Cape Cod Celebrations | Blog - CAPE COD CELEBRATIONS

Special Spotlight | Annie & Brian

3/11/2023

Today we're taking a look back at Annie & Brian's 2017 wedding at Chatham Bars Inn!

Annie and Brian tied the knot back in 2017 at Chatham Bars Inn. It was a perfectly overcast day on the South Lawn for ceremony and cocktails and under a beautiful Sperry Tent for their reception and dancing.

True North Event Rentals provided their super cool boardwalk for the aisle as well as many of their tables and chairs for the guest seating.

Patrice Milley worked with bright yellows, the bride's favorite color, to bring a pop of color to this spring fling! Christine and Andy from Bello Photo captured every detail - from the M&M escort card favors to the yellow guest book skis!

The wedding weekend was full of fun activities from their rehearsal dinner at Borsari Gallery to their welcome party at the Beach House Grill and finally the brunch, under their same tent Sunday morning, their guests truly enjoyed a wonderful Cape escape!

Vendors
Venue - Chatham Bars Inn
Tent - Sperry Tent
Rentals - True North Event Rentals
Florals - Patrice Milley
Photographer - Bello Photo

Cape Cod Couples Tell All | Courtney & Caleb | April 18, 2015

4/18/2019

Back in 2017 we started a "Cape Cod Couples Tell All" series with Scott and Leonora and continued it last year with Annie and Brian. This year we are kicking it back in to gear with Courtney & Caleb who were married April 18, 2015 at Chatham Bars Inn - 4 years ago!

Cape Cod
1. What made you choose Cape Cod for your wedding?
Beautiful setting and a special connection to the venue, itself.

2. Why would you tell future brides and grooms to get married on Cape Cod?
Cape Cod is absolutely gorgeous and serene at any time of year. Even in the heart of winter, you cannot beat the breathtaking views of the ocean and the cool crisp air. We were married in early spring to avoid the summer crowds and the weather on our wedding day was absolutely perfect, 60 degrees and sunny with the bluest sky. We couldn’t have asked for more.

Your Wedding!
1. In three words, how would you describe your wedding?
Whimsical, entertaining, intimate.

2. Was your wedding exactly what you had envisioned?
Perfect! Exceeded our expectations.

3. What was your biggest concern in planning your wedding?
Trying to keep the day true to our identities.

4. What was your favorite part of the planning process? What was the most difficult part?The food tasting! And getting to know all of our vendors well. Really can’t think of any difficulties. A true testament to how easy Jamie made the process for us! She did most of the hard work!

5. What was your favorite part of the wedding?
The ceremony, the food, the ambiance, the food, the reception, the food. Did I mention the food? Honestly, everything from start to finish. Being able to relax on our wedding day knowing Jamie was handling everything behind the scenes. We were able to truly enjoy the day with nothing on our minds but each other.

6. Looking back, would you change anything about your wedding? If so, what and why?
Not a thing!

7. Who was your favorite vendor?
CBI! They executed the most amazing menu for the day.

8. What do you think your guests would say their favorite part of your wedding was?
Overall, how unique it was. Specifically, the food, the photo booth, and all the dancing at the reception.

9. How would you title your wedding? (e.g. The wedding with the best food and dancing!)
Best wedding ever!

Wedding Planner
1. Why did you decide to hire a wedding planner?
To make the process easier and less time-consuming and to get guidance on local vendors.

2. How did having a planner contribute to the success of your wedding?
It contributed immensely! We needed Jamie’s firsthand knowledge of the venue and her experience with all of the vendors. She was able to guide us in the right direction based on our personal style and vision. Also, just offering the simple tip of how to stand with each other during our ceremony was so helpful!

3. For upcoming brides, why do you think it is important for them to consider hiring a planner?
It’ll save so much time during the process as you’ll have to devote less energy to researching venues and vendors.

4. What was it like working with a planner? What was your overall experience like?
Wonderful! We had the best time working with Jamie! She truly respected our vision for the day and guided us in the right direction to make sure our wedding felt unique and personal. She “got” us.

5. Why would you recommend Cape Cod Celebrations over other companies?
You’ll get such an individualized experience, Jamie will truly make you feel like you’re her only client.

Wedding Advice
1. What advice would you give other brides about planning a wedding?
Get as much help as you can, otherwise it can be so overwhelming. Just remember the day is ultimately about you and your partner and as long as you are staying true to yourselves, your wedding will be perfect!

2. What was most helpful to you in the planning process?
Jamie’s knowledge and attentiveness.

3. What do you wish you would have known before planning your wedding?
How easy it could be with help!

The Future
1. What do you think will be the next big trend for weddings? What do you think weddings will be like 20 years from now?
I think weddings will become more personalized over time. You’ll see more weddings reflecting what couples want to do and less what they feel like they have to do. There won’t be as much of a wedding “script” and couples will feel more free to design their day based on their own personal identities.

2. How’s married life!?
It is amazing! We’ve had such a blissful 4-years of marriage and have been back to the Cape for 2 anniversaries/baby moons since our wedding and really got to relive the magical moments of our wedding day on both occasions. We feel so lucky to have had such a special and personalized wedding and owe so much to Jamie for making it all happen!

Vendors
Wedding Planner - Jamie at Cape Cod Celebrations
Photographer - Organic Photography
Florist - Lilacs
Venue - Chatham Bars Inn Beach House Grill
Hair & Makeup - Lisa George
Band - Murray Hill Talent
Rentals - Be Our Guest (now Peak Event Services)
Stationery - Lucky Luxe

CAPE COD COUPLES TELL ALL | Annie & Brian | May 28, 2017

5/28/2018

Next up on "Cape Cod Couples Tell All" - meet Annie & Brian! Jamie had the pleasure of working with them in 2017 at Chatham Bars Inn and it was a weekend to remember! Even though it has only been a year (Happy Anniversary!) we thought it would be fun to catch up with them and get their thoughts on their Memorial Day Weekend wedding! Enjoy!

Cape Cod
1. What made you choose Cape Cod for your wedding?
Cape Cod was actually a special place for both of us. Annie’s parents honeymooned on Cape Cod in 1974 and she spent the summer at their house in Harwich for her entire life, and always envisioned getting married on the Cape. Separately, the year before Annie and Brian met, Brian’s parents discovered Chatham Bars Inn and decided it was a great place for the family to come together for Labor Day. Once Annie and Brian started dating, Labor Day on the Cape became a joint family tradition, and, three years later, Brian proposed at Chatham Bars Inn, with both families present, over Labor Day weekend. So, getting married on the Cape was a fairly obvious decision!

2. Why would you tell future brides and grooms to get married on Cape Cod?
The Cape is an “almost” destination wedding. It lets guests be fully focused on the wedding, but it is not too far away from Boston, New York, and other major cities. So it is easy to get to but still feels remote and special. Further, there are so many fun things to do on Cape Cod! We had a blast putting together our website full of recommendations, and sending guests on various trips on the Saturday of our long weekend wedding!

All Photos by Bello Photo

Your Wedding!
1. In a three words, how would you describe your wedding?
Us. Love Yellow

2. Was your wedding exactly what you had envisioned?
It was even better! We really wanted it to feel down to earth and rustic, yet classy and true to the Cape. We also really wanted to take care of our guests and make sure that everyone had an amazing time (particularly because every single person had to travel to be there!).

3. What was your biggest concern in planning your wedding?
Honestly, we were just really worried about making everyone happy. We didn’t want anyone to feel excluded or bad, and we wanted to create an environment that made every single person feel like they were part of the fun. We also had a lot of moving pieces, so we were always worried about everything coming together coherently!

4. What was your favorite part of the planning process? What was the most difficult part?
The most difficult part was definitely the guest list! It is never fun to prioritize some people over others, and we were doing that across our own friends and our families. Our biggest piece of advice is that if there are 1 or 2 people on the line invite them! You will never regret having them, but you might regret not inviting them.
Our favorite part was thinking of all of the personal details – what song we would walk in to, getting customized “Brannie” corn hole, etc. We really liked taking the formula and making it scream “us”.

5. What was your favorite part of the wedding?
It is a tie. The first look was definitely a highlight. It was the only time that day (until we got back to our hotel room at 2 am!) that we got to spend alone together, and it was just really fun to take a pause and laugh about the whole ordeal, eat some ice cream (we did our first look at Schoolhouse Ice Cream in Harwich!), and then to pile my wedding dress into our car and drive to CBI, and show up for the actual thing together as a team. We also just had SO much fun after dinner at our wedding when we totally let loose and danced with our friends and each other and just celebrated!

6. Looking back, would you change anything about your wedding? If so, what and why?
This is super minor, and probably speaks to the fact that there is not really anything we would change. But, if we could change one thing, it is that it was REALLY cold at the (outdoor) ceremony, and we wish we had asked the groomsmen to give the bridesmaids their jackets…both because then the girls would not have been actively shivering the whole time AND because that would have made for some pretty cute pictures!

7. Who was your favorite vendor?
Ummmm, Jamie Bohlin and Cape Cod Celebrations, obviously. I mean, in all seriousness, Jamie and her team made wedding planning a joy. I had so much fun working with Jamie and she made all of the decisions feel very manageable. Working with her and her team was hands down the best decision that I made in the whole process (other than marrying my husband, of course!).

But, if I have to pick a vendor other than Jamie, I think I would say Kate Mann and team at Chatham Bars Inn. Honestly, I was really nervous when we selected the venue that the wedding would feel “cookie cutter” because they do so many, but in the end it felt more personal and true to my husband and me than most other weddings we have been to. We could not have done this without the dedication of Kate, the Chef, and everyone else who listened to our vision and absolutely made it happen.

8. What do you think your guests would say their favorite part of your wedding was?
All of it?? I mean, everything except for the cold ceremony! People really liked our pre-dinner dance set, because it broke up the eating between our long cocktail “hour” and the dinner. They also just loved the band and the dancing in general.

9. How would you title your wedding?
“How many fun things can we squeeze into one weekend?!”

Wedding Planner
1. Why did you decide to hire a wedding planner?
Honestly, Chatham Bars Inn actually required that we have a coordinator because we were doing a tent wedding. I think we would have wanted a planner anyway, just because there were so many moving parts, but I didn’t start seriously looking until I had to.

2. For upcoming brides, why do you think it is important for them to consider hiring a planner?
This was literally the best decision we made. She did many things for me (and I was in grad school so had a lot of time, so I wasn't really offloading to her, she added value beyond that). Most importantly, she:

Thought of random things I may not have (e.g., we had a vintage pair of skis as our "guest book" which was super awesome) and just made sure I didn't miss anything
Recommended vendors, although I ultimately chose them (she weeded from the world to 5ish options, then I would pick from there)
Managed the various vendors for me, particularly in making sure that we had everything we needed, getting the prices as reasonable as possible, and, mission critically, just making sure everything was ready to go in that two week before period and managing EVERYTHING day/weekend of
Was an overall thought partner...told me when I was being silly and when I wasn't, helped me prioritize things in terms of budget, etc. Also, frankly, helped me think through some of the weird family things that came up and was a general person who knew the industry and what I was experiencing and I could talk to whenever.
Orchestrated all of the day of stuff-- literally, one of our buses got in an accident and we NEVER HEARD ABOUT IT. She just took care of everything. YOu DO NOT WANT TO BE THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING ON THE DAY BEFORE OR OF YOUR WEDDING. TRUST ME. Even if you think you are that chill cool got it together couple, just trust me, weddings bring out the crazy in you and everyone you know. It is just better if you aren't worried about whether the hors d'oeuvres are going out on time when you are trying to manage pictures with grandma and a nutty photographer. Also, you don't want to have to move flowers from one place to another or make sure the ceremony programs are in place or ANY of that stuff. You just want to do you that day.

3. What was it like working with a planner? What was your overall experience like?
Jamie is so down to earth and straight forward that working with her was incredibly easy! My experience felt like Jamie gave me a high level “work plan” (as in, we should be thinking about flowers, photographer, and a band this month), I gave her some thoughts about my vision for those things, she came back with some options, and I overanalyzed each option and made a decision. She let me be controlling and picky while making sure I checked all of the boxes and helping me find vendors and ideas that really fit with my vision. It just made me feel like no balls would be dropped, but I could still plug in as much (or as little) as I wanted to.

4. Why would you recommend Cape Cod Celebrations over other companies?
I can’t imagine a better thought partner than Jamie – she is smart, funny, thoughtful, and totally “gets it” when you explain your vision. Also, she knows EVERYONE!!! She used to work at Chatham Bars Inn, so she easily navigated working with them, and she clearly has fantastic relationships with all of the other vendors. I can’t tell you how many vendors absolutely raved about Jamie in side conversations – I just think that by working with her you get a leg up internally because she is amazing AND you get a leg up externally because all of the other vendors love her and will work with her to create your vision.

Wedding Advice
1. What advice would you give other brides about planning a wedding?

Give your husband tasks! With timelines! Don’t do it all yourself, because planning together is actually really fun and romantic.
Stop worrying about other people! It is your day! Try not to offend anyone, and then make the day / weekend about you guys.
Pick the 3 things you care about the most and then over-invest in those things, and don’t get worked up about the others. For me, I really cared about the band, so I was neurotic about selecting the band and sending them every song I liked and didn’t like, etc. I did NOT care about flowers, so I forced myself to be more relaxed about those and not engage as much except for the high level vision.

2. What was most helpful to you in the planning process?
Jamie and her timeline. I had my own timeline, but she knew when things had to get done in order to be right for the wedding, so made sure that we didn’t miss anything along the way.

How’s married life!?
Amazing! In many ways, very similar, but in many ways much more chill and familial. We have a puppy now – who is AMAZING – and learning about each other as “parents” has been a whole new adventure! We love being a pseudo little family and finally just stepping back and saying, hey, if all we want to do on Friday night is cuddle our puppy and watch Star Wars, let’s just do that!

View All of the fabulous photos of
Annie & Brian's Wedding Here!

Best Outdoor Ceremony Locations on Cape Cod

7/17/2012

Many couples choose Cape Cod for their wedding because they want to have their feet in the sand when they get married, or at least have their ceremony outside at one of the many picturesque locations around the Cape. Although weather is always a factor when you have an outdoor ceremony, the risk is completely worth it when you end up with that perfect, sunny Cape Cod day. Below I list some great locations to consider if you are planning to get married outside on the Cape, as well as how to plan the proper rain plan.

Beaches - Public vs Private
When planning a beach wedding, you need to first figure if the beach you are looking at using is public or private. If you have a house on the water, or are renting a house on the water for your event, the beach is most likely private, which makes a beach ceremony very easy for you. The only restrictions you may have to consider is if the beach is part of an association and that the association has rules on beach ceremonies. Most likely you are free to use the beach without issue.
For public beaches it can be a bit trickier. You will have to reach out to the town and get their regulations on beach ceremonies. Each town is different, but most have a small fee to use the beach and also require that any set-up and break-down happens within an hour before and after the ceremony. Depending on your time of day and time of year, you will also have to consider the parking for your guests. If it is before 5 p.m. your guests would have to pay for parking or be shuttled in. After 5 p.m. there would be no parking fee and there would typically be less people on the beach. Lots of things to consider!

Jonathan Young Windmill, Orleans
There are many windmills on the Cape - Brewster, Eastham, Chatham, Sandwich - but there is one in Orleans on the water, very close to the Orleans Inn, that is a beautiful location for a seaside wedding. Check with the town on wedding ceremony regulations.

Chatham Bars Inn, Boat House
There are many reception locations on the Cape that also offer outdoor ceremony locations as a part of the package and for smaller weddings, I would have to say that the Boat House at the Chatham Bars Inn takes the cake for me. This is one of my most favorite locations on the Cape to have a ceremony. The view is amazing, you can be in the sand or on the lawn with the same great view. And if your wedding is small enough, your back up would be inside the Boat House with the same beautiful view!

Bourne Farm
Actually located in West Falmouth, Bourne Farm is a beautiful location for those brides looking for an outdoor ceremony and reception without being on the beach. There are many locations on the farm for your ceremony as well - under a large tree, with a view of the pond and more.

Rain/Back-up Plans
The biggest plan that you need to have in place for an outdoor ceremony is a back-up plan (or two!) in case of rain, wind, hurricanes, or whatever nasty thing Mother Nature could throw your way. Usually it is pretty easy to put this plan in place - either you have a reception tent you can go under or you can schedule to have a tent put up if the weather forecast is not looking good, or your reception venue will have an indoor option for you. Yes, typically the back-up is not nearly as perfect as your number one choice, but without one you will lose your mind!

Featured on Style Me Pretty!

4/2/2012

Last week we were featured on Style Me Pretty! I was so excited to find out in February that Judy & Ben's wedding was going to be featured, but I was not sure when we would see it. So on March 27th we got our first official Style Me Pretty post! You can see it here - the photos and details of this wedding were amazing!

Thanks to Judy for her great DIY ideas, it made her day very easy to execute so that she did not have to worry about a thing. They were able to relax and enjoy knowing that all of their details were being executed behind the scenes.

Big shout out to Mandee who helped me that day. We have since sworn off hanging any cafe lighting! We will leave that one to the pros, especially in August!

Weddings, Weddings, Everywhere!

3/9/2012

I am so excited for all of my weddings this year, especially because they are truly taking me all over the Cape! So I thought I would take a minute to highlight all of these beautiful locations on Cape Cod to have your wedding and maybe you will see me there this Spring, Summer or Fall! Of course there are many other locations on the Cape that I do not mention here, but this gives you a small sampling of the locations I have been and may stem some ideas for you!

Wequassett
Located in Harwich, this beautiful resort sits on Pleasant Bay and is a wonderful location for your event. Especially if you love the lower Cape.

Ocean Edge
Located in Brewster, this resort has many different options for your wedding from a mansion ballroom to a poolside pavilion and smaller venues on their golf course and their mansion. Great for a large wedding or a small rehearsal dinner!

Cape Cod Museum of Art
Located in Dennis, this art museum is perfect for weddings under 100ppl. With a 2 beautiful gardens for ceremony and cocktail hour and 2 large rooms with local art on the walls, this location is fun, different and a great location for those not set on a beach feel.

SeaCrest
Located in Falmouth, this resort was recently renovated and is located right on the beach! If you want to get married with your feet in the sand, it is an option at the SeaCrest.

Wellfleet Preservation Hall
Located in Wellfleet, this newly renovated and restored facility was formerly the town's Catholic Church. With two spacious halls (one with a stage), beautifully landscaped grounds and garden, it is a great location for intimate gatherings to larger private functions.

The Sea View
Located in Dennis, is a function hall location right across from the beach and in great vicinity to resorts for your guests. The Sea View has a beautiful outdoor ceremony reception, a really fun bar for cocktail hour and a great space for dinner and dancing.

Bourne Farm
Located in North Falmouth, is a great outdoor venue if you are looking for a tented reception. With a large pond, a small barn and a great lawn for any size tent, this location is picture perfect!

Popponesset
Located in Mashpee, is right on the water! A great way to feel like you are on the beach and almost having a tented event, without having the concern about weather.

Chatham Bars Inn
Located in Chatham, is not only my old stomping grounds, but has wedding venues for those looking for a modern beach feel at the Beach House Grill or Boat House, to a vintage feel in their grand Main Dining Room. Ceremonies in the sand with a beautiful ocean view!

I am also doing a couple of at home weddings off Cape this year as well!

Adare & Patrick - Chatham Bars Inn

9/21/2011

I sure do love having a summer filled with weddings at Chatham Bars Inn - it is so nice to work with familiar faces like Clarissa Davis and Chef Cole again!

This time though I was with a new couple, Adare and Patrick. I worked very closely with Adare and her mom Teal throughout the planning process and they had a lot of details that needed attention - from mason jars and paper straws for the signature drinks to a beautiful tray of sea glass for the escort cards. The day was perfect - just missing out on a nasty hurricane that weekend - with a church ceremony at Holy Redeemer in Chatham and reception following at the Beach House Grill.

The photography was done by Amy Dykens - which you will see featured in the next issue of Southern New England Weddings!! - the flowers were done by Patrice Milley and the linen overlays provided by Rentals Unlimited. A band drove up from and back from New York City that evening to play for them and an exit with sparklers and an ice cream truck ended the evening of fun and dancing! I cannot wait to see the photos in the magazine - this was a truly elegant and beautiful event!

Judy & Ben - Chatham Bars Inn

8/26/2011

Working with Judy & Ben was so much fun! I knew that when I first met them in my office at the beginning of the year that we were going to have fun when Judy pulled out her adorable mini idea book with fabulous travel inspired ideas in navy and pink!

The event was beautiful, with absolutely every aspect planned by the bride, all I had to do was execute her vision. From the cafe lights over the deck and pink candy bar to the luggage tag escort cards in suit cases and post card guest book, she did not miss a beat. If Judy was not a nurse I would be afraid she would steal my day job!

For vendors they worked with some new people that I was fortunate enough to get to work with for the first time. He photographer was Grace Kim, from Washington state if I remember correctly, and her hair and make-up was done by Charlotte Phinney from Boston. Her flowers were beautiful and done by The Tangled Web, a new florist from Pembroke who was great to work with as well! And the over all event was held at the Beach House Grill atChatham Bars Inn - my old stomping grounds!

Jana & Brooks - Chatham Bars Inn

7/31/2011

Jana & Brooks were a fabulous couple looking to get married on Cape Cod in July with their closest friends and family - and one of my most favorite locations on the Cape for an intimate ceremony and reception is the Boat House at Chatham Bars Inn.

They had their ceremony on the edge of the sand on a beautiful clear day. Tom Davis was there to shoot photos (check out his photos here), Designers Touch provided the stunning flowers and Rentals Unlimited delivered all of the chairs and linens. They even rented a serpentine kids table with buckets we put together for each child attending. We also arranged the Chatham Bars Inn activities staff to come and take the kids on a scavenger hunt around the beach so the adults could enjoy their clam bake dinner.

Wedding Season

7/5/2010

Man do I love wedding season on Cape Cod! I just had my first wedding of the year last Friday at the Boat House at Chatham Bars Inn. It is hands down one of my favorite ceremony/reception locations on Cape Cod for under 50 people. Susan and John were such an awesome couple to work with too, which makes my job a lot easier! And it could not have been a better day for a wedding, even topped it off with the moon rising out over the water, unreal.

Now onto other weddings and filing my first away as a job well done. Next I am off to South Dartmouth for repeat business! Last year I did a wedding on July 25th in South Dartmouth for Sara and now I am going back to do her twin sister Lisa's wedding. Who would ever think that you could - or should - get repeat business in the wedding industry? I am so thankful that I get to work with their family again though, it makes for a long day, but is totally worth it.

The house is located at a beautiful location as well at their parents house at the very back of farm land. Just keeping my fingers crossed that the weather works to our advantage. They have a great band from Murray Hill Talent and are working with other great vendors from the Dartmouth area. Unfortunately not my Cape favorites, but excellent businesses that I will have the pleasure of working with for 2 years now. Some of them do work on the Cape from time to time so I may have to bring them back to the Cape with me!

Without a doubt I am extremely happy to be able to work with my awesome couples this year and I look forward to keeping you updated with my events as they roll out!!