intimate Janes Island State Park wedding - maryland wedding photographer - east coast wedding photographer

I have been getting SPOILED with my first couple of weddings here on the Eastern Shore. Brooke and Sam’s sweet little intimate wedding was, up until this point, a wedding day I could only dream up. It was truly perfect.

Tucked away in the woods of Janes Island State Park in Crisfield, Maryland, Brooke, Sam, and their closest friends and family stayed for the weekend to make the wedding an entire weekend-long celebration. Crab picking, oyster shucking, skiff riding, trail hiking, bonfires, and dancing under string lights with mullet wigs was pretty much the agenda for the weekend and I can’t think of a more rad way to start a marriage.

Here are some words from the bride herself on what she wanted out of her wedding weekend: “we envision a wedding under the pines, canoes full of beer, a bonfire, a crab feast, and about 50-60 of our dearest family and friends- all set to the backdrop of the marsh in November, which is our absolute favorite time of year on the islands when everything is golden.” And that is exactly what they got.

Almost every detail about this wedding was unique, meaningful, and even locally sourced! The bar and reception tables were all built with wood from their local mill. The wedding florals came from a local farm, and Sam’s sister-in-law, Sophie, did all the bouquets! The wedding cake was handmade by Smith Island Cake, and it was delivered by mail boat (how cute is that?) Even the reception dinnerware was China collected from local thrift stores!

Along with being locally sourced, lots of aspects about this wedding became one big family affair! Which just made it all the more special, of course. The pair decided to set out a video camera that guests were able to pick up throughout the wedding day and film whatever they wanted. For the guest book, Brooke and Sam asked guests to paint a watercolor card, which I thought was awesome. Their good friend and incredible musician Jon Zorn played during the cocktail hour, which added just another layer of good vibes to the whole thing.

During bride and groom portraits, we took some photos with their beloved Loretta and Sunny (their 1989 Ford truck and camper) that they have shared so many adventures with. Then we hopped on the skiff and Brooke…yes, the bride, captained us for a quick sunset ride. This was an incredibly special wedding weekend, and I am so, so grateful to have met these amazing people. Congratulations, Brooke and Sam.

VENDORS (this was the sweetest family affair!)

Venue: Janes Island State Park

Hair + Makeup: family friend and bride’s sister!

Dress: The One Bridal Salon

Suit: Lawrence Kiely with Kings Gentlemen Custom Clothier

Florals: flowers from Butter Bee Farm that Bay Blooms artfully put together

Tableware: thrifted from local thrift stores

Rentals: Parties, ETC.

Musician: Jon Zorn (look him up right now)

DJ: Christopher Ford

Catering: From Scratch

Cakes: Smith Island Cake