general wedding question

Thinking about a MA beach wedding, but since I live in Minneapolis, I have a ton of questions.

1. If I plan on having 30 people, what would be a great place to have an informal beach wedding complete with clambake? I know there are probably at least 20 towns on the coast this could work at, so post your favorite. If it helps, we%26#39;re looking for a place that has lots our guests could do during their down time.

2. What would #1 cost? We%26#39;re trying to compare a destination wedding with a Minneapolis wedding. This is a second wedding, so definitely not looking to break the bank.

3. My guests would all want to swim. Is early September too cold for this?

Thanks for your help, I know this is a hard one!

general wedding question

Your best bet might be just to google clambake caterers in New England and contact them directly. I don%26#39;t remember the last time I saw an actual clambake or fire on a beach, although I know there are semi-private beaches in places like Marshfield where every family sets off their own collection of fireworks on the 4th of July, so maybe people do make fires on the beach nowadays.

I%26#39;m actually surprised to see that you can get fire permits for the Cape Cod National Seashore (quite honestly it would hardly occur to me to try to make a fire on a beach), and apparently they also have special permits for weddings:

www.nps.gov/caco/planyourvisit/permits.htm

In any case if what you are thinking about doing is possible I think it would be wicked expensive, particularly if the clambake includes lobster.

general wedding question

Two recent weddings on the beach I am familiar with - one in Chatham, one on the Vineyard. In both cases, the couple rented a house directly on the water for the week - the Vineyard house was 6k (late June, slept 8 people) the Chatham house was 10k (Memorial Day, slept 20 people, so the whole bridal party stayed there). A casual clambake will probably run $35-45 a person, obviously the more you order the higher the cost. Consider the cost of alcohol as well. Transportation to your venue for the guests -the couple on the Vineyard had to hire a couple of motor coaches because there wasn%26#39;t enough parking at the house they rented. A tent and tables, chairs, barware and linens are another 2k (you might save by renting and putting the stuff up yourself) Also, consider service charges for wait staff and bartenders if you have them. You can obviously skip all the frills here, and just rent a place, rent some tables and chairs and have the clambake catered. If you do rent a house, they may have stuff you can use, or they may prohibit you from having a big party! Just some things to consider...

(And early September is usually fine for swimming)

Hi Debbie,

The first thing I thought about was having to fly 30 people here and back. That would be rather expensive. There are plenty of public places on Cape Cod to have your ceremony. Some are on the beach while others are inland. Most require a permit through said town and a fee of around $100. Most also don%26#39;t allow alcohol so that could be a problem for the bake on the beach. Maybe the local caterers know of ways around that or certain places where it%26#39;s acceptible. Then you would need lodging for everybody. So, while you can do a wedding without breaking the bank, it will be hard traveling half way across the country to do it. You could look in to a place like the Lighthouse Inn in West Dennis who could provide you with the lodging, ceremony on the water and the food. Maybe you could have them do a clambake instead of the traditional wedding foods. Early September is still swimmable. Mid to late September is when the water really starts to cool off. Anyways, here%26#39;s some links to look at. Best of luck.

www.lighthouseinn.com/oceanfront-cottages.htm

capecoddj.com/cape_cod_ceremony_sites.html

http://www.clambakesetc.net/

Thanks posters! Good info here. I%26#39;ve been doing TONS of research, so starting to narrow down the possible venue list.

Hi, Debbie,

I don%26#39;t know if you are considering Martha%26#39;s Vineyard as a location, but if you are, check out Bill Smith clambake company. I%26#39;ve been to several of his events -- he%26#39;s got lots of photos on his site, so you can decide if you want the ';casual'; clambake or the ';formal'; clambake. His site also mentions something called the Capt. Flanders house, which is a beachfront rental property he uses for some of his functions. He does a great job. And the Vineyard beaches in September are glorious.

If looking at someplace other than MV, you might also consider York Beach, Maine. I know you said Mass, but it%26#39;s just over an hour from Logan. You%26#39;ll find lots of affordable accomodations (inns, B%26amp;Bs, motels) -- some nice beaches, lighthouses for wedding photos and tons of restaurants/caterers. Try Fosters Clambakes -- never been there, but read about it somewhere. Good luck and congrats!

Oh, I like the Bill Smith website! I%26#39;ll definitely take non clambake ideas as well.

Concerning swimming, September is a great time. Water has a huge heat capacity so cools much more slowly than the air. The water can be absolutely frigid thru June, but warmer even into October. Remember though, this is the North Atlantic. Warm is a relative term!

Check out the wedding boards at theknot.com (boston board) and the wedding discussion board at boston.com for more help, as well. The boston.com board is especially helpful for all things wedding related.

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