An Elegant Oceanfront Wedding at Emerson Inn by the Sea in Rockport, Massachusetts

Bethany Cann (34, a music teacher and child care provider) and Hugo Castillo (35, a construction worker) met in salsa dancing class at Estilo dance studio in Philadelphia, PA. They were assigned as partners in performance class, became friends and things progressed from there. Hugo proposed on Thanksgiving Eve 2011. He wrote a beautiful letter and at the end it said "…and I want to ask you this." And Bethany looked up from the letter and he had the ring and he said out loud, “Will you marry me?" She said yes! She was really happy and excited, they had talked about getting married and having a family, but this made it real. The ring is very unique, he searched many stores for the right one and thought this one was the right one, and it was! She loved it. They wanted a beach wedding, but a tropical location wasn't a possibility. Bethany grew up going to her grandparent's house on a hill overlooking the ocean and Granite Pier in Rockport, Massachusetts. They decided this would be the perfect spot! The ceremony was outside at noon on the rocky pier. The seats were set up in a spiral and they stood with their minister in the middle of the spiral. It was a modern service with a ring warming and sand ceremony. They created their own vows, and since Hugo speaks Spanish as his first language, Bethany said her vows in English and Hugo said his in Spanish. They also had their reading read in Spanish and in English. The color palette was light blues and greens (like sea glass) along with tan (like burlap, smooth ocean stones and northeast beach sand). It was inspired by the beaches in Rockport where sea glass and smooth ocean stones can be found on the tan sand. As a child, Bethany used to walk with her grandmother on the beach searching for those treasures. Their cocktail hour and reception was held at the Emerson Inn by the Sea. There was a huge porch with tables and rocking chairs for guests to look out on the ocean during the cocktail hour and later in the reception. Many guests took advantage and there was a relaxed vibe as they enjoyed the view while enjoying their food and drinks. There was a lot of salsa dancing by some guests while others took advantage of the peaceful porch and view to relax outside.“The whole day reflected us as a couple, because it was intimate, peaceful and quiet,” Bethany says. “The ceremony was very meaningful to us and many of our guests told us they were moved by it as well. The reception also reflected both of our dancing sides and our quiet, homey sides. We also held an outdoor night-before-the-wedding welcome fiesta where we served Mexican dishes and lobster. We also held a wedding night campfire with s'mores and popcorn.”