Shining Tides Reviews

My husband and I got married at Shining Tides in August 2023 and we cannot recommend this venue enough!!! We visited in Summer 2022 and immediately knew our venue search was over! Elizabeth and her team are just incredible and made wedding planning easy and fun. Elizabeth is super welcoming, organized, and responsive. She was so patient with our many questions and helped us create our dream wedding. We hired all of our vendors from Elizabeth's recommendations list and every single one was top-notch. Our families and friends had the best time and have not stopped complimenting the beautiful venue, delicious food from Russell Morin, and overall experience. Thank you to Elizabeth and team - we had the most magical day and we are still reliving every moment!

If you are looking for a water-side venue where you get the perfect balance of having the freedom to create a wedding in your vision while also resting easy with the knowledge that the venue team will execute your vision to perfection, Shining Tides is the place for you! This place and the people who run it are AWESOME! As I am sure many of you reading this have done or are in the process of doing, we searched for a long time looking for the perfect venue for our wedding. When we first visited Shining Tides, it was a snowy winter day, but even through the snow, it was very clear to us what a naturally beautiful location it was. What was also clear to us was that Elizabeth, the sales and event manager for Shining Tides, was extremely friendly, organized, easygoing and experienced. This proved to be absolutely true: Throughout the planning process, Elizabeth was accessible, knowledgeable, easy to work with, and clear with all of her tips and tricks to maximize the use of the venue for us and our guests. She also worked seamlessly with the venue's exclusive catering company, Russell Morin Catering & Events, the DJ, florist, light vendor, transportation, and all of the other vendors we had present with us on the big day. Through our meetings with Elizabeth and the catering team, it was very obvious that they had everything organized and under control. Elizabeth and her team are very thorough and will make sure that both they and the couple have all necessary questions answered before the wedding day so things go off without a hitch. We had a fair amount of items to set up on Saturday and when we say Shining Tides did a truly incredible job setting every single decoration up to perfection, we mean it. We were amazed when we arrived at the venue; everything looked better than we imagined and from there, the day and night were just pure magic. The Shining Tides staff was kind, helpful, and on top of everything throughout the entire day. And then of course the venue itself was and is beautiful and has lovely views of the water; the ceremony and cocktail reception were out on the beautiful front lawn next to the water and the reception was on the open-air covered deck for the rest of the night. Our guests seemed to be as mesmerized with the place as we were. It was truly the best day of our lives and we feel very lucky that we chose Shining Tides as the place to do it. Thank you so much to Elizabeth and the Shining Tides team!!!

We celebrated our wedding at Shining Tides in July of 2023 and we LOVED it! Working with Elizabeth made our wedding planning process easy and stress free. She was quick to answer questions, offer advice, and she knew how to make our vision come to life. Her experience and knowledge helped us not only with the events at Shining Tides, but also in planning our whole wedding and what else we needed to coordinate in the area. In the planning process, Elizabeth helped us by supplying a list of recommended vendors and places to stay. On the day of, Elizabeth helped bring the wedding of our dreams come to life. She was a pleasure to work with!

Shining Tides also partners with Russell Morning Catering and Events. We have had so many guests comment on the beautiful venue and the delicious food! We cannot recommend Shining Tides enough!

Thanks to Elizabeth and Shining Tides, my husband and I had the best day of our lives on our wedding day! We visited Shining Tides in December on 2021 and we couldn't have asked for a better day to tour. It was sunny and 70 degrees... in December!! We knew right away that this was where we wanted to get married because of how genuine and excited Elizabeth was about her venue. There was no pressure from her to book our wedding there. She was phenomenal and continued to be throughout the process. She works closely with the catering company, DJ and florists to make sure everything is perfect. The meetings are thorough and detailed but we trusted her with everything. The venue itself is absolutely beautiful. We were able to have our wedding outdoors on the lawn, right in front of the water and it was perfect. We had a rain plan in place just in case but didn't need to use it. How Elizabeth and the catering company set up my décor and inventory was even better than what I had in mind. They really know how to put on a show. This venue is top-notch and if I could do it over again I would relive it every day. I don't have one single complaint or bad thing to say - the service, communication, and planning was exceptional.

Shining Tides was hands down our best decision when it came to booking our wedding. This venue is absolutely stunning, spacious and a great price for being on the water. The wedding venue also comes with an amazing coordinator named Elizabeth. We could go on and on about how much we love Elizabeth, but the three main things that stood out us, was her attention to detail, communication and enthusiasm. She also goes above and beyond to communicate with all of your other vendors to makes sure everyone is on the same page the day of the wedding. Lastly she has some incredible vendor recommendations for transportation, music, floral etc. Don't think twice about Shining Tides, BOOK IT.

We just had our wedding at Shining Tides on July 9th, 2022. When I say not a THING went wrong, I'm not exaggerating. The staff at this location was an absolute dream to work with. The caterer that they work with, Russell Morin, was perfect and their on site team too day of the wedding was incredible. They were all so attentive, kind, and helpful. I would recommend this venue to anyone and everyone!! If my friends are seeing this, get married here so I can attend again please!!

I got married at Shining Tides in August 2021 and I can not think of a more perfect venue. Shining Tides is a hidden gem right on the water that is secluded away down a beautiful road past a golf course in Mattapoisett. Elizabeth who is the venue coordinator was absolutely fantastic to work with! From the first venue visit in 2019, to postponing in 2020, to finally having our dream wedding last month, she was along for the ride and could not have been more helpful, professional, and thoughtful during the process. The venue itself is stunning, the ceremony and cocktail hour are on a big lawn right in front of the water and the reception with an amazing ocean breeze coming through when dancing. The caterer for the site, Russel Morin was incredible! The best part is that this is a YMCA property (you would never know besides the sign on the main road) and your fee for the venue goes back to the Y! I am so happy that I chose Shining Tides and that we were finally able to celebrate with friends and family at our dream venue. Hurry and book your wedding here ASAP!

The most beautiful backdrop for our wedding, our guests from out of town were blown away by the setting! Beyond that, Elizabeth made the planning process so low stress, even during the pandemic! Couldn't recommend this venue more and you will get to work with great people.

We first saw Shining Tides during the winter and we really had to use our imagination to envision the perfect August wedding. I was disappointed I did not have the tropical wedding we had originally planned due to covid but I had a good feeling about this venue. It was honestly a dream come true and we were just so happy with everything. Elizabeth, the venue coordinator, was so helpful and gave me a list of vendors to choose from (all of which were awesome). The catering was absolutely phenomenal and although I was initially concerned about spending so much on it, it was so worth it and the food and service were absolutely spectacular. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to celebrate our marriage with our loved ones!

We originally had booked Shining Tides for our wedding in August of 2020. Due to COVID, we postponed to August 2021. Throughout the entire process Elizabeth was incredibly supportive, flexible and attentive. All of our vendors came from her recommended list, and they were all outstanding. We absolutely loved the location of the venue and needed minimal decorations because everything is so beautiful to begin with. An added bonus which was not even on our minds originally was that the entire venue is considered to be outdoors. Our guests felt relaxed and safe celebrating throughout our wedding day in 2021 because of this. The water views are stunning, there is always a breeze, and the staff was incredible. We couldn't recommend Shining Tides more! Everything exceeded our expectations.

I would 100% recommend this venue to anyone! Elizabeth was amazing and so was the team of Russel Morrins the catering company. I still can’t even believe how they perfectly executed my vision of the whole space to come alive. Our guests are still raving about the venue and also the food! Which I feel like never happens at weddings. This is an exciting, yet stressful time in your life... do yourself one favor & book here to make your wedding just as perfect as mine was :)

Shining Tides is a gorgeous yet laid back venue, which was exactly what my husband and I were looking for. So many of our guests commented on what a beautiful setting it was for both ceremony and reception. Elizabeth is wonderful to work with--extremely responsive, flexible and kind. The added bonus of your payment contributing to the YMCA scholarship fund puts Shining Tides over the top as a choice for a wedding venue!!

Everything at shining tides truly exceeded my expectations. I’m a pretty controlling and high maintenance person at times so I was definitely worried about things looks perfect.. I was literally shocked at how perfect everything was .. the lighting came out just as I had hoped, the views were unreal, communication was spot on. The nice thing about shining tides is that it’s really just a beautiful shell and you can do whatever you want with the space! You can do everything on a budget or opt for some classier higher end options.. it’s not a cheesy one size fits all venue. Highly highly recommend! Plus, the catering company they use is soooo good. Definitely on the pricier side but everyone said our food was the best they ever had at a wedding!

We had a lobster bake for son and his fiancé’s rehearsal dinner at Shining Tides. We couldn’t have been more pleased. What a spectacular venue. Elizabeth, her recommendations, Russell Morin ( the caterer), and the rental company were all amazing. I would highly recommend them, and I love that the venue rental money goes to the YMCA for such a wonderful cause. Jane D.

This venue was literally perfect. We had our ceremony on the lawn followed by cocktail hour on the lawn. The cocktail hour on the grass with the beach and water was the most perfect atmosphere to start off the evening. The food was incredible, people to this day are still raving about it. Elizabeth orchestrated the whole thing and everything went so smoothly. The catering staff were so professional and polite. You can’t beat dinner with a water view, this venue is perfect!

Shining Tides was the perfect venue for our wedding. The grounds are gorgeous, the vendor lists are extensive, and the events are well organized. Our guests loved being able to dance, lounge on the deck, walk the beach, or play lawn games. There is something for everyone at Shining Tides!

Liz from Shining Tides was our wedding coordinator. She was amazing! She hosted both of our families for a visit to check out Shining Tides and answered all of our questions. The vendors (caterers, rentals, staff) that Liz referred to us were all extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and easy to work with! On top of having a great experience with LIz, the venue at Shining Tides is something out of a magazine. We ended up with a beautiful summer day (although they are equipped for rain!), which made for a gorgeous backdrop of the ocean, boats, dock and later on in the evening a beautiful view of the deck all lit up. One of the best parts of having your wedding at Shining Tides is that some of the money you pay towards the venue goes to help children afford summer camp there! What's better than that? We were absolutely thrilled with our experience, we cannot recommend Shining Tides enough.

The Shining Tides was a gorgeous venue and we lucked out with beautiful summer weather. Elizabeth was wonderful to work with and worked so hard to make sure our day was as flawless as possible and went smoothly. I've been writing this in a few reviews, but the day was perfect in every way, or at least I remember it that way. I can't recommend Shining Tides and Elizabeth more! I had the wedding of my dreams and more, so I'm very thankful to have worked with Elizabeth and everyone at Russell Morin Catering (the caterer for this venue). My sincerest thanks to all of them!

I did extensive research on all venues in the south shore/Cape Cod area and could feel that there was something special about Shining Tides. I loved everything about this venue- from supporting a good cause, to the beautiful views and house, to working with Elizabeth (our coordinator). We continue to get compliments on how spectacular everything was. Elizabeth was a rock star with providing vendor lists, staying in contact, and most especially perfectly setting up all of our details on our wedding day. Despite some iffy weather, Elizabeth kept a close eye on the forecast and we were able to have our ceremony outside. The rain stop and she finished drying off chairs just before guests arrive. Shining Tides works exclusively with Russell Morin- all of the food was absolutely delicious. We are so thankful for Shining Tides giving us an unimaginably perfect day!

Elizabeth and the entire Shinning Tides staff were nothing short of amazing! Elizabeth was SO helpful during the entire planning process as well as the wedding day. Obviously my mind was all over the place on my wedding day and I can't say enough how nice it was to arrive at Shining Tides and have every little thing taken care of! 10/10 would recommend!

The moment we visited Shining Tides for the first time we knew it was the place we would get married. We fell in love with the seaside charm of Mattapoisett, the rustic feel of the porch reception area, and that this was a place, as a YMCA Camp, that supported the community! Elizabeth was fantastic to work with! She was always quick to respond to even the smallest question. She helped us coordinate everything and made sure everything looked beautiful and ran smoothly the day of. Having a point person like Elizabeth was priceless and helped relieve many of the stresses of planning a wedding! Also...sunset photos...yes, please!

My husband and I had both our ceremony and reception at Shining Tides this past July . I always dreamed of a Cape Cod wedding so when we got engaged, that’s where we started our search! After looking at plenty of venues actually ON the Cape, we didn’t really feel drawn to any of them. They were all super expensive and felt like impersonal “wedding factories”. We decided to expand our search and made an appointment to visit Shining Tides-- thank goodness we did! This place is special and we fell in love with it almost immediately. It had everything we were looking for- quaint New England character, beautiful views, reasonable prices, outdoor/indoor ceremony and reception space, casual but elegant ambiance, as well as a meaningful purpose outside of weddings (it’s also a YMCA preschool and summer camp). When we met with Elizabeth, the wedding coordinator for Shining Tides, she made us feel so comfortable and excited to plan our wedding at Shining Tides. From the get go, she was easy to work with and extremely helpful throughout the entire planning process. She answered all of our questions promptly and went out of her way to recommend local businesses for a variety of things we needed during our wedding weekend in Mattapoisett. When the weather forecast for our wedding day was less than ideal, Elizabeth didn’t bat an eye. She did everything should could to keep our wedding vision in-tact and it all turned out beautifully (even with very gusty winds and sub 70 degree weather in late July!). We have received SO many rave reviews from our guests about this venue- from the water views, to the lawn, to the covered porch and deck, to the delicious food (Russell Morin was fantastic to work with!)- you can’t find a better place to get married if you’re looking for a quintessential New England feel. We had the wedding of our dreams and cannot recommend this venue, and Elizabeth, highly enough.

My husband & were just married this past September and had our reception was at Shining Tides. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and our pictures came out beautiful. It was pretty warm & muggy that day, however at night was very comfortable (no bugs either). The front lawn is perfect for cocktail hour and a ceremony if you choose to have it on site. There is a small beach with a dock on the property, perfect for pictures as well. The reception area has so much character, very rustic, exposed beams, a wrap around porch, and great views of the water. Elizabeth, the wedding coordinator, is a wealth of knowledge. She is extremely helpful - right off the bat she provided a list of local vendors for lighting, dj services, cakes, flowers, etc. As a bride with a lot of decorations, and a specific vision of how I wanted the venue to look for my big day, she set my mind at ease. She was there to put all the finishing touches on the set up and when I showed up I was so pleased. They have a partnership with Russell Morin catering and their food was amazing. Our wedding day was so memorable and my husband, family & I were very happy with Shining Tides.

Shining Tides is an absolutely beautiful location for a beach/ocean front wedding. From the moment we fist toured Shining Tides, we knew that this was the place we wanted to get married. We got married on 9/17/16. The ceremony space on the lawn overlooking the ocean is absolutely breathtaking. The covered porch were the reception took place is truly one of a kind with rustic exposed beams and a panoramic view of the oceanfront. We received lots of compliments about our venue selection from our guests! Elizabeth our onsite-wedding coordinator was BEYOND amazing!! She responded to all of our emails in a timely manner and made sure our wedding day went as smooth as possible! She is very resourceful, personable and professional. She is quick and knows how to handle situations on the spot. We LOVED working with her! We are so grateful and fortunate to have had Elizabeth a part of our special day. I would HIGHLY recommend Shining Tides as your wedding venue!

Our wedding ceremony and reception were recently held at Shining Tides and the venue was perfect from the first communication to the end of our wedding!
Elizabeth, the site Coordinator was wonderful and did a fantastic job attending to very detail; she is quick to respond and very accommodating. The venue is a beautiful setting for a wedding or any occasion - the pavilion overlooks landscaped lawns, sandy beach and the ocean! We had the perfect summer afternoon/evening for our wedding and Shining Tides was the perfect setting. We give Shining Tides and their staff, especially Elizabeth, our highest recommendations!