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V O L . X X V I I I N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 14 H O S P I TA L I T Y / T O U R I S M F O C U S "I was doing weddings off my back porch," she recalls, laughing. "I felt like Moses up there." While that didn't work for clients from out of state who make up 80% of her business, during the pandemic she did Zoom consultations for the first time. Ancillary services include help- ing couples prepare for death as well as Native American aura-cleansing rituals called smudgings. Committed to her core business in weddings, she says, "We are a safe, stable, solid industry, and people will always get married. We have that in our back pocket." A barn with atmosphere Wedding venues have also adapted to changing times. One example is Caswell Farm & Wedding Barn in Gray, where owner Catherine Caswell recently added a garden ceremony space and is currently working on refurbish- ing the barn interior and adding a suite where couples can stay. "I'm upping the property's game," says Caswell, who raised prices at the end of 2021 to include the setup and breakdown services for tables and chairs. In 2020 when weddings were off the table, she opened a farm stand on her property and started doing outdoor dis- tanced events peddling pizza and other food, meeting some neighbors for the first time after 15 years in business. "We were really blown away and I really loved how that felt," the Alaska native says. e business has also added workshops, covering topics from soil to flower arranging, as it juggles 32 wed- dings booked for this year — including some on weekdays. Couples from out of state unable to visit the space before booking can view videos and then meet with Caswell and her executive chef over Zoom. For 2023, there are already five bookings from clients who've never been on site. "I am curious if that is a trend," says Caswell, who employs around 30 people during the season and notes she hasn't had any staffing challenges. "ese couples know they don't have the time to MAINE HR CONVENTION May 9-12, 2022 Samoset Resort 2022: BACK TO BUSINESS MAINEBIZ www.mainehrconvention.com Register now: Get 10% off using code: "What Great Resignation?" - Companies with great HR Do your employees take pride in what you do? Find out. F O R I N F O R M AT I O N A N D TO A P P LY G O TO B E S T P L AC E S TO W O R K M E. C O M A N E M P L O Y E E E N G A G E M E N T P R O G R A M D E A D L I N E: M AY 27 Brought to you by: » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Portland-based wedding officiator Claire Winston-Wade of Savoir Claire travels to all parts of Maine to conduct ceremonies but has done some from her porch during COVID. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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