Laura Melson and Tiger Robison
August 4, 2009, Waldoboro, ME

By Marguerite Smolen

A love of family tradition, great music, and the coast brought music teachers Laura Melson and Tiger Robison together as a couple. Not surprisingly, these themes took center stage in their summer wedding held at Farnsworth, the groom’s family’s historic farmstead on Muscongus Bay in Waldoboro, Maine, where the couple has spent their summer vacations since they met.

Reverend Nancy R. Duncan, Pastor of the nearby Broad Bay Congregational United Church of Christ “drafted an order of worship based on my sense of the two of them.” The couple then chose their own readings and wrote their own vows. When Reverend Duncan suggested ending the ceremony with a favorite word of the groom—“HOORAY!”—they were especially touched.
The couple’s favorite color, purple, dominated the palette, starting with purple and brown invitations. Bridesmaids wore iris-colored dresses from the Jasmine Bridal B2 line. Florist Cottage Gardens echoed the palette with ribbon-tied bouquets of freesia, sea lavender, and lisianthus.

For the ceremony, the bride chose an ivory silk Watters & Watters strapless A-line gown with a rhinestone belt and satin high-heeled sandals equipped with Nike Air technology from Cole Haan. Kate from Head Games Salon swept Laura’s short hair into asymmetrical waves adorned with a rhinestone dotted silk flower.

For the reception, the bride commissioned a dress from Elizabeth Dye ornamented with vintage buttons and lace and a skirt with layers of ruffles made for twirling in. The groom and his men wore gray DKNY pinstripe suiting with purple Calvin Klein ties.

Wedding-day weather was perfect, but weeks of rain beforehand meant seriously muddy ground. The men bought boots for everyone and the bride was thrilled to not get mud on her gown trudging waterside for pre-ceremony photos.

Three friends provided the ceremony music. For the reception, Laura and Tiger booked The Toughcats, a versatile trio who have toured nationally but hail from the Maine island of North Haven.

Caterer Laura Cabot devised a “totally yummy” upscale buffet picnic for the 50 guests of locally sourced, in-season fare. “Our wedding was non-alcoholic, so Laura came up with the idea of a soda boutique stocked with locally produced sodas and a Victorian basil lemonade,” said Laura, who was impressed with her caterer’s creativity. Money had been donated to the Waldoboro Food Pantry in lieu of guest favors.

Tables were labeled with blocks of wood lettered Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, and La after the music scale. Guests found their seats by consulting a chart chalked on a blackboard by Tiger’s uncle David Williams, who also drew caricatures of Tiger and Laura titled “Choir Boy” and “Choir Girl.” The sealed blackboard remains in the Farnsworth barn as a memorial to all who shared in the good time.

Instead of wedding cake, the couple served locally famous pies from Moody’s Diner. Instead of a guest book, guests signed pieces of fabric that are being stitched into a quilt to memorialize the couple’s special day.