Our friends Cali and Trevor tied the knot this past weekend in a beautiful, romantic ceremony on the beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Mistakenly, I always thought beach weddings would be outrageously expensive. But from what I could tell, this super classy Cape Cod wedding was not only elegant but affordable too. Most importantly though, nobody left hungry.
Cape Cod + Boston Itinerary
September 7-9, 2018
Friday, September 7
- 8:45 pm departure DFW
- 6:30 pm flight delayed 3 hrs due to rain
- 2:00 am arrival BOS (Boston Logan International Airport)
- 10 minute shuttle ride to car rental area
- rented a car from AVIS
- 15 min drive to my sister’s apartment on Boston University campus
Saturday, September 8
- 8:30 am breakfast at my sister’s
- ahhhh-mazing sticky buns from Flour Bakery + Cafe
- my 33 week pregnant sister made us delicious bagel breakfast sandwiches too
- ahhhh-mazing sticky buns from Flour Bakery + Cafe
- 10:15 am drive to Cape Cod
- picked up our friend, Scott, on the way
- 12:00 pm arrival in Cape Cod (Chase’s Ocean Grove in Dennisport, MA)
- 12:30 pm wedding starts
- 1:30 pm reception at Swan River Restaurant & Fish Market in Cape Cod
- food was insane! read below
- 5:00 pm after party on the beach
- 6:00 pm grilled hot dogs outside for dinner
- 8:30 pm drove back to Boston
- 1.5 hr drive
Sunday, September 9
- 9:00 am light breakfast at the apartment
- strawberry banana yogurt parfait made by my sister
- 10:15 am SoWa Open Market
- lots of arts, crafts, food, treats, etc.
- delicious lunch at food trucks in SoWa Open Market
- 12:30 pm drive back to the airport
- return car to Avis
- 10 min shuttle to our terminal
- 2:13 pm departure from BOS
- 5:29 pm arrival at DFW
Cape Cod Wedding
The Story Behind Cape Cod
From Childhood to Engagement
Our friend, Trevor, grew up in Boston and his family has a cottage on the beach in Dennisport, MA. He spent many of his childhood summers there, as did many of his neighbors who still visit frequently. Last year, he proposed to Cali on the beach in Cape Cod where he has many fond memories, and she said yes! They figured a wedding at that same location would be sentimental and absolutely gorgeous.
Chase’s Ocean Grove
Trevor’s family’s cottage is in a neighborhood of similar cottages in Chase’s Ocean Grove in the Cape. Guys, this is the cutest little neighborhood I have ever seen. You’ve got these super adorable 1-2 bedroom cottages within a stone’s throw from each other, separated only by little sandy streets. A few steps from the front door and you’re picking up seashells on the beach.
The Friendliest Neighbors
Being from the south, one complaint that my sister has about Boston is that people aren’t always very friendly. This was not the case at all in Cape Cod. Trevor was on a first name basis with most of his neighbors and everyone was very welcoming. Trevor and his family have such a great relationship with their neighbors that most of the wedding guests were able to stay for free in his neighbors’ cottages. How incredible is that?
Beach Ceremony
Barefoot on the Beach
Since I had never attended a beach wedding before, I was even more excited to see Trevor and Cali tie the knot. The ceremony was held on the private beach in Trevor’s neighborhood. It was super quiet with just the ocean waves in the background. And, the September weather was just warm enough to enjoy the breeze without a jacket. Having never been a fan of heels and achy feet at weddings, it was so nice to go completely barefoot and feel the sand between my toes!
Cali and the bridesmaids had this super cute foot jewelry on instead of shoes, brilliant for a beach wedding!
Ceremony Decor
The ceremony decorations were simple and elegant. We were welcomed with a handwritten chalkboard sign tied up in blush-colored lace that matched the bridesmaid’s dress. The wedding altar was minimalist perfection with just the wooden structure, some lace, and flowers. The aisle was lined with white lace tied up in bows.
Seagull Found a Snack
Though the officiant had some pretty funny things to say about Trevor and Cali, we were even more entertained by an uninvited guest. Halfway through the ceremony, we noticed a seagull getting his lunch on with this poor, unfortunate crab. Not to be insensitive, but it was pretty hilarious.
As far as omens go, I think this was a good one. At my own wedding, I had live goldfish in my flower vases. Of course, my wedding planner (aka my Godmother) used untreated tap water, so by the end of the reception, they all died. My guests were also pretty entertained by death. Mr. Jo and I have been married almost 10 years though, so I’ll just consider animal death a sign of good luck at weddings. Cali and Trevor did just what you’re supposed to do when the unexpected happens at weddings, laugh!
Clam Bake Reception
Only second to the very heartfelt speeches by Cali and Trevor’s families, the reception food really took the cake. No pun intended. We started off with some amazing appetizers: fried mozzarella sticks (because who doesn’t love these), fresh shrimp cocktail, and giant bacon-wrapped scallops. Then, they brought us a delicious clam chowder, or more accurately, chowdah!
I was already full by this point when they brought out an enormous plate of seafood and a huge lobster for each guest. Whoa. Cali told me the meal cost about $36-$37 per person. For the amount of food we got and the insane deliciousness, this was an incredible deal! Not to mention, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves.
The next couple of hours were spent meticulously pulling out every last little piece of lobster meat from every little leg, cavity, and crevice. When there was nothing left of the lobster or my stomach, we had cake. A delicious, chocolate mocha cake.
On a side note, Cali had done all of the decorations of the restaurant herself, with a little help from her girlfriends. The flowers were bought at Trader Joe’s for about $150 total and Cali did all of the arrangements. They were exquisite.
The After-Party
We hopped in the car and made the short 5 minute drive back to the beach. We hung around with all of our old friends and some new friends and had some great conversation. I met a fellow gymnast, which is always exciting! I also got to chat about life and kids with my fellow badass working mom friend, Katie. It’s so nice when someone else gets you and you share the same struggles in life. We may sound like we are complaining, but we love our kids more than anything and we’re just f’ing tired.
Back to Boston
SoWa Arts Market
We stayed at the beach until dark and then made the 1.5 hour drive back to Boston. I do have to give Mr. Jo props for always driving and letting me sleep. The next morning, we had a little time before our 2 pm flight, so my sister took us to the SoWa Open Market that’s held every Sunday in Boston. If you’ve read my Prague post, you know how I am obsessed with farmers markets and any kind of arts and crafts market.
This place was the bomb. I forced Mr. Jo and my sister to methodically go up and down each row of vendors at the arts portion of the market so I didn’t miss anything. We admired lots of handmade crafts, including some really nice jewelry, organic baby blankets, paintings, and wood crafts. I got my sister this really cute faux taxidermy mounting of a narwhal head for her baby nursery.
After a trip around the entire market, I went back and got the lion and lamb faux taxidermy for Jo Jr. and Missy Jo, too. Initially, I couldn’t decide which ones to get, but my sister pointed out that the lion and lamb had a nice religious meaning. Even though I teach kindergarten Sunday School, I couldn’t remember the exact meaning of the lion and the lamb passage in the Bible. So, I looked it up.
Isaiah 11:6-9 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion [a]and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
Lion and the Lamb
So, the lion and the lamb is a really beautiful passage that basically explains what the Earth will be like when Jesus returns. All will live in peace and harmony and there will be no fear, hatred, conflict, or suffering. Even the lion and the lamb will lay together. That passage makes my heart happy.
SoWa Farmers Market and Food Trucks
Mr. Jo saw a vendor making these delicious looking breakfast sandwiches with a sunny side up egg, bacon, and cheese on an English muffin. Though they looked delicious, I convinced him to look around first and see if there was something he wanted to try more. We headed over to where the food trucks were and we were definitely impressed.
I’ve been on a banh mi kick lately, and even made my own pork meatball banh mi’s at home just last week. So, I had to try the pork banh mi from the BonMe truck. It had all the makings of a traditional banh mi with the fresh cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon, and pork pate, not to mention the sweet and savory roasted pork. It was pretty darn good. The sandwich was about $7-8. Even better, there was no MSG!
My sister and Mr. Jo ended up sharing a lobster grilled cheese sandwich, lobster roll, and street corn. I would highly recommend trying these. The lobster roll was decent and had a nice helping of lobster in it. The lobster was in large pieces too, not all shredded up like some other ones I’ve had. I wouldn’t have expected it, but the lobster grilled cheese was even better. It had some greens and banana peppers in it that added a nice little zing. Their meal cost about $40.
Last Stop: Admirals Club
After returning the rental car, we had a little extra time, so we stopped at the American Airlines Admirals Club. Mr. Jo had signed us up for the AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®. It’s pretty nice because it gets us free access to the Admirals Club, along with 2 additional guests per person with a card. For more information, click here.
Check out our other romantic getaways!