Cape Cod Wedding at a Boat Building Yard

Topping our list of some of the most unique wedding venues we’ve seen, Desiree and Kyle exchanged vows at an active boat building yard in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After days of clearing out equipment and boat parts, mStarr design and Wild Folk Studio had a blank slate to transform into the ideal space for the happy couple. Full of nods to the coastal town and captured by henry + mac, this was truly a day to remember.

From the wedding designer and stylist, mStarr design: Hands down to one of the coolest couples + venues we’ve ever been able to design for and work at… an active boat building yard on the cape. They are not typically in the business of hosting weddings but the groom’s family has a home in the small community surrounding it. The guys who work there spent days clearing out actual working equipment + materials leaving us with a wonderfully blank space to transform.

Desiree is from a small fishing community in Canada and Kyle from Chatham (where the venue is), so they knew they wanted something reminiscent of the water but had some strong feelings about what they did + didn’t want for their big day. Nothing too girly, nothing overly staged or fussy. An “unkempt”, rustic feel. So throughout the planning process, we kept a few key terms in mind as we curated our vendor team + design concepts: refined simplicity, coastal whimsy, effortless romance.

And oh the charm! At every turn… not just the details but the sheer beauty + uniqueness of the environment. Somehow the green tarps that were left up looked pretty, not distracting. The wood planks + pallets provided a lovely backdrop to our bar. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful summer day and it’s hard to say what our favorite elements are but I’d start with the wild florals from our girl Caroline of Wild Folk Studio, seeing the guests dancing under a canopy of edison lights + greenery in the boathouse, the intimate ceremony nestled on the beach in between high tides, cold water escort cards with edible flowers, Desiree’s TWO insane gowns, and the perfectly imperfect calligraphy from Katie Hyatt of Signora e Mare. and all captured impeccably by our friends henry + mac.