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This ‘family-style’ celebration was marked by loved ones, friendship, and food!

My husband, Eric, and I had one of our first conversations about getting married while walking with our dog on Ocean Edge Beach in the spring a few years prior to getting engaged. So, it was very fitting the location ended up being our wedding venue.

I’m a native of Boston, but since I was born my summers have been spent in Brewster and Orleans, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I am very lucky to have grown up alongside many of my cousins with the Ocean Edge Beach serving as our playground for the summer months. Eric, who grew up in Wellesley, also spent many summers on the Cape and loves it in the same way.

Eric proposed at the end of a run on a Saturday in June, on a path leading down to the water by my parents’ home. We then went sailing in Nantucket Sound—and the planning discussions began.

I have a large family, and I wanted all of the cousins I grew up with on Cape Cod to be at our wedding. We knew that would make for a large number, but it would also make for a great party, so we went with it.

We got married on August 19, 2016, in the small chapel on Route 6A (Immaculate Conception), and our family and friends filled the place to the brim. It was hot and sticky and some guests stood outside—the same as we did as kids when we walked up the street for Sunday morning Mass. We followed the ceremony with a quick set of photos by the beach at Ellis Landing and continued on to the cocktail party on the Ocean Edge terrace. Eric’s father surprised the crowd with a flyover in honor of Eric’s grandfather, who built planes during World War II. We honored both of our grandfathers that day—our wedding day would have been my grandfather’s 91st birthday.

Following cocktails, we danced into the tent with our wedding party to the tune of the Blues Brothers’ “Everybody Needs Somebody,” and had some laughs and got some too.

The tent and its decorated interior far surpassed our expectations and was exactly what Eric and I had in mind. Our goal was to recreate the feeling of the family dinners we had enjoyed throughout our lives. Christian Soderstrom, our planner, executed this vision like no one else could have. At a certain point in the planning process, both Eric and I let all of the planning go and asked Christian to simply “do his thing.”

We didn’t really have a clue what the interior of the tent was going to look like, but that was part of the fun. And it truly was better than anything we had imagined. There were large rectangular tables made of old barn wood, similar to the tables in our parents’ homes. The tables were dressed simply, a runner stretched down the middle and vintage mismatched china served as the place settings. At the center of each table was a towering vase of Baby’s Breath surrounded by small, short vases filled with orange-y pink roses. The height of the vases was perfect; they helped anchor the tent without obstructing anyone’s view.

In an effort to continue the “family dinner” feeling, we also designed our own menu for the whole wedding. We both love to cook, so getting the menu right was key. The staff at Ocean Edge was phenomenal to work with and did a fantastic job with every part of the wedding—especially the meal. Eric and I collected some of our favorite recipes and all of the food was served family style. We wanted to encourage our guests to engage with everyone seated at their table, even those at the opposite end, and it seemed like passing dishes might be a good way to encourage that.

While the food mattered a lot to us, the dancing and fun was just as important. We had an amazing band, Total Soul, drive up from New Jersey, and they really got the whole room moving. Once the band got going, I don’t think I saw my grandmother sit down again—so I’d say it was a success.

I know it’s cliché and everyone says it about their own wedding, but it really was the best day ever. I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to kick off our life together and am so thankful to have such a day in my memory bank.

Maggie Corcoran Seitz lives with her husband, Eric, in Boston’s South End. They plan to spend as many weekends as possible on Cape Cod in the summer.

Check out more photos from Maggie & Eric’s family-style wedding!