A Romantic Warehouse Wedding in Portland, Maine

In August of 2016, Allison Clark and Kate Dewey put their fate in the hands of a dating app, then made their way to a small Greek restaurant in Boston's South End. Luck was on their side, and they both realized very early on that they'd found something special. In fact, just a few days after that first date, Kate invited Allison to a dinner party with friends—and Allison had no idea she was about to meet her future wife's future bridesmaids! "It didn't take either of us long to realize we wanted to spend our lives together," says Kate.

Just more than a year later, Kate had planned a surprise trip to Bermuda to propose to Allison, but couldn't wait any longer. In October of 2017, during a weekend trip to Provincetown, Massachusetts, she got down on one knee as the two women watched the tide come in on the Cape Cod coast. "We spent an amazing long weekend at the Red Inn, then when we got back to Boston Kate had planned a dinner to celebrate with both of our families," Allison remembers about their intimate engagement.

Early on in their relationship, Allison and Kate had taken their first weekend getaway to Portland, Maine, and knew the city they loved would be the perfect place for their wedding on September 29, 2018. "In fact, we love Portland so much we moved there from Boston just a month before our wedding!" Kate reveals.

The brides worked with Lani Toscano Design to transform the warehouse-style space at Brick South into a romantic, rustic celebration. "Our favorite part were the monthly trips to Portland, especially for our menu and cake tastings," says Allison. Together, they worked toward their vision of filling their warehouse wedding with tons of personal details, and the photos by Henry + Mac will absolutely inspire you. Keep reading for more!

Kate and Allison both found their wedding dresses on the very first day of shopping. "Kate's sister made us each two appointments—I started at one shop with my maids of honor and mother, while Kate started at the other, and then we switched," says Allison. "We had our maids of honor texting each another pictures to make sure we weren't trying on the same dresses!" They both found gowns at L'Elite Bridal, and the team there was crucial in ensuring their dresses looked great together but were still kept a secret from the other bride.

Allison chose a Chantilly lace Ines Di Santo gown with a plunging neckline, while Kate donned a silk faille ball gown from Amsale.

To coordinate their ensembles, both women wore white leather sandals from Stuart Weitzman. "Mine had a three-inch heel, but Kate's were flats," says Allison, who is a few inches shorter than Kate.

"Our planner Lani was amazing at figuring out exactly what we wanted, even when we had a hard time articulating it," says Kate. "Her floral designs were perfect—and we now know that our favorite flower is the dahlia!" Both brides carried bouquets filled with dahlias and roses in shades of burgundy, blush, mauve, and cream.

Sheer draping and an arch of greenery and white roses led to the ceremony space, where the aisle was lined with lush arrangements of hydrangeas, roses, and sweet peas. The brides exchanged vows in front of a floral arch, set on top of an oriental rug, designed to soften their warehouse wedding venue.

"We wrote short vows together to recite during the ceremony, then longer personal vows that we shared in letters during our first look," says Allison. The brides' friend Drew officiated, and filled his ceremony with stories from a five-hour car ride the three had taken just three weeks into Kate and Allison's relationship. "He joked that, even that early, we were saying the 'f word': Forever," says Kate.

"For many of our guests, ours was the first same-sex wedding they'd ever attended, and we are so thankful to everyone who shared in such an important day in our lives," says Kate. "It was our #lovewins moment, complete with a rainbow flag on the dance floor! At one point, Allison's grandmother pulled us aside to let us know it was the best day of her life."

Guests' table assignments were displayed on two acrylic signs hung in front of rich burgundy fabric and surrounded by arrangements of dahlias, roses, and smilax.

Kate and Allison's wedding planner also owns Heartwood Essentials, and her collection of furniture rentals—paired with dramatic lighting from Griffin & Griffin Lighting—completely transformed the space. "Who knew there were so many choices for water glasses?" Kate says with a laugh.

A large wooden bar was draped with garlands of roses and flanked by gold shelves holding candles and champagne glasses. "We made sure personal touches were present throughout our celebration—including in the tie-dyed koozies (Kate's favorite!) on the bar," says Allison. Instead of serving a signature cocktail, the brides offered a variety of local seasonal beers, like Shipyard Pumpkinhead.

The reception space featured a mix of bare farm tables and round tables covered in ivory linens. Low arrangements of blush, burgundy, and ivory blooms warmed up the space, as did industrial-inspired orb lights and walls of string lights. "We used the lights and sheer drapery to create 'rooms' to help break up the large space," Kate explains.

Dinner included a combination of New England favorites and wood-fired entrées prepared right outside the venue so guests could watch the chefs cook. "Of course we had lobster rolls and oysters, and then chicken and waffles as a nod to my time at Clemson," says Allison. Dinner included wood-grilled hanger steak, spitfire chicken, and grilled polenta, all served family-style.

For dessert, the brides offered an indulgent spread of cakes and sweets. Their wedding cake was a two-tiered vanilla cake covered entirely in rainbow sprinkles, displayed alongside Ring Ding, chocolate-peanut butter, coconut, and carrot cakes, as well as a variety of cookies and brownies.

Kate and Allison shared their first dance to "Honeymoon" by Johnny Stimson, then danced with their fathers to "My Girl" by the Temptations. "We danced with our own dads, then danced with our fathers-in-law toward the end of the song," says Allison. "Our families have been so supportive of our relationship since day one, and we were so lucky to have them by our sides on our wedding day!"

Looking back on their wedding planning, Kate and Allison reveal their secret to making it all work: Compromise. "During stressful moments, we reminded each other that we would be laughing about it one day, and that whatever decision we made would be a good one," Kate explains. "It's a cliché, but it's true!"