Live Well Farm — Attraction in Harpswell

When our daughter (and now son-in-law) announced their engagement in Camden, Maine, a year ago in May, we had hoped they would pick Live Well Farm as their wedding venue. In all transparency in this review, we have known Scott and Patty since college days (too long ago to remember) and knew from attending their son's wedding at Live Well Farm that this is a very special place. It was easy to convince Anna and Cam of the same, and we made plans for a September wedding a year in advance. The whole event was "magical" as our wedding planner, Geneva Wilgus (#genevamwc) wrote in her Instagram post. And that is how we would describe it as well. From our arrival at the farm on Thursday afternoon to our departure on Sunday noon, all of the resources at the farm mixed perfectly with all the people to produce a river of memories in which we are still savoring. The proximity of the farmhouse provides the wedding party and family easy access for setting up, rehearsing, relaxing, games. The hair stylist and make-up artist set up their "salon" in the farmhouse on Saturday morning so the bridesmaids, flower girls, mother of the bride, and (of course) the bride could get ready for the ceremony while watching the events get set up outside. The flow of the events, from the ceremony to the photos, to the reception before dinner, to the dinner under the tent, to the dancing in the barn was seamless. The grounds were perfect for our extended family which included several young children who could enjoy the freedom of running across the fields, picking apples, and delighting in each others' company. The wedding was a blend of the traditional and the casual, with a highlight of the "donut wall" (instead of a traditional cake) that Scott made which displayed 144 Holy Donuts. This was a hit with the guests. Several of the family members stopped by on Sunday morning to help finish the donuts and have a coffee. A perfect ending as we packed up to leave. Thank you...

I've been thinking about what to say in this review for a while. It's hard to "review" friends, and that is exactly what Scott and Patty and LWF have become to us since our first meeting with them a year before our wedding. LWF feels like coming home, and we couldn't be more happy that we chose Live Well and Live Well chose us as the place where we became married. We rented the entire venue (farmhouse+grounds+barn) Thursday-Sunday and were able to host our rehearsal open house event in the barn on Friday night before we were married outdoors Saturday afternoon. Our reception was under a tent and we danced in the barn.

Their policies and contract are very fair, they were truly interested and invested in us as a couple, they can provide a wealth of information on what's worked in the past and they went out of their way to let us visit our venue multiple times throughout the year leading up to the our wedding on September 24, 2016.

Patty and Scott and their property manager Lynne are just the kindest people and exactly who you would want to be helping you pull a wedding together. I don't have enough good things to say about them.

The house is a work of art--Patty did the interior decor herself and it is a lovely blend of French farmhouse and coastal estate... and of course there's the balsamic vinegar aging in the sun room that just lends to the overall charm of a working farm. Scott works magic on the grounds and kept the grass green for our wedding, despite the dry summer.

There are apple trees, a lovely patio space, great spot for a tent, a gazebo, a fire pit... Live Well Farm is just an easy and amazing choice. We loved being able to stay in the farmhouse together in the days leading up to the wedding--it just added to the festive and happy nature of a our wedding.

We love Patty and Scott, we love Live Well Farm, and...

We got married at the farm in August and it was such a lovely day. The farm is absolutely stunning and the ceremony garden is really special on a beautiful day when the hydrangeas are blooming. For any future brides considering LWF: Pros: the grounds are stunning. Truly a lovely venue and space. You can tell the grounds/landscape are maintained with love and care. There is an option to stay in the farmhouse on site for the long weekend, which we elected to do with a portion of our wedding party. Management is flexible with vendors so you are able to choose which you would like to work with for your day. Cons: a few small cons - the showers in the farmhouse are beautiful and antique, but it also means the water pressure isn’t great. There are some rules that we personally found challenging (like the trash maximum for their dumpsters - for a [not cheap] wedding venue, an additional garbage pick up after each event isn’t possible?). Cell service on the peninsula is spotty which is to be expected. The biggest con was is there was ZERO communication back from LWF after our event regarding the $1000 refundable deposit. We completely understand if a full security deposit is not returned - but some kind of communication explaining why should be appropriate. Unacceptable and word of wisdom for future brides: try to negotiate your contract regarding security deposit return timing and communication. Also, if you are non-local, please get a full service wedding planner (not just a day of/month of coordinator). In our experience, logistics at the venue was a little more than we bargained for when traveling from...