I'll keep everything
fun, calm, efficient and running smoothly
so you can get all those amazing pics
spending less time posing
and more time celebrating!
2 South St, West Bridgewater, MA 02379, USA
Canoe Club
Link to this venues website:
See Full Wedding Galleries from this venue:
Keith's quick take on this venue
The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater is one of the areas leading wedding venues for good reason. It's been family run for generations and dang is it beautiful. They take really good care of this property constantly updating it and keeping it pristine. The grounds and ceremony location are spacious and well maintained bordered by the Town River and a really cool arched bridge perfeclty framed by the tall trees. This little slice of heaven is like 5 minutes from Rt 24 - you'd never know it! Convenient, beautiful, run well by seasoned staff and offering delicious food, it's clear why they rank as one of the best around. They go toe-to-toe with some of the huge wedding companies and hold their own because it's not a factory pumping out couples. You can feel immediately that they'll get to know you, remember your name and cater specifically to you and your vision of your wedding.
Ceremony
Their ceremony spot is drop-dead gorgeous. With a traditional gazebo, mature trees and shrubs it feels natural, not forced with an elegance that will truly have your guests pause and think "Hey, this is pretty freaking beautiful". The lawn behind the gazebo stretches pretty far, so nothing feels cramped. The hedges to the left block out the entrance drive. To the right is the Town River. Up farther to the right is that arched bridge giving a total New England vibe. It's really something special.
What if it rains?
The indoor ceremony setup is actually really really nice. The dance floor has a cool ceiling with sweeping curtains and cool uplights. I wouldn't see it as a backup, I'd see it as an option for your ceremony.
For other pics, yeah, we'd just hope to bounce out at some point - even if you get a little wet or have umbrellas. It's worth it.
Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter
The Dance Floor!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What makes The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater a great place to get married?
They take care of you. Simple as that. You're not one-of-three couples on property. It's all about you. You've got a dedicated team following you around catering to you. You have a bridal suite but also a really cool grooms suite. It's close to everything, just minutes from Rt 24. It's a gorgeous property with a seasoned staff.
2. Where are the best places for wedding photos at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
Their gardens are meticulous, but if you go towards the back on the right there's an opening in the trees where you see the river and this really cool bridge. It looks like something out of a painting.
3. What's the best time of day for portraits at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
Family and wedding party pictures would typically occur either immedaitely following "First Look" or direclty after the ceremony during cocktail hour unless you built in a gap between a church ceremony and arriving on property.
Regardless, at some point just before or near sunset I'll take just the two of you outside again for those soft-light intimate shots. It should only take like 10 minutes but these are the shots you hire me for. These are the jaw-dropping, tier enducing, OMG shots.
4. Is a first look a good idea at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
Absolutely! The first look gives you a chance to truly see each other. Express your thoughts. BE together for a moment - away from everyone else. Now you get to enjoy your own cocktail hour. Now it's not such a whirlwind. You're not as rushed, so less anxiety. Totally worth considering.
For the traditional "I want to see her coming down the aisle", let me give some perspective. First, when she gets there you need to just shut up and get married. You can't stop and talk. At a first look you can. Second, that heart-fluttering HOLY CRAP feeling when all your guests stand and you realize this is real, this is happening! That feeling doesn't go away just because you already saw each other. It actually may be enhanced.
5. What happens if it rains on your wedding day at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
In all my years, I've only had maybe a handful of weddings that were 100% completely washed out. It's so rare it's not worth discussing. Yeah, maybe the ceremony gets moved indoors. Maybe the family and wedding party pics are on the dance floor but there will almost certainly be an opportunity between drops to run outside for a few pics of the two of you.
6. How much time should we set aside for wedding photos?
I typically like an hour, but I'm SUPER efficient. It really comes down to how large your group is. How many in the wedding party? How big is your family? Are there divorces with step family? Are there grandparents? Do you want to include aunts, uncles, cousins? The smaller the group the easier it is obviously.
7. Can we stay on schedule without feeling rushed?
This is my super power. You could be WAY behind schedule, then it comes time for the family and wedding party pics and poof, you're back on schedule. I can be amazingly efficient to power through all those combinations so you can lower the anxiety and not lose any of your wedding.
8. What's your favorite photo location at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
The gazebo at night can be magical. We can put a flash behind you and light it up like nothing you've ever seen before. It's really cool.
9. Have you photographed weddings at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater before?
I wouldn't be talking about it otherwise - absolutely. There's a benefit to knowing the flow of things. Where you're allowed to go and where's off-limits. Knowing where the shadows will fall and knowing what will be in bloom. Even just knowing how the staff approaches the day and their personalities. It all helps make the entire day run smoothly for you. There's an unspoken "nod and wink" between me and the day-of coordinator keeping everything perfect so you get the most out of the day.
They have a tight hold on their vendor list - not sure why. It's definitely worth looking off-list for the best.
10. What should couples know before getting married at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater?
I got nothing. There really aren't any red-flags here. Its a well run, well kept venue that knows what they're doing.
11. How many guests does The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater work best for?
I'm pretty sure they can get the guest count pretty high. I don't have the numbers, but there's nots of room to put guests and still leave a decent sized dance floor.
12. Is The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater good for indoor and outdoor weddings?
Yeah, the ceremony setup inside is surprisingly beautiful. I've seen couples choose that over outdoors. For more variety in pics we'd still strive to get outside for just the two of you though. The grounds are gorgeous and it would be a shame if we couldn't access them. I haven't had a wedding yet where we couldn't, so no worries.
13. Where do you usually take family photos?
By the gazebo or just past it on the right has a very natural and beautiful look.
14. Is sunset really worth stepping away from the reception?
You're not necessarily going to see the sun hitting the horizon as it's blocked by trees, but that soft ligth is totally worth going outside for at sunset.
15. What makes photographing weddings at The Canoe Club in West Bridgewater unique?
I'd say the dance floor. Most of your wedding will be there and they have a cool look with fabrics hung on the ceiling and uplighting all around to create a stunning visual for pictures. It really stands out as something unique and special.