WILLOW CREEK — When Kelsey and Mark Patterson of Portland began searching for a wedding venue, they wanted something far from the city’s escalating venue prices and packed guest lists. They found it at Thorne’s Bend, the bluffs overlooking the Mattawamkeag River where The Dry Dock launched a wedding and events operation in early 2020.
Eighteen months and 18 ceremonies later, the venue is responsible for an estimated $340,000 in direct spending at local lodging, catering, and service businesses, according to figures shared with the select board.
Dean Moreau, owner of The Dry Dock, said his staff handles everything from rehearsal dinners to Sunday brunches. The venue charges $4,500 for a full weekend rental, which includes the ceremony site, reception barn, and catering kitchen.
Most couples come from southern Maine or out of state, stay two to three nights and book blocks of rooms at local inns and vacation rentals.
“Weddings are economic engines,” Moreau said. “A couple brings 80 guests, and those guests buy gas, eat breakfast, browse the General Store. It adds up.”
The town is exploring a wedding tourism marketing partnership with the Aroostook County Tourism Council. Selectwoman Eleanor Vance said the venue has put Willow Creek on radar screens that previously only showed Bar Harbor and Kennebunkport.