Despite a powerful nor’easter bearing down on the Northeast, a number of determined couples planned to continue with their Nantucket weddings this weekend.
At least 34 weddings are scheduled to take place on Nantucket island in Massachusetts this weekend, according to the Nantucket Current on X.
Their celebrations remained on schedule as the storm moved toward southeastern Massachusetts, bringing the threat of dangerous, potentially life-threatening conditions.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a high wind warning and high surf advisory for Nantucket at about 7:30 p.m. Friday, as heavy rain intensified.
The island was also under a coastal flood warning that was expected to remain in effect through Monday night, the NWS said.
For Boston couple Maggie Lynch, 29, and Paul Flanagan, 28, the forecast was the “worst-case scenario” for their Saturday wedding, which was expected to include 165 guests.
“When we picked Nantucket, we joked that as long as this exact thing didn’t happen, we’d be fine, and then, of course, it did,” Lynch told MassLive.
She said Nantucket has an “undeniable magic,” helping make the island one of New England’s most popular fall wedding destinations.
More than 30 weddings were scheduled on Nantucket (pictured) this weekend as a major nor’easter moved across the Northeast US
The island is especially popular for autumn weddings, but this year’s celebrations faced an unexpected threat from the powerful storm
Flanagan said the couple’s main fear had always been a storm severe enough to prevent guests from reaching the island—exactly the situation that began unfolding as the nor’easter arrived.
Wedding planner Karina Crockett said the couple first began raising concerns about the weather on Monday.
The priority quickly became getting as many guests as possible to Nantucket before worsening conditions disrupted travel.
The couple, along with their friends and family, made every effort to reach the island by ferry and boat.
Some guests faced a two-and-a-half-hour boat journey from Hyannis, located along Cape Cod’s southern coast.
Crockett described the trip as “very rocky” and said one guest “toughed it out” to attend the wedding.
According to the outlet, at least 120 of the couple’s 165 guests had arrived in Nantucket by Thursday.
More guests reached the island on Friday, while the wedding team continued adjusting plans to accommodate the stormy conditions.
The average cost per wedding guest in Nantucket in 2026 is approximately $659, according to the Wedding Report.
Wedding planner Karina Crockett said some guests endured a “very rocky” boat ride to make it to the Nantucket celebration
The nor’easter was expected to bring powerful winds and a risk of coastal flooding to southeastern Massachusetts over the weekend
Robert Flanagan, Paul’s father, posted on social media that it was ‘windy as hell’ on the island.
He also posted a video of the powerful wind blasting a trio of flags.
In another post, the dad cracked that he couldn’t tell if he was seeing a ‘beautiful sunrise or the first glimpse of the apocalypse.’
Wedding plans on Cape Cod, which is about 30 miles north of Nantucket, have been affected as a result of the incoming storm, as well.
Wedding caterer Olive Chase said that the weather conditions were ‘really hard for the couples’ with scheduled outdoor weddings, according to the Cape Cod Times.
‘I am up to my ears right now,’ Chase told the outlet.
He said some couples had canceled or postponed plans, while others were fortunate enough to find indoor sites and push forward with the planned festivities.
As a whole, millions of people across the Northeast are likely to face power outages and travel disruptions because of the flooding and powerful gusts of wind brought on by the nor’easter.
Cape Cod wedding caterer Olive Chase said the nor’easter was ‘really hard for the couples’
Four to six inches of rain are expected to drill southeastern Massachusetts, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Nantucket and nearby islands
Waves of nearly five feet were seen in the Nantucket Sound around 10pm Friday, according to the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror.
High speed winds descended on the island starting Tuesday afternoon.
That caused some ferry service to be canceled, which continued leading up to the weekend.
Most boats were canceled on Friday, though the peak of the storm is yet to arrive.
Elsewhere in Massachusetts, some people who live near Cape Cod traveled to the mainland before the storm arrived, according to the Boston Herald.
Southeastern Massachusetts, Nantucket, Cape Cod and nearby islands are expected to get hit with the strongest rain at four to six inches.
The US Coast Guard Northeast District has urged mariners and coastal residents to seek safe harbor as the nor’easter rages.
A nor’easter is a strong storm that forms along the East Coast of the US and is named for the northeast winds that blow over the Mid-Atlantic and New England when a low-pressure system sits over the ocean.