Zac & Tierra were married on Labor Day Weekend. Originally, my weekend plans were supposed to consist of yard work and catching up on e-mails, but I got an e-mail from Merrisa (Merrisa Caroline Photography) asking if I had any plans because she needed some help with a wedding at the Samoset Resort in Rockland, Maine.

I love to travel, but I’ll be the first to admit that I also like spending entire weekends on the couch binge-watching whatever mindless comedy NBC is pushing at the time. That being said, I am SO glad I was able to make it to mid-coast Maine for Zac & Tierra’s destination wedding day and work alongside Merrisa to create some breath-taking portraits.

Zac & Tierra had been curating this day for the last two years and the details from this destination wedding were absolutely stunning. The love birds were originally from Mass, where Merrisa is based, but loved the coastal charm of Maine. This brought them to the Samoset in my neck of the woods.

A Samoset Resort Wedding is a lot of things. In short: beautiful, oceanic, and high-class. From getting ready cottages and the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, there were so many beautiful scenes to captivate at the resort. None as joyful as Zac & Tierra.

See what I mean about the details? Everything was so perfectly curated, it was evident that Zac & Tierra had carefully thought about every detail. From a literally glittering gown to lobster cufflinks, big and small were considered in the overall design and aesthetic of this outdoor wedding.

Word of the day: flawless.

Zac & Tierra’s excitement to marry each other was obvious and their sweet vows had me in tears. Two beautiful, kind-hearted souls became one this day, and it was magical.

Merrisa told me before I arrived that Zac & Tierra were excited about getting the perfect images. Talk about dream couples! Because of this, the schedule was organized to include about an hour total of portraits just for Zac and Tierra. The first was right after the ceremony and the second was just after dinner while that golden light filled the harbor.

If you thought their portraits were stunning, just wait until you see their reception details. Elegant, modern elements combined with classic tones and old-world charm to create an atmosphere that was somehow both electric and subtle.

Golden hour is my favorite time to photograph couples. What I love most about weddings is the 20 minutes during golden hour that the bride and groom slip away, unnoticed, have a chance to breathe and take some private, more intimate images as husband and wife. I was SO excited when Merrisa said this was something she plans in her schedules as well.

For these two, we used our native scene and went to the shore for some glowy images bursting with summer tones and romantic emotion.