Books that feel like...
a coastal summer wedding
I photographed my first wedding of the season yesterday, and it got me thinking about one of my reading kinks: I’ll always pick up a book about a coastal wedding. New England is my favorite backdrop, but I’ll also take a seaside ceremony somewhere in Europe. There’s something about the mix of a summer setting, salt air, and bringing all these people from different areas of life together that hooks me every time.
While my real-life wedding days are (thankfully) less dramatic than the ones in these novels, it’s fun to escape into the dynamics of family and these big milestone celebrations that whisk us into a new chapter of life. The novels I’ve recommended below lean into the beauty of the setting while exploring what it means to gather, celebrate, and confront whatever’s bubbling under the surface.
So, read on for books that feel like a coastal summer wedding—salty air, breezy dresses, rambly oceanside houses, and all.