Real Wedding: Rachel & Noam’s Elegant Midsummer Celebration at Flanagan Farm

Behind the scenesWeddingsSeasonal Inspiration

Nov 4

Written by Mike Haimes

Written by Essie Haimes, Co-Owner of Walnut Hill and Flanagan Farm

AT A GLANCE

Date: Mid-June

Guest Count: 120 guests

Style: Outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour with a seated family style dinner in the barn

There is a photograph from this wedding that we keep coming back to. Noam stands at the edge of the meadow, hands clasped, mouth wide open, seeing Rachel in her gown for the very first time. It is pure, unguarded joy, and it tells you almost everything you need to know about these two.

The rest of the story unfolds across nearly every corner of Flanagan Farm: sage silk and champagne in the farmhouse, a chuppah in the forest grove, fruit tumbling across candlelit tables, and a barn hung with twinkle lights and mirror balls. It was midsummer, the wildflower meadow was knee-high and green, and the evening light seemed to linger just a little longer than usual, as if it did not want the day to end either.

It was, quite simply, one of the warmest and most quietly stunning weekends we have hosted.

Why Flanagan Farm

Part of what makes Flanagan Farm distinctive is the natural flow of the property. Each space opens smoothly into the next, from farmhouse to meadow, forest grove to lawn, and lawn to barn, so guests are gently carried through the day rather than shuttled from one moment to another. Rachel and Noam cared as much about how the day felt for their loved ones as how it looked, and Flanagan Farm fit that vision to a tee.

The day began in the farmhouse, where Rachel and her nearest and dearest gathered in matching sage pajamas, champagne in hand, in the sunlit second-floor suite. Later, that same group leaned out of the farmhouse dormer windows to sneak a glimpse of the couple’s first look, a moment that captures exactly what it means to have your closest people under one roof.

The ceremony followed in the forest grove. Cocktail hour spilled across the lawn between the barn, the farmhouse, and an elegant sailcloth tent, with lawn games and Adirondack chairs gathered around the fire pit. When evening arrived, everyone made their way into the barn for dinner and dancing.

The Palette

A crisp, fresh green was the thread that tied the entire day together. It ran from the getting-ready pajamas, to the napkins, place cards, and table numbers, and finally in the green grapes and halved limes scattered along every table.

Against that bright and inviting green, the design layered in blush and berry: dusty pink taper candles, deep plum and burgundy blooms, and pale peach roses. The result felt fresh and garden-inspired by daylight, then warm and romantic once the candles were lit and the barn began to glow.

The Tablescapes

Fruit woven into centerpieces has become one of the defining design trends of the season, and Rachel and Noam's tables are a beautiful example of it done well. Clusters of green grapes and halved limes tumbled out from low arrangements of hydrangea, viburnum, olive branches, and garden roses, adding texture, color, and an unexpected freshness to every place setting.

What made it work was the thoughtful restraint, and the indomitable team at Timber & Moss struck that balance beautifully. The fruit echoed the palette rather than competing with it, and it sat alongside thoughtful touches that kept the tables feeling elevated: clear glassware, gold flatware, and tall pink tapers in glass hurricanes. Long farm tables ran the length of the barn, with a single head table at its center that made the room feel like one big dinner party.

The Look

Rachel's gown, by Paloma Blanca, was a masterclass in modern romance. A sleek, strapless crepe column provided the foundation, and over it she wore a high-necked lace cape by Caroline Castigliano that buttoned down the back and fell into a dramatic lace train. Paired with a cathedral-length veil and a polished low bun, the look was classic and completely her own.

It also happens to be right on trend. Lace used as an accent rather than an all-over fabric, and removable layers that take a single look from the aisle to the dance floor, are two of the most talked-about bridal directions this year. Rachel embraced both, and then some: for the reception, she changed into a beaded mini dress and a pearl choker, ready for a night of dancing.

Noam was the perfect complement in a classic black tuxedo, bow tie, and a white rose boutonniere.

The Ceremony

Rachel and Noam were married beneath a chuppah in Flanagan Farm's forest grove, surrounded by tall pines and soft, filtered light. In the Jewish tradition, the chuppah represents the home a couple will build together, and here, the canopy overhead was Noam’s family tallit, a meaningful heirloom that created a warm, celebratory space for two families coming together as one. Greenery and cascading blooms framed it on every side, with foxglove, dogwood, garden roses, and smoke bush gathered at its base so that the chuppah seemed to grow straight out of the forest floor.

The flowers echoed the woods around them, and the grove did the rest. The walk back out of the grove as newlyweds, all laughter and joy, is a moment we will be thinking about for a long time.

The Reception

Before guests arrived, Rachel and Noam had a quiet moment alone in the barn, taking in the room from opposite ends of the sweeping head table. Their faces said it all. Hundreds of twinkle lights stretched across the beams, a cluster of mirror balls hung over the dance floor, and the candlelit tables glowed beneath it all. The couple’s wedding coordinator, Kate Moncada of Golden Hour Planning, was tucked by the french doors observing the moment and spoke for every vendor when she said “this is the type of reaction that we work all year for.”

Dinner was an unhurried affair, cresting through golden hour and winding down naturally with the evening light. After formal dances, Rachel and Noam slipped off for an intimate cake cutting. Then came the moment that transformed the trajectory of the night: they made their grand entrance down the barn staircase, her in a mini dress, his sleeves rolled up, arms in the air, with a live saxophonist leading the way. The dance floor stayed full well into the night.

A Note From Us

Rachel and Noam, thank you for choosing Flanagan Farm, and for trusting us with your dreamy midsummer celebration in Maine. What an immense joy to be in the orbit of a couple so visibly, wonderfully in love. We are so grateful to have been a small part of your story, and we cannot wait to see where it takes you next.

Essie Haimes has owned The Maine Barns with her husband Mike since 2020. Together they have hosted 300+ weddings between Flanagan Farm and Walnut Hill.