Sami & Kaz’s Cobbosseecontee Lake Wedding | Maine Wedding Photographer
Some wedding days just feel completely true to the people getting married. Sami and Kaz’s wedding was one of those. They celebrated at a family home on Cobbosseecontee Lake in Maine, surrounded by friends, family, music, and the kind of relaxed energy that makes a backyard wedding so special. The whole day felt personal and unforced. It was creative, joyful, a little unconventional, and very much their own.
As a Maine wedding photographer, these are some of my favorite celebrations to document. There is something about getting married somewhere meaningful to your family that makes the day feel even more intimate. Instead of arriving at a traditional venue, everyone gathered at a place that already had a history and connection to the people there.
And having Cobbossee as the backdrop certainly didn’t hurt.
A Love Story That Started With Music
Music has been a part of Sami and Kaz’s story from the very beginning. Sami Stevens is a vocalist and singer-songwriter, and Kazemde George is a tenor saxophonist and composer. They originally met at the New England Conservatory of Music, where they spent years crossing paths through rehearsals, performances, house shows, and their shared circle of musicians.
A few years after they first met, their friendship turned into something more. Their first date was at a dive bar in Davis Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, and their relationship grew from there.
Their story was later featured in The New York Times in the article “Two Musicians Hit the Right Notes, With Practice.” The piece shares more about how they met at the New England Conservatory and began dating three years later.
It was pretty special to photograph a wedding with such a great story behind it, and even more fun to later see the celebration featured in The New York Times.
An Intimate Backyard Wedding in Maine
Sami and Kaz’s wedding took place right at the family lake house, which gave the entire day such a comfortable, easygoing feeling. There was no pressure for everything to feel overly formal or perfectly staged. Guests could spend time outside, catch up with people they loved, listen to music, enjoy the lake, and simply be present.
That kind of atmosphere also creates some of my favorite photographs.
Of course I love capturing portraits, beautiful details, and all of the bigger moments of a wedding day. But I am always watching for everything happening in between, too. Someone laughing at a table. A friend reacting during a speech. Family members talking off to the side. A quick look between the couple when they think no one else is paying attention.
Those moments are often what make a wedding gallery feel like the actual day instead of just a collection of pretty photographs.
Ending the Wedding With a Jump in the Lake
One of my favorite parts of the entire wedding happened at the very end of the day. As the celebration came to a close, guests started jumping into Cobbosseecontee Lake. And of course, Sami and Kaz joined them. Soon there was a whole group of wedding guests in the water together, including the newlyweds.
It was fun, spontaneous, and honestly the perfect ending to their wedding. After a full day celebrating beside the lake, everyone ended it by jumping right in.
