Maine Wedding at Sebasco
As many of you know, one of the toughest times to have celiac disease or a gluten allergy can be at special events, especially weddings. In the two years that I’ve been diagnosed, I’ve become very good at planning ahead, eating peanut butter rice cakes between the wedding and reception and stuffing David’s suit pockets with Lara Bars and nuts, knowing that I will not be able to partake in the buffet or the seated meal. I have even searched high and low for a semi-fancy, semi-cute large purse that I can carry my food in to these events. Let me know if you’ve found any cute bags that would do the job.
When people ask me what the hardest thing is about having celiac, the thing that comes to my mind is weddings. Food is such a large part of these celebrations and no matter how many years I’m gluten free, it will always be awkward to watch other people eat, meanwhile getting funny looks from guests who don’t know me, and having to explain why I’m not eating. (A note of warning: be careful about consuming too much alcohol at events such as these. While all of your friends are eating, it’s easy to have one too many glasses of wine.)
This is not a pity post, however. I don’t expect any bride or groom to consider me when they’re planning their big day and there was most likely someone at my wedding reception who couldn’t eat anything because they had a food allergy that I overlooked. Also, there are probably some things at receptions and events that I could eat, but I don’t feel like weddings are the right time to be in the back of the kitchen, demanding to know from the chef whether or not the filet was marinated in soy sauce or if the gratin has bread crumbs. It’s someone else’s day, not mine, so I usually stay quiet about my dietary needs at wedding receptions.
I say all of this because about a month ago my sister-in-law, Heidi, got married in Phippsburg, Maine at Sebasco Harbor Resort, about an hour drive from Portland. I was so excited to be a bridesmaid, to celebrate with Heidi and her fiancé, Ross and to spend a long weekend in Maine with my family. David grew up going to Maine with his family so it’s only fitting that Heidi got married in Maine. The wedding was absolutely incredible and the whole weekend was so much fun. Heidi was beautiful and her lucky groom, Ross, could not stop smiling at the reception. Overall, a truly lovely weekend spent with friends and family, celebrating a wonderful couple.
In the midst of planning a destination wedding, working full time, and buying a new house, Heidi made sure that I was able to eat throughout the weekend. Both my mother-in-law, Elaine, and Ross’ mom, Martha, worked hard with the staff at Sebasco to make sure that I was taken care of throughout the weekend. For those of you with food allergies or celiac, you know how rare it is to be able to share food at the table with everyone for an entire destination wedding weekend so you can imagine how touched I was by the extensive efforts people went to for me. I have to tell you about the wonderful staff at Sebasco and Mae’s Café, as well as the delicious food I enjoyed throughout the weekend.
If you love Maine, Sebasco is a perfect spot for a wedding. Think Dirty Dancing meets Maine! A beautiful backdrop, with adorable (and quite nice) cottages of all sizes all over the property. Sebasco also has individual rooms available at their various inns on the property. Right on the water, Sebasco also has a golf course, beautiful views, a game room (with bowling!), restaurants, a bar and event rooms. They even make your bed every day! I’ve never stayed in a cottage before that does that.
I arrived at Sebasco on Thursday afternoon and the first people I talked to were Marianne Vold (who’s in charge of all special events) and Chef Michael. I’d already spoken with both of them over the phone in the weeks leading up to the wedding and they wanted to double check and make sure that I was taken care of for the rehearsal dinner and wedding. What a good sign. I immediately felt welcome at Sebasco and confident in these two people.
So let me tell you about the food! On Thursday night Heidi and Ross’ two families had a pizza dinner in our cottage. Even at this small family meal, Chef Michael brought me grilled chicken, baked potato and a separate salad from everyone else. It was delicious and made me (and my digestive system) immediately feel comfortable at Sebasco.
On Friday, we had the bridesmaid’s luncheon off of the resort, in a small town called Bath at Mae’s Cafe. Mae’s is an adorable lunch and breakfast spot and we had our own room for the event. Heidi made sure in advance that I was able to eat everything in the meal. We each had a plate with grilled vegetables, shrimp salad and chicken salad and mine was exactly the same as everyone else’s. It was delicious and we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon sharing stories and our memories of Heidi. At the end of the meal, I was served a piece of flourless chocolate cake. I was already so touched that I got to eat lunch, but what a treat to actually get dessert! The cake was so rich and delicious that I couldn’t eat all of it, so it provided me with something sweet for the rest of the weekend.
Back at the Sebasco Resort on Friday evening, the rehearsal dinner was a picture perfect lobster bake outside. Chef Michael told me that I could have everything except the rolls and clam chowder at the rehearsal dinner so I enjoyed a whole lobster, potatoes and corn. It was a great meal to eat outside in the cool, September Maine air! Messy and fun. Ross’ mother, Martha, really worked hard to make sure that I was able to enjoy this meal and feel confident that everything was ‘safe.’ And it was!
After a lovely ceremony on Saturday afternoon, the wedding reception on Saturday night provided a perfect venue to eat, drink, dance and continue celebrating Heidi and Ross. Chef Michael let me choose which entrée I wanted for the seated dinner. I chose the steak (of course!) and he made me a separate steak with a different sauce because the one everyone else had contained soy sauce. I was able to enjoy the earlier courses as well. The first course was a nice salad (I just asked not to have blue cheese on mine) and the second course included a beautiful squash soup. The waitress even brought me some espresso ice cream with a homemade blueberry compote while everyone else ate cake. What a meal! And the take home gift at the wedding reception were adorable mini-jars of homemade (gluten-free!) jam made using Elaine’s very own Linden, Virginia blueberries.
I can’t express enough to my family and the people at Sebasco and Mae’s how touched I was, and still am, that they went to such great lengths to include me in every dining experience that weekend. The weekend would have still been such a great time, but the special meals and treatment only added to the fun. I truly felt like I was part of the event and not watching from the sidelines. Thanks again to Marianne, Chef Michael, Mae’s Café, Heidi, Ross, Elaine and Martha for going to such lengths for me!
What a lovely post, about an equally lovely – and delicious! – weekend. It was such fun to be with you and David! Love to you -Allison & co.
I attended a wedding in Cabo San Lucas when I was 5 months pregnant. Lucky for me the groom’s mother is a Celiac. The menu was buffet, but every dish was labeled gluten-free, or not and the wedding coordinator walked me around to every station to explain food preparation. They didn’t have cake, rather a chocolate fondue waterfall where everything that could be dipped in was gluten free. Imagine, gluten-free empanadas, lobster tails and the list goes on. I even received a copy of the menu prior to the event and it was also marked to indicate which dishes were gluten free.
I have never felt more loved or respected as I did at this wedding. I am so glad you were able to enjoy yourself and were taken care of by your family and friends.