Danielle Bosse, of Portland, always knew she wanted a winter wedding. On December 31, 2009, after 14 months of planning, she married her husband, Nate Gagnon, on a snowy day in Auburn. “What better way to start the new year?” said Bosse, adding that the snow “made for really pretty pictures and added to that romantic feel I wanted.”

Amid holiday decor and with clever

Christmas-y ideas for the ceremony and reception, Danielle Bosse and Nate Gagnon

were married in a winter wedding wonderland.

The ceremony took place at Holy Cross in Lewiston. The church was decorated with Christmas trees, wreaths, poinsettias, berries, orchids, and plenty of candles. “It made it feel completely intimate, warm, and romantic,” said Bosse of the candlelit atmosphere. The groomsmen wore black (with red vests for the best man) and the bridesmaids were outfitted in deep red satin gowns, while the bride, in a white satin ball gown, carried a bouquet of Christmas-colored flowers accented by berries. Before the bride’s walk down the aisle, the lights were dimmed and the bridesmaids and groomsmen began a candle light procession.

Following the romantic ceremony, guests gathered at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn to celebrate the bride and groom at a reception. Bosse and her bridesmaids handmade nearly 200 gingerbread cookies for the event, each cookie displaying a guest’s name and table number. Each table had a snowflake tree-ornament that doubled as a place card. Tables echoed the candle theme from the church, with glowing candles surrounding holly and poinsettia centerpieces.

Inside the reception room were six Christmas trees wrapped in white lights, while mistletoe hung in the entranceway and a kissing ball replaced the disco ball above the dance floor. Each guest was asked to bring a tree ornament, and decorated a Christmas tree for the bride and groom with these special tokens, an idea Bosse came up with while flipping through a Christmas magazine. Each ornament had special significance for the bride, groom, and their guests and the tree ended up being a creative and meaningful “guest book” for the event. “This was one of my favorite parts of my wedding,” said Bosse, “because it will bring back so many special memories every time we decorate our Christmas tree together.”

The wedding cake consisted of three square layers decorated with swags and poinsettias. The bride felt lucky to be able to use her grandparents’ cake topper which held special meaning to the family.

Around 10:30 p.m., the bride’s father brought in 30 pizzas to keep guests fed and happy (“This is one of the things my guests always mention!” said Bosse) and around 11 p.m. the Gagnons brought out New Year’s Eve party favors, gearing up to a champagne toast at midnight as they and their guests ushered in the new year. “It was amazing to count down to the new year surrounded by all of our loved ones,” Bosse said. It was a fun and romantic way to begin 2010 for Danielle, Nate and their family and friends.


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