A Life Built Around Meaningful Places
The story behind Knotty Celebrations—and the belief that extraordinary settings create unforgettable moments for couples.
From the Colorado Mountains to the Pacific Northwest Waters
John and Mary Ellen Shaw are the founders of Knotty Celebrations—a private yacht experience designed exclusively for couples.
For more than 30 years, their life has been shaped by a simple pursuit: finding the most extraordinary places on earth to spend meaningful time together. That pursuit has taken them across the world, but two places stood apart.
The first is their ranch in the mountains of Colorado—Shaw's River Ranch—a private, high-end boutique wedding venue just outside Salida. There, they created a setting where couples can begin their lives together in a truly intentional and memorable way. Visit the Majestic Wedding website.
The second is the inland coastal waterways of the Pacific Northwest—stretching through the San Juan Islands and north into the protected passages between Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the surrounding Gulf Islands.
They first arrived in these waters in 2013. What began as a visit quickly became something more. They purchased a boat and began spending several months each year exploring—quiet anchorages, remote coves, and stretches of coastline that remain largely untouched. Over time, it became clear this was one of the most remarkable cruising regions in the world.
Knotty Celebrations was built as a natural extension of that discovery.
After creating a destination for weddings in Colorado, the next step was obvious: create an equally meaningful experience for what comes after. A honeymoon. An anniversary. Or simply time away together that feels entirely different from anything else.
This is not a charter operation in the traditional sense. It is a private, curated experience designed for two people to disconnect from everything else and become completely connected with each other—set in one of the most spectacular environments on the planet.
Knotty Celebrations begins with their first vessel and will continue to expand into a broader collection of experiences centered around one idea:
Creating places—and moments—that couples remember for the rest of their lives.