We're Getting Married!

Sydney (24) and Jason (23) met in September 2016 during Sydney’s first week of work at the Margaret Murphy Center for Children. Sydney was assigned to observe and train with Jason. The two connected over their shared passion and talent for working with students with significant behavioral challenges and special needs. They would spend downtime at work decompressing after a tough day or bouncing ideas off each other. Coworkers became friends, then soon more and they have been inseparable ever since. The two spent countless evenings after work making foiled dinner packets in the tiny kitchen of Jason’s studio apartment in downtown Portland while listening to music. Their first dance song is Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in homage to all the evenings spent singing this while making dinner together in the early stages of their relationship. The two bonded over their love for food and experimenting in the kitchen. Now, the two enjoy grilling and making dinner together both at their home in South Portland and at the Yasenchock house on Moose Pond for their families.

We are thrilled to be getting married at the Boothbay Playhouse in Boothbay, Maine! Boothbay holds a special place in our hearts. On our first year anniversary, December 2017, Sydney planned an evening in Boothbay for their winter celebration and attempted to go to Gardens A-Glow not realizing we should have booked tickets in advance. Jason was immediately charmed by the small coastal town. A year or two later, we were searching for a fun spooky activity to do around Halloween. Sydney found a haunted tour in Boothbay and we booked an evening stay at the Tugboat Inn. The rest is history and this became our yearly tradition: a weekend in Boothbay Harbor in October, prime time for a Mainer to play tourist. We stay in the same room on the wharf of the Tugboat Inn every year. When we were deciding where to get married, it made sense to share our October tradition with all of you in our favorite place and now we look forward to returning every year to celebrate our wedding anniversary! We are so thrilled to share our special place with all of our friends and family. We encourage you to spend the mornings in Boothbay Harbor exploring the shops, grabbing breakfast at the Red Cup Coffee House. If you arrive Friday evening, we recommend a beverage or BBQ at the Footbridge Brewery, a pasta and wine dinner at Ports of Italy, or live music and fresh seafood at Mine Oyster. We are so excited to spend our annual October Boothbay weekend with you all! Every year on the way into town we have driven past the Boothbay Playhouse. Sydney grew up on stage and spent summers performing alongside her family at Deertrees Theater, a historic outdoor barn theater near her home town in Harrison, Maine. Theater, music, and dance were a major part of Sydney’s childhood and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from the University of Maine. With this meaningful connection with the performing arts, the historic Boothbay Playhouse barn theater immediately caught Sydney’s eye every time we drove to Boothbay. When we discovered it was now a wedding venue, it made perfect sense for us to spend our special day here. The Boothbay Playhouse was originally transformed from Jasper Wyman farm into a state-of-the-art barn theater in 1937. It served as a summer theater hosting local, regional, and national national talent to include TV and movie actors such as Christopher Reeve (Superman), Oscar nominated Tom Hulce (Amadeus), Maeve McGuire (Edge of Night, All My Children, Another World, and the film Working Girl), Oscar nominated writer John Gay, Sherwood Keith (The Andy Griffith show), and Polly Holliday (Flo from TV’s Alice).  The Playhouse was also featured as point of interest in the June 1968 issue of National Geographic. The venue has so many special touches that the owners have added to hold onto the history of the theater and the area. We also feel a personal connection to all these special touches. The building’s original state as a farm pays homage to Sydney’s grandfather’s upbringing on a farm in Maine. The dance floor is on the old stage and features overhead stage lights. The main space features antique stained glass windows procured from a mid-1800s Irish chapel, something that made us both feel connected to our Irish roots. Through the doors between the windows is an old fisherman’s wharf bridge that immediately reminds us of our weekends staying on the wharf at the Tugboat Inn. The space also has many areas available for indoor and outdoor games for those that may not wish to spend their entire evening on the dance floor!