French’s Point: A Coastal Maine Wedding Venue

We had the great pleasure of working our first wedding at French’s Point last year.  What we love about this coastal Maine wedding venue is that couples embrace the beautiful waterfront accommodations to plan an entire weekend of celebrations.  From cookouts to walks on the beach, you and your guests never have to leave the property to enjoy a picturesque weekend in Maine. Not to mention, Jessika and Nicole are among the most knowledgeable resources in the Maine Wedding Industry.  It’s without question, that French’s Point is the quintessential coastal Maine wedding venue.

Keep reading to learn why so many couples choose French’s Point right on the coast of Maine for their venue when planning a waterfront wedding.

A Stunning Waterfront Wedding Venue in Coastal Maine

Venue Name: French’s Point
Venue Location: 246 Hersey Retreat Road Stockton Springs, ME 04981
When did you open? 2006
Capacity: 200

What was the inspiration behind opening French’s Point as a wedding venue?  
Since the 1800's, families have journeyed to Mid Coast Maine to experience the unique natural wonder that can only be found here. These visitors came to French's Point seeking the tranquility and the restorative effects of the sound of waves lapping the shore and the intoxicating scent of beach roses and pine needles floating on the salty breeze. In 1885, French's Point was established as a summer camp & church retreat. It became a place where generations of parishioners came together celebrate life, faith, family & marriage. Ninety years ago, our family settled here as part of the community, taken with the unaltered beauty of this place. Like my father before me, I grew up here, running through the blueberry fields, along the shore and through the woods. French’s Point is woven into the fabric that makes me who I am. Today we steward the legacy of hosting private, milestone gatherings and wedding celebrations here on the shores of Penobscot Bay, allowing us the opportunity to share this wondrous gift with our guests while preserving this unique property and ensuring it will endure to be enjoyed by generations to come.

What makes your venue unique?
French's Point is a blank canvas venue, a very large vacation rental property with 14 acres and two beautiful homes which are offered to one couple and their guests exclusively for the entire weekend. We offer the estate with 8 possible ceremony settings, 14 different gathering spaces on 14 sprawling oceanfront acres bordered by 100 acres of State Preserve here on the beautiful coast of Maine, affording our visitors complete privacy and sanctuary from the whirling din of the outside world. Together the restored seaside estate house and the saltwater farm house offer beautiful lodging in 18 beautiful guest suites, and a vast number of waterfront event spaces for intimate gatherings of 30 guests, to large celebrations of up to 200 guests. During your stay, you choose how you wish to use these amenities. Our weekend celebrations feel like a vacation, a reunion and a wedding all combined.

Our goal for our couples is for them to have a wedding that is unique to them, that suits their vision of their celebration & one that is within their budget. To foster this goal, you hire your choice of vendors: planner, caterer, bar service provider, florist, photographer, etc. This allows you to engage the vendor team that best suits your goals and is within your budget. We have an excellent preferred vendor list to help you on the search for your team, but you can use whichever vendors best align with your preferences, as long as they are insured (liability insurance) and licensed where applicable (caterer, bar service provider, food truck, baker, hair and make-up design). There are no cookie cutter events here and no food and beverage minimums to meet!

What is advice that you give to all of your couples?
1. Before you begin the search for the wedding venue and set a date, take the time to sit down with your fiancé and discuss your vision for your event.  Individually, make a ranked list of all the things you want and do not want as part of your event. Then combined these lists and rank the mutual items as the top priority and the other items to follow.

2. After you have done this, discuss your finances, and who will be contributing toward your wedding budget.  For many couples, this is the first major financial commitment you will make together, unless they have purchased a home. If others are contributing to the event, determine what those contributions will be and if they are designated for specific expenses.

3. Once you have determined your geographical preference for your event, seek out and hire a wedding planner with experience in that region. Ask this planner to help you select your wedding venue.  Their familiarity with your preferences, your budget and the venues and vendors in the region will make your search so much more enjoyable, simple and less time-consuming.

What do you see as the added value to hiring a wedding planner or coordinator?
The value of including a wedding planner or coordinator in your team of providers for your wedding is immense, particularly if you are planning a wedding at a private home or at a blank canvas venue like French’s Point.

A wedding planner can:

• Help you create & manage a wedding budget

• Manage vendor payments

• Help you navigate vetting and contracting your venue and vendors

• Be the point of contact & manage communications with your vendor team

• Create and manage rental orders

• Create and implement floor plans

• Organize and submit seating plans and meal selections to your caterer

• Create a weekend itinerary and daily timelines to meet your vision and goals

• Manage/support the vendors before, during and after the events

• Implement the floor plans with your vendor team for your events

• Manage the timeline for your events

• Break down the rentals and pack up your gifts and personal effects

A Day of Coordinator can:

• Take over communications a month to two weeks prior to your event with your vendor team

• Confirm vendor arrival times and address their needs for the event

• Implement the floor plan with your vendor team for your events

• Manage the timeline for your events

• Break down the rentals and pack up your gifts and personal effects

A wedding without a planner or coordinator is like any team without a coach.  A planner/coordinator will help you and your vendors achieve the very best outcome for your wedding events by leading a supporting the team.  By having planner/coordinator, you are allowing each of your vendors to focus on providing the very best service/product for your event without having to meet the demands that come from not having a leader on the vendor team. Every team needs a leader or a coach to lead the efforts.  You can have a wedding without a planner/coordinator, but ultimately sacrifices will have to be made and the outcome will not be what it could have been with this critical member of your vendor roster in place.

We couldn’t agree more with the words of wisdom from the French’s Point team. And after our experience planning a wedding here this past summer, we believe French’s point is the perfect place if you’re searching for a coastal Maine wedding venue.

Let’s Plan Your Wedding Together

If you need help planning, designing, or coordinating your New England wedding, get in touch with us today. Our approach to wedding planning and design is collaborative. You’ll share your own vision of your event concept, and together we’ll make your vision a reality. And since no two events are the same, all packages are customizable to your needs. We can work together to make sure the planning process and timeline suits your needs. Review our wedding planning packages and contact us to start the conversation.

Photography credit: Still 55 Photography