KITTERY (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- While all the attention may be focused on the upcoming royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in England, Maine's wedding season is ramping up.
Many people don't want a traditional wedding anymore. Some are creating unique experiences, not just for the bride and groom, but for the entire party.
Heidi Brissette, designer and owner of SHE Lux Weddings and Design in Kittery, says Maine is one of the most popular destinations for weddings in the country, and there are some design trends she's seeing here at home.
The number one wedding trend has to do with the location. Couples are creating a weekend-long celebration at a place you would consider a destination, like Acadia National Park. Couples understand a wedding is a rare chance to get everyone they care about in a single place at the same time and want to make the most of it. The party starts on a Friday with something like a clam bake on the beach; the wedding takes place on Saturday; and the wedding wraps up with brunch on Sunday.
Couples also want more control over the individual parts of the wedding: the photographer, the cake, the venues, the food. So couples are passing on packages offered by standard wedding venues, and selecting open, empty, natural spaces. By selecting a place that has potential, an "open canvas," couples can create the entire experience.
Lighting is the most talked about aspect of design for couples. The light level can affect the overall mood of the wedding celebration. Couples are using natural light, dimmers, candles, and even lanterns to control light levels and create a theme.
Mainers love the outdoors, so it's only natural to want to collect what makes it great, and make those elements integral to the overall look of the party.
Couples are also looking for a progression of events, meaning the ceremony takes place in one location, cocktails in another, dinner moves on to another location, and so on.
Heidi Brissette recommends creating a fun wedding. She says, "It should be also personalized to who you are. And that will create that experience for your guests and family that they will go away saying, 'this was the best wedding we've ever been to.'"