Across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard Nantucket and other picturesque locations in New England, couples spent the days leading up to this weekend’s nor’easter frantically asking: Where can we hold a wedding?
“People are in church halls. They’re in V.F.W. halls. They’re in places that have never had weddings before,” said Olive Chase, a caterer based in Barnstable, Mass., who spent Friday afternoon moving one wedding setup from outdoors to indoors. “They’re buddying up.”
“Any place there’s a building,” she added, “they’re trying to have a party.”
Late September is “tented wedding season” in the coastal towns of the northeastern U.S., said Kristen Gosselin, an event planner based in Martha’s Vineyard. But the temporary outdoor structures are no match for torrential rain and wind gusts strong enough to topple trees.
As forecasts worsened and the National Weather Service issued flood and wind warnings this week, couples across the northeast were forced to rethink plans years in the making.
On Cape Cod, the storm put at risk about 40 outdoor, tented weddings planned for this weekend, Ms. Chase estimated. American Tent and Table, based in Barnstable, canceled six wedding tent rentals across the Cape ahead of the storm this weekend — an all-time high for one weekend in 25 years of business, said Allen Sylvester, the owner of the business.
Even in Farmington, Conn., an inland town, one couple — who picked their venue for its acre of lawns, willow trees and pergola — had to move everything indoors ahead of their Saturday wedding, fearing that the structures would collapse, said Kate Suba, 26, the bride-to-be.
“It’s different than what I had always imagined for myself,” Ms. Suba said.
On Block Island, off the coast of southern Rhode Island, Maya Bass, 28, and Jeffrey MacDougall, 31, spent last weekend collecting driftwood from the beach, fashioning a makeshift arch and planting it in the ground overlooking the water, where they intended to say their vows on Saturday. “Rain or shine, I planned to get married outside,” Ms. Bass said.
But in the face of the nor’easter, Ms. Bass’ resilience faltered.
The couple replanned their wedding in a matter of days, finding a new, mainland venue, florist, D.J. and accommodations for guests as all ferries to Block Island were grounded. Ferry services to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and parts of Massachusetts were also suspended this weekend.
All that remains of the wedding the couple had long envisioned on Block Island, where Mr. MacDougall spent summers as a child, is their handmade arch.
“If that survives this nor’easter,” said Mr. MacDougall, “then that’s a symbol for us.”
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