This Beach-Loving Couple Married at Mattapoisett’s Shining Tides Estate
For a couple who courted by the shore, a waterfront wedding proves worth the wait.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
THE STORY
Since they started dating during college in 2013, the beach has been a key part of Danielle Canady and Joel Vastl’s love story. Danielle grew up in New Jersey, and for years, she would wake Joel up at the crack of dawn to watch the sunrise and walk along the Jersey Shore whenever they visited her parents’ house there. “Eventually, one of those walks, I had a ring with me,” says Joel, who popped the question on July 4, 2019.
The pair, who live in Windham, New Hampshire, planned to wed at the harborside Shining Tides estate in Mattapoisett in August 2020. When the pandemic forced them to cancel that date, they decided to hold off on tying the knot rather than scale down so that they could celebrate with their 73 nearest and dearest. “It was really important to us to have everyone there, and to do so [in a way that was] healthy and safe and not with a million restrictions,” explains the bride.
So when the big day came on July 9, 2021, it was just their luck that the festivities almost got rained out by Tropical Storm Elsa. “It was raining sideways the whole day,” Joel remembers. But during the first look, which was moved indoors, the sun began to break through. By the time the first dance rolled around, the tide had turned. “The water was perfectly still,” Danielle recalls. “The sunset was like cotton candy.”
THE DETAILS
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
The guys suited up at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in New Bedford while the women prepped at an Airbnb house in Fairhaven; then the whole wedding party headed to the venue by bus for pre-ceremony portraits.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
In lieu of a traditional guestbook, a Connect Four–esque board allowed guests to slip tokens with handwritten messages into heart-shaped slots.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
One of the couple’s splurges? The stationery, which featured abstract blue mollusk designs.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
Floral arrangements included pastel dahlias, orchids, dried pampas grass, and bunny tails. “I have a lot of the dried florals still in the house,” Danielle says.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
Danielle and Joel are oyster aficionados. Shells served as place cards, the pair took a “shot” of the shellfish during cocktail hour, and the raw bar overflowed with oysters.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
A seaside setting was a must for the bride and groom, but it had to be “casual and not super glam,” Danielle says. Shining Tides fit the bill. “That venue is like a blank canvas,” she adds.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
After swaying to “I’ll Wait” by the Strumbellas for their first dance and “In My Life” by the Beatles for joint parent dances, the newlyweds got everybody moving with up-tempo tunes.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
Hand-lettered bottles put a unique spin on a seating chart. “Everyone of course wanted their glass bottle,” Joel says.
Photo by Emily Elisabeth Photography
THE FILE
Band Silver Arrow Band
Bride’s Dress Rue de Seine, Ceremony
Caterer Russell Morin Catering & Events
Flowers Fleur Events
Hair Julia Ceruolo
Invitations Ali Mac
Lettering Letter Meets Paper
Makeup Rob Martelli
Menswear Calvin Klein
Videographer Latimer Studios
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