Low-lying coastal and estuarine areas are among the most populated regions globally, have high economic significance, and are increasingly threatened by climate change, sea level rise, nuisance flooding, and extreme storms. Nature-based coastal protections are sustainable and sea-level resilient alternatives compared to traditional solutions such as dikes and seawalls. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) or seagrasses can provide coastal flood and erosion protection by attenuating storm wave and current energy and stabilizing seabed sediments. However, more research is needed to understand the interactions between flow, SAVs, and sediments. These dynamic interactions affect flow at different scales and seagrass productivity. In this study, we present field measurements of current and wave evolution over a seagrass meadow in South Bay, Virginia. The high vertical resolution measurements show how currents change from above-canopy to in-canopy waters. Wave measurements indicate the dissipation and frequency modulation over the canopy. The results are compared with hydrodynamic simulations using a two-way coupled flow-vegetation interaction model that simulates nonlinear current and wave evolution as well as dynamics of highly flexible vegetation.