Max Ultimate Food
If your idea of the perfect birthday party includes tuna tartare and prosciutto-wrapped figs instead of grocery-store sheet cake, Max Ultimate Food is your match. The seasoned catering team brings restaurant-level cuisine and flawless service to everything from cocktail parties to intimate dinners to galas with hundreds of guests. Expect decadent bites and celebration-friendly cocktails, all presented with style and served without a hitch. 65 East Cottage St., Dorchester, MA 02125, maxultimatefood.com.
East Meets West
A flawless wedding meal doesn't just happen—it takes vision, precision, and a caterer who knows how to keep everyone (from vendors to the father of the bride) in sync. Known for its hyper-fresh ingredients, from-scratch dishes, and artful presentation, this seasoned team delivers seamless service and seriously crave-worthy menus. Expect the tuna tartar on wonton crisps, beef tenderloin with horseradish cream, and watermelon cubes with feta and fresh mint to vanish from trays in seconds. 212 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210, eastmeetswestcatering.com.
Harvard Art Museums
For couples who want their big day to feel like a curated masterpiece, the Harvard Art Museums offer a setting as timeless as the works on display. After exchanging vows, opt for the Renaissance-inspired Adolphus Busch Hall for cocktails and conversation, followed by dinner from the Catered Affair in the glass-canopied Calderwood Courtyard. It's a celebration where every detail feels intentionally composed—like a canvas brought to life. 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, MA 02138, harvardartmuseums.org.
Fleur Events
Yaritza Colón Photography One of the most compelling aspects of Molly Anne McGill's work is that her floral arrangements often include an unexpected element—sometimes, it's a rare branch, other times, it could be a paper accent. Whatever the flourish, it always feels like perfection, the missing something you didn't know you needed. As for the flowers themselves? With a background in the fine arts, McGill is known for transforming gorgeous blooms into bouquets that have personal meaning to couples. 624 Hancock St., Quincy, MA 02170, fleurevents.com.
Verveine Café & Bakery
Here's the thing about great gluten-free grub: you shouldn't be able to tell. Award-winning pastry chef Monica Glass and celebrated restaurateur Ken Oringer (of Toro and Uni fame) have cracked the code at their Central Square hot spot, where prosciutto-and-butter-topped baguettes and truffle grilled cheese on Japanese milk bread make you forget they're catering to restricted diets. And save room for dessert—those chewy ube brownies and nostalgic strawberry hand pies are what the future of inclusive dining looks like. 298 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139, verveinecafe.com.
The Beach Bar at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
Cocktails just taste better with a gentle, salty breeze in your hair, and Ocean Edge's Beach Bar is one of the best spots for both. Pick your poison—a cranberry mojito or pineapple-strawberry vodka smash, perhaps?—and enjoy it while watching the sun set over Cape Cod Bay. On a clear day (and presumably with a clear head), you can see all the way to P-town. 2907 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631, oceanedge.com.
Skull Island Adventure Golf & Sports World
No family vacation to the Cape is complete without carefully weighing the rainbow of golf-ball options at Skull Island. Give a hole-in-one your best shot at the tropical jungle–themed course; if the kiddos have more energy to expend afterward, the complex offers go-karts and a driving range. And on rainy days, you'll find an indoor arcade with more than 60 machines to keep everyone busy. Who said air hockey's just for kids? 934 MA-28, South Yarmouth, MA 02664, skullislandcapecod.com.
Pure Glow
Already beloved for its natural-looking tans and clean, organic formulas, Pure Glow has kicked things up a notch with its newest studio in the Seaport. The modern, light-filled space sets the stage for a truly elevated experience—but the real magic is in the flawless, custom-blended tans that match your skin tone and fade like a dream. No streaks, no smell, no weird orange undertones—just a sun-free glow that looks like you spent the weekend on the Cape. Multiple locations, pureglow.com.
Lune
For decades, the mid-Cape's best restaurants were seafood shacks; truly fine dining required a long drive on Route 6. That's no longer the case thanks to Lune, a newly christened James Beard Award semifinalist where imaginative seasonal tasting menus are served inside a former gas station garage. Among the small-plate standouts? Scallop crudo, tomato tartine, and roasted monkfish, as well as desserts such as Hoodsie Cups amped up with sea-salt caramel and Chantilly cream. 587 Main St., Dennis Port, MA 02639, lunecapecod.com.
AWOL
The Province Lands marshes make up one of the Outer Cape's most uniquely beautiful landscapes, and AWOL in Provincetown's rooms have a front-row seat to them. The boutique hotel offers understated yet luxe lodgings—plus a heated pool and fire pits outside—that overlook the vibrant green grasses and cerulean-blue waters. Though it's a short walk to town, you may never want to leave, especially if you book the Lark Suite, complete with a roof deck. 59 Province Lands Rd., Provincetown, MA 02657, larkhotels.com/hotels/awol.
Wequassett Resort & Golf Club
Courtesy Just when you thought Wequassett couldn't possibly get any dreamier, this oh-so-swanky resort, nestled along Pleasant Bay, unveiled a dazzling $12 million makeover just in time for its 100th birthday. Designed by Boston interiors firm Reider + Co., guest rooms are now bedecked in linen, grasscloth wallcoverings, and a palette of coastal blue, with new soaking tubs in the suite's bathrooms. The amenities outside the rooms, meanwhile, continue to make a splash: Jump into one of the two gorgeous pools, enjoy a five-star meal at Twenty-Eight Atlantic, or take the free boat ride to Outer Beach for a day of fun in the sun. 2173 Head of the Bay Rd., Harwich, MA 02645, wequassett.com.
Mac's on the Pier
Want to enjoy your fried clams mere steps from the fishermen hauling them off the boat? Then make it a point to stop at Mac's on the Pier, where you can tuck into pristine seafood on a picnic table overlooking Wellfleet Harbor. The menu has the classics, of course—fish and chips, fried scallops, whole-belly clams—but we also love to mix it up with dishes such as seared yellowfin-tuna tacos and fried-fish burritos. 265 Commercial St., Wellfleet, MA 02667, macsseafood.com.
Capers Catering
Relax. Everything is being taken care of. No more pre-party freakout as you run to the deli to buy ice, only to realize that you have nothing to put it in. Whether you're having 50 people over for cocktails or the wedding of the millennium, you can count on scrumptious food and prompt, efficient service. An added perk: The chef can pull off everything from authentic sushi to Yorkshire pudding with equal finesse. 66A Broadway, Arlington, MA .
Capers Catering
Run by Emma Roberts, Capers works with brides and grooms to create custom menus that showcase local ingredients—and they do it for parties big and small, indoors and outdoors, formal and casual. (Roberts also owns Flip Flops Clambakes & BBQ, so imagine the spread she could put together for beach nuptials.) If you're curious about her recent creations, try browsing Capers on Pinterest. Mini chocolate-covered "Oreos" with milkshake shooters, anyone? caperscatering.com.
Capers Catering
After nearly three decades in the biz, Capers knows how to whip up one hell of a spread. And with a “farm-to-fork” philosophy, it’s a safe bet your meal will be totally fresh, too. 21 Emerson Street, Stoneham, Massachusetts 02180, caperscatering.com.