Renting a Private Home for Your Cape Cod Wedding

It seems so easy. Rent a house for the weekend and set up a tent for your wedding. A private beach for the ceremony, a nice big lawn for the reception. There must be hundreds of places on the Cape to do this....Right?

Wrong. 

People who own waterfront property on Cape Cod are fiercely protective of it. The houses are often old family homes, or were terribly expensive to purchase, and huge money is involved in their upkeep. Beaches are fragile. Lawns get damaged by trucks, tents, catering equipment, and 150 people trampling around celebrating a wedding.

And if for some reason someone doesn't mind the idea of 150 people gettin' jiggy in their backyard, the neighbors might mind very much.

Alas, a few of these elusive spots exist. They usually permit only a handful of weddings a year - a few in May/June, and a few in September/October.  At nearly all the houses you must set up a tent, provide portable restrooms, make transportation or parking arrangements, hire a caterer. And the pricetag for one of these places is in the high four figures, or more.

But make no mistake, these are truly the premiere venues of Cape Cod with their incomparable beauty, stunning views and the opportunity to create something incredibly personable and reflective of everything you love about the Cape.

So how to find this Private Home Available To Rent That Allows Weddings, which isn't advertised, is seemingly impossible to track down on the Internet, has becomes a long series of phone calls and following up on rumors: "I think I heard of this house in Chatham, maybe it was Brewster,  that sometimes allows weddings..."?

Some select caterers and wedding planners maintain inventories of these private homes.  Need more help? Email us and we'll point you in the right direction.

{ Private home in Orleans, via Grazier Photography }

{ Private home in Chatham, via Erin Curran Photography }

{ Private home in Chatham, via Sand Dollar Ceremonies }