It was sunset; he actually did a nice job. He pulled off [by the East Chop lighthouse] and said, ‘Let’s watch the sunset.’ Then as we stood there, he asked me to marry him and pulled the ring out of his pocket. Before we left, this very old couple walked by holding hands, said hi, and we thought, oh, that’s us in 50 years.”

Maureen Hall’s memory of her engagement evokes key ingredients of a lighthouse ceremony: a scenic site for a memorable event.

Why not a lighthouse wedding?

Patrie Grace has planned more than two dozen lighthouse weddings.

“In the genre of a lighthouse wedding, more of the natural world is incorporated, which gives a special significance to the ceremony,” she says. “There are lots of wonderful little details, high wind moments, the bride throws the bouquet from the balcony, the wedding party joins hands around the lighthouse. It’s great, visually.”

Patrie’s daughter, Iris, is a fan of sand-blending. Many beach or lighthouse weddings include a ceremony where the bride and groom each gather sand, then pour it into a common vessel as a keepsake.

“Joined together, one cannot discern which grain of sand belongs to the other,” Patrie says. “And with children and second marriages, the child becomes part of the union [of the blended family].”

Robert Hammett is keeper of the East Chop light. He’s already had one wedding this year.

“My job is to open the lighthouse, clean up the grounds for everyone and the wedding party sets up and decorates. After the ceremony I allow anyone who wants, to go up into the lighthouse. It’s good for photos. It’s a great, great place for a wedding.”

He’s the gatekeeper. “I sit outside the turnstile and politely tell people a private wedding ceremony is going on,” he says.

Richard Skidmore has been the Gay Head lighthouse keeper since 1990. Each year he opens the lighthouse for about 15 weddings, and has already seen two this year. “It’s very memorable,” says Richard.

One of the most impressive was Beverly Wright’s wedding. “The tribal group, Blackbrook Drum, played and 150 people linked hands and danced around the lighthouse,” he recalls.

Some weddings are memorable in another way.

“There was a wedding due to take place at 5:30. The wedding party gathered 45 minutes prior, with flowers and music. The bride tends to be the last to arrive,” Mr. Skidmore says.

“As we’re looking at time passing, I could see a line of cars at the top of the hill. One car starts to pass all the others. The car comes to an abrupt halt and the bride jumps out. ‘Sorry I’m late.’ ‘You didn’t have to rush,’ said the groom. ‘What?’ she said. ‘JP’s not here.’”

“I managed to get a cell phone, and with a couple of members of the wedding party we called every justice of the peace. We finally got one, who was happy to come, after dinner. By that time, it was getting dark, and the wind had picked up. We had to find another site. A Chilmark inn accommodated us, and the ceremony took place at 8 p.m.”

The lighthouse at Gay Head is also a popular spot to pop the question.

“Often it’s a surprise. The man wants it to be a secret. He pretends the light is open, and he’s hidden a bouquet or ring up there. It can happen any time of year,” says the lighthouse keeper.

Mr. Skidmore maintains the grounds and the lighthouse, from metal catwalk to bricks. The lighthouse is open for weekend evening tours in the summer, as well as Mother’s Day from 5 to 7 p.m.

Wedding planners enjoy the challenge of a lighthouse wedding. One planner recalls, “There was a bride at the Edgartown lighthouse who wanted her dress to look billowy and puffy, but the wind wasn’t cooperating. So I got under the dress for the photo.”

John Alley has been a justice of the peace on Island for more than a quarter century. “Lighthouses are the most popular sites,” he declares.

He knows just how much weather can play tricks on wedding day. The wind was so strong at Edgartown one time, that the tails on his coat blew out straight.

Out at Gay Head, it had started to snow as the wedding party climbed the spiral staircase and looked out from the revolving light.

John Alley has performed dozens of lighthouse weddings. He says the average guest list is about 15 people, but often it’s just Mr. Alley up there with the bride and groom. “You never know what you’re going to face,” says John. “Go with the flow.” 

The go-to person for lighthouse weddings is Ree Jutras-Kuser, coordinator for the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, the organization that acts as steward of Edgartown, East Chop and Gay Head lights. Her role is to schedule the weddings.

At the Edgartown light, the bridal couple makes a donation to the society, but at the other two sites there is an hourly fee, which includes the cost of the lighthouse keeper to unlock the structure.

Ree’s role is integral at Edgartown.

“We need to know so two weddings don’t show up at the same time.” Last year she estimates there were about 25 lighthouse weddings, with the majority happening at Gay Head.

The lighthouse may be used solely for photographs and the ceremony; no liquor or food is permitted. Lighthouse grounds accommodate about a hundred guests. Ree suggests booking a year in advance, though she just received a deposit from a man in Hong Kong to reserve Gay Head in September. 

The remaining lighthouses, West Chop and Cape Pogue, require special permission. John Alley performed a ceremony at the West Chop light after checking with the Coast Guard.

Last July he was at Cape Pogue light, after renting it from The Trustees of Reservations. “It was very scenic,” he says. “People stood on the ground and the bride and groom and I stood on the outside railing and did the ceremony.”