Winterport wedding venue getting facelift from pair of grooms

WINTERPORT, Maine (WABI) - A couple of local grooms are going above and beyond when it comes to wedding planning.

Their hands-on approach has them helping build the actual venue where they’re set to marry their brides this summer.

“Doing something for your own wedding is pretty cool. I get to spend a lot of time here and think about things. Maybe even call this wedding planning. I’m doing my part!” said Ellis Throckmorton, owner, Throck Solid, LLC.

Like most couples, Throckmorton and his fiancée have plenty to do before their wedding this July. Unlike most grooms, Throckmorton’s to-do list includes building guest cabins on the grounds of his venue.

“When I made plans for these guest cabins, I surveyed all my couples to make sure they really wanted it. One of our couples, Karlee Price and Ellis Throckmorton, not only said, ‘We want the cabins!’ Ellis said, ‘Do you have anybody to build it?” said Emerald Forcier, owner, Penobscot Bay Weddings & Events.

The guest cabins are just some of the many improvements underway at Penobscot Bay Weddings and Events in Winterport.

Owner Emerald Forcier grew up on the property and got married there herself in 2017. But after the death of her mother from early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2020, Emerald’s had a vision -- and a mission.

“Creating the venue has been an awesome way to keep her legacy alive and bring that energy back to the property. Because this is a beautiful place that should be shared with others. If you’re a good person, you are welcome here,” Forcier said.

It’s important to Emerald to work with people who also care about the venue. What better way to guarantee that than hire contractors who will spend one of the most important days of their lives here?

“They bring heart and soul to it, because this is part of their family story. They’re going to be bringing their loved ones to this place,” Forcier said.

“It’s not like you build a deck and you’re walking on it everyday. So, to actually use something that we created is pretty special, I think, especially for a big day like a wedding,” said Tyler Chamberlain, owner, TSC Contractors.

Chamberlain is tasked with building a bathroom and outdoor kitchen facility.

Last summer he renovated the old boathouse into a honeymoon suite and built a bathhouse for happy couples coming through. He and his fiancée will get to enjoy the fruits of his labor when they get married in September.

“This is perfect,” said Chamberlain. “This is the ocean view that she wanted. It’s just perfect. Perfect timing for everything.”

“We’ll be ready, don’t worry. That’s what I’ve been telling her: ‘Emerald, don’t worry. We’ll have them ready,’” said Throckmorton. “I have stake in it, I have to have them ready!”

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