my vision to the next level, nailing it on our wedding day. She went the extra mile to work with our budget and really created something beautiful on our wedding day. She really tied together the mood of the decor for the day, and she was so easy to work with. Definitely recommend Flowers by Leslie for any event you need floral or decor for.

Square birch boxes with hydrangea, peach and pink garden roses, air plants, blue thistle, 

dusty miller, and billy balls. Photo by wedding guest and cousin Jennifer Lee Photography.

Table numbers made by bridesmaid Laura - Thanks!

Caterer: There are way too many good things to say about our farm-to-table caterer. From the tasting to the wedding day, the food was spot on and fresh. We wanted sustainably conscious, local, in-season, and delicious food with fall flavors, and Flavor Concepts out of Dover, NH, really delivered. They will craft your menu based on your likes and dislikes and develop a personalized food list to choose from. The chefs and staff are also very personable and professional. They were very efficient but never rushed. One thing I will reiterate is the food. tastes. good. Be ready for a good experience any way you cut it. (Badum-ching.)

I would highly recommend trying the restaurant portion of their catering company called Stages out of the same spot they do the catering tasting, just to get a feel for the food. They only have 6 spots, so you need to have a reservation, but dinner is fun and interactive because you can watch and talk to the chefs while they cook you a four course meal for $40 with in-season ingredients.

Beer Truck: If you're looking to have all of your beer needs taken care of, look no further than having a beer truck by Throwback Brewery that can hold up to 4 kegs of locally brewed delicious beer in a retro looking beer truck. They will provide the bins and ice so that you don't have to worry about going out to get these separate items if you are hosting your wedding at a unique venue. They also provide little magnetized chalkboard signs where the beer names are written! One of the best investments of our wedding and it was tapped out at the end of the night.

Cupcakes and favors not included.

Cakes: Our cake and cupcakes were some of the best our guests and ourselves have ever had! We had pumpkin cupcakes with salted caramel frosting, chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting and a caramel filling, and vanilla almond cupcakes with raspberry filling and raspberry liquor buttercream! These were made by a family member who is getting into the cake business and makes some phenomenal cakes for various events. Ask me if you'd like more details/contact info!

Disc Jockey: Chris Maurice of Mojo Music really brought out the good mood and got everyone on the dance floor. He has a talent for crowd pleasing music while still playing songs that the bride and groom like. We had lots of comments about how good our DJ was and we couldn't agree more! With over 15 years of experience, he really knows what he's doing!

Bridesmaids robes: If you're like me and get things dirty just by looking at it, then you'd probably be interested in having some type of colorful robe that I found on etsy for you and your bridesmaids to wear the day of your wedding when you get ready. You won't have to worry about ruining all that makeup, all those bobby pins and perfectly styled hair when you can just undo robe and skip that whole fiasco. Or wear a zip up hoodie. Whatever.

Look at how cute we are!

Hair and Makeup: Me and my 6 bridesmaids, and the moms had our hair and makeup done at Vanity Hair Studio in Portsmouth NH, and I would absolutely recommend them to everyone for their hair and makeup (and skincare) needs! They really went out of their way to not only make sure everyone looked and felt beautiful, but that throughout the whole process that we were all satisfied and happy with a mimosa and bagels while we waited. They have bridal packages that will fit your style, and ended up being more affordable for everyone in the long run. I went for the "Bohemian Babe" package where they use a high quality mineral makeup that doesn't clog your pores, but is still resistant to wiping and weeping. They are very professional and knowledgeable about any hair type, and will work with you to make sure everything comes out looking the way you want it. Ingrid, Heidi, and Amy were absolutely amazing. Everyone at the salon does an amazing job, and everyone had such a great time, it's no wonder they got top 100 salons in America!

Tent and rentals: Everything we rented was beautiful, and Lynsie at Exeter events and Tents was great to work with throughout the entire process. The team really saved the day bringing some tent sidings the day of the wedding when it was too windy to even keep the tablecloths on the table. They really hit the ball out of the park with professional staff who were problem solvers and very knowledgeable about tent set up and spacing on a challenging and new wedding venue. They were helpful throughout the entire process and made suggestions on what may be the best option on various items. We felt comforted knowing that exeter events and tents were there to provide everything we needed for our wedding day, from various types of glasses, to plates, silverware and a dance floor. Would definitely work with them again.

Compost: We wanted to keep our wedding environmentally friendly and produce the least amount of waste that we could so we had Mr. Fox composting for our event. We can feel better knowing that all the compostable waste generated from our wedding will be recycled and used for growing more delicious food on gardens and farms in the north east.

Wedding dress: Celia Grace is not only a dress company with environmental and social concerns, they are company that makes stunning dresses made of handmade eco-silk and each dress is timelessly elegant. If you want a dress that helps people in the process, a fair-trade dress is the way to go. They are made in safe, fair, and empowering Fair Trade conditions and they donate a water filter with each dress sold. I felt absolutely amazing in my "marie" wedding dress made of hand-made lace by women's cooperatives, fair trade producers, and refugees rebuilding their lives in the united states. My dress fit perfectly when I received it, I only needed to add a bustle! The dresses are reasonably priced and they are extremely professional and passionate about what they do.  And she just released a new collection!

Videographer/Cinematographer: Our cinematographer JJ Degen did a phenomenal job capturing our day into a film that we will live through again and again for years to come. His artistic style and ability to capture the emotions of the day are unmatched, and he charges a reasonable rate depending on which package you choose. If you want a video that is artfully produced and carefully constructed, Justin will do just that.

Here is the amazing video he edited and finished within 2-3 weeks!

Photographer: Pretty much as soon as we were engaged I booked our photographer with Chattman photography. I loved their dreamy and moody style and the fact that every single photo is beautiful and effortless. It never felt rushed and they make everyone feel comfortable. They are experts in their craft and were extremely professional and personable. We are really happy with their work and would recommend them to anyone who wants their wedding photos to be beautiful magic.

Here is a sneak peak of those 5 photos:

We also had amazing engagement photographers who I would recommend as well!

Eric McCallister: A photoshoot we won and shot at the Currier Museum of Art (who also hosts weddings!) in Manchester for Mike's proposal story in Seacoast Weddings Magazine.

Eric McCallister does an excellent job with working with couples to pose them effectively, and his dramatic use of light for especially night time settings are tough to beat. He can shoot in any weather condition, indicative of the many stunning rain photographs on his page. Would totally recommend Eric for engagements or weddings.

Peter Greeno: Peter Greeno was our original engagement photographer, and he was amazing  to shoot with in Boston in the winter. He is personable, and he created a video interview for us where he made a video compiling some of our talking without noise, and some other photographs all put to music. He is very detail-oriented, even down to the pretty packaging you receive everything in, and will take your ideas into consideration while he's shooting.

I also want to give special thanks to all of the family and friends who supported us throughout this whole process. You know who you are and it means so much to us  

So, today marks 2 weeks of marriage! We have so much more love for each other each day. I wouldn't change a thing about our past that lead us to each other, the bumps along the way, or the little things that may have gone wrong on our wedding day. We had an amazing few days in Bar Harbor, Maine for our mini-moon (many people recommended getting away for at least a couple days after the wedding), and we are looking forward to being in Europe in about five months for our honeymoon! We did it this way not only because I am still in school until December, but this gives us time to update passports, plan out where we want to go, and also have better weather while we're there. Here is the route we are thinking, our target countries are Iceland, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, France, and either Spain or the Netherlands. Any of you who are well traveled and have any suggestions on where to go, or have comments/questions about this post, please leave a comment and some love below!

Here is a little compilation of photos from our mini-moon in bar harbor