Why Everyone Stops to Photograph Maine’s Wedding Cake House

The most photographed house in Maine sits along the stunning array of homes on Summer Street in Kennebunk. You can’t miss the intricate design and bright colors of the so-called Wedding Cake House.

While there’s a lot of history connected to this unique piece of Maine architecture, there are also some legends that don’t quite check out. If you’re heading to Kennebunk or Kennebunkport for a trip, it’s worth knowing the details of this delightful home, even if you can’t get a tour inside.

Where Is the Wedding Cake House?

Between downtown Kennebunk and the Lower Village of Kennebunk, you’ll find the yellow house with stately white spires and intricate elements around the edge.

The street address is 104 Summer Street. You can walk from downtown Kennebunk to the house in about 30 minutes, and it’s along the Museum in the Streets footprint. Keep walking toward the Lower Village to see the Kennebunk Landing panel that shows where the shipbuilding industry first started in this region.

History of the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk

The Wedding Cake House started as a Federal-style home, mostly blending in with other stately shipcaptains’ homes on Summer Street. George and Jane Bourne were gifted the house from George’s parents for their wedding in 1826. The Bourne family built one of the first ships on the Kennebunk River in 1755.

After a fire in the 1850s burned down an adjacent barn, the structure was rebuilt with Gothic influences Bourne had seen on his travels overseas. You’ll notice a similarity to the Milan Cathedral in Italy.

The ornate trim, also called “gingerbread” decorations and “icing”, took a lot of attention away from the main house. That’s when Bourne and his crew started hand-carving the trim for the house to match. He died just a few months after the elaborate trim was complete. The Wedding Cake House stayed in the Bourne family until 1983.

The Wedding Cake House has only had five owners since it was built, with the most recent taking possession in late 2025. The home was sold for $1.8 million, and all the furnishings and artwork were sold at auction.

How Did the Wedding Cake House Get Its Name?

Many versions of the Wedding Cake House origin stories are out there, but it started as the Bourne House, named for the owners. George Bourne was a fourth-generation shipbuilder, and his family’s shipyard was just downstream on the Kennebunk River.

In fact, it’s likely that Bourne referred to it as Gothic-style, since his influence came from the Gothic cathedral in Italy. This house isn’t to be confused with the Bourne Mansion of Kennebunk, located on Bourne Street and built in 1812.

Now we get to the stories that don’t come with receipts and have fallen more into legend status than factual:

1. One story claims that it was a clever postcard maker who coined the phrase “Wedding Cake House” for the elaborate white trim on the yellow house.
2. Another says it was designed as a “Wedding Cake” since the owner wasn’t able to give his bride a proper honeymoon.
3. In a similar fashion, another tall tale claims the house was a gift for the bride when the newlywed shipcaptain husband took off for a trip right after the wedding.

No matter which one is true, the name tracks and the elaborate white trim have been kept up for years through several restorations.

Is the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk Open for Tours?

You can’t get a tour of the Wedding Cake House or even step onto the property without permission. It was sold to new private owners in October, 2025.

The previous owners hoped to restore the stately house and open it as a rental for events and overnight stays, but the Summer Street residents weren’t in favor of drawing those crowds to the neighborhood.

Before it was sold, a few private events were allowed, and the Brick Museum hosted an event there in September. It remains to be seen if more events will be held in the future.

The Tragedy of the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk

As mentioned earlier, George Bourne died just a few months after the “icing” was added to the Wedding Cake House. However, the tale of his death is connected to a New England tragedy involving his niece, Lizzie.

Keep in mind that most of the ornate work on the house was done between 1852 and 1855. In September of 1855, George, his wife, daughter, and niece (Lizzie) went to hike Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

A series of ill-fated decisions led to Lizzie’s death. First, the family started the hike in September, later in the day than expected. She had begged her Uncle George to let her go, even though she wasn’t in the best of health. The hike is about eight miles, and the mountain is notorious for being “unforgiving” and subject to rapid weather deterioration.

They made it halfway up, with Lizzie pushing to continue the hike to the top when Uncle George really wanted to wait until the next morning. As they toiled on, the clouds rolled in, and a damp rain dragged the clothing’s weight to as much as 35 additional pounds of resistance.

After reaching a false summit, the group decides to hunker down while George builds a stone wall to protect them from the elements. By 10pm, George checks on Lizzie and finds her lifeless. He holds onto her throughout the night, hoping his body warmth can revive her.

As the sun rises, the group realizes they were just a few hundreds yards — maybe another 15 minutes of hiking — from the safety of a hotel. Despite best efforts, Lizzie perished from a mix of hypothermia and heart issues.

The guilt of his decision to press on with the hike and the physical toll the stone wall efforts took on him caused him to fall into bad health. He died about a year later, spending his last two months bedridden at the Wedding Cake House.

Inside the Wedding Cake House

With tours off the table, we can give you a glimpse inside this historic home thanks to features produced throughout the ages and the recent real estate listing.

Here’s the layout and landscape of the house:

• Two stories
• Nearly 6,300 square feet of space
• More than two acres
• 300 feet of access to the Kennebunk River
• 7 Bedrooms
• 9 Bathrooms (5 full baths and 4 half-baths)
• Carriage House
• Barn/Apartment

The parking area also has room for up to 20 cars, but since this is private property, stay off the grounds.

Learn More About the Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk

One of the best places to dig deeper into the Wedding Cake House history and notable connections of the Bourne family is the Brick Store Museum in downtown Kennebunk. Some of the ships built by the Bourne family are displayed in photographs.

You can also pick up a map of the Museum in the Streets and take a walk around the community to see more history. A sidewalk on Summer Street makes it easy and accessible to see the Wedding Cake House without disturbing the new owners.