Why Choose the OBX For Your Wedding??

OBX2011

Since we have a lot of new posters on the board lately,  I thought it would be neat to share our stories as to how we chose to have an OBX wedding. 

Also, please feel free to share any tips and suggestions you may have, and/or things you would have changed or thought of on your wedding day.


And GO! 

Krhoy20

OBX was not our first choice of location for our wedding. After bickering about the budget with my Dad, I had a brillant idea I made sure he got something out of this whole experience...a vacation!!!! It was killing two birds with one stone, our wedding and a family vacation. It's not like we were "settling" for a beach wedding, it fit hubby and I perfectly. For the past 7 years we've been together, a beach trip(or 2) every summer was a must.
I had been to the OBX a few times and loved it, so I wanted to share that with Hubby. We attended a Wedding Expo in January and from there started planning our September 20, 2011 wedding.
Fast forward to now....We both couldn't have been happier with our choice in location. We are laid back people, so having an "informal" ceremony and reception at the beach was perfect for us. We didn't even mind the drizzle on our big day.
I regret NOTHING. I wish we could have invited more people or that more of our friends and family were able to attend. Having the wedding 7hrs away, we knew some people wouldn't be able to make it. It was hard to accept but in the end, we were getting married for US. This was our day!!!
In choosing the OBX for your wedding, you will not be diappointed. You have choosen a wonderful location. No matter how far or close you are, you will find a spectacular spport group here(we have millions of ideas and vendor reviews). I consider some of these ladies(and gents) to be my little OBX family. TIP: Please take time to enjoy the planning, it's meant to be a fun experience And, on your wedding, stop and take it all in; take 5 mins alone with Hubby(or more to cherish the memories!! ♥

futuremrsw13

I always knew I wanted to get married outdoors and the only place my FI and I agreed on was the beach. We got engaged this past July in Nags Head, so it's only fitting we get married there. We will be getting married this fall on Friday September 28 at Jennette's Pier (my FI actually proposed to me on the beach right next to the pier). It's such a beautiful venue and I'm so excited to be getting married there. This is pretty much a destination wedding for us since we live 4 hours away and all of our family lives out of state. We are still in the early stages of planning so I don't have any good suggestions or tips yet, but I will say follow your heart and don't let others tell you your ideas are stupid. I've already met resistance from various family members about getting married in the OBX and almost changed my mind about it. But in the end it's about you marrying the love of your life in the place that makes you the happiest.

keb2482

We had begun planning a wedding right down the street from us, in Leesburg, VA.  We even put a deposit on a venue.  I love going to the Outer Banks, it is my favorite beach.  We, along with several friends, plan a group trip around Memorial Day almost every year.  On a whim, I decided to look at housing prices this year (even though we had already planned to have our wedding at home that weekend).  I found that we could get a 17 BR oceanfront house for one week for the same price we were paying for one day at our venue!  It was kind of a joke then - "Haha!  What if we did this kind of thing".  Then I saw our catering proposals for the DC area.  $10-11,000 for catering.  Are you kidding me! 

We began to seriously look at costs for a wedding in the OBX.  We were happy to find catering for 100 around $6,000 and our decision was made!  Initially, the thought was to get married on the beach and have our reception at the house we rented.  It turns out the 17BR house (Cinco Palmas) is not a special event home. It is rented for wedding and family reunion accomodations only.  I began to look for another home. I found the costs of having your wedding at your beach house to be much more than expected. When you include all rentals (tent, tables, chairs, linens, plates, napkins, etc, etc). We decided to have our ceremony on the beach in front of our house and found 108 Budleigh for the reception. It is a gorgeous place and I would never change any of my decisions so far.   We also decided to have our rehearsal dinner caterered at our rental home to save on costs.  Come on May 2012!

keb2482

Oh, don't forget the special event fee for having your wedding at a rental home!  Can't believe I missed including that!

thatgirl804

I read somewhere that short of Vegas the Outer Banks is the largest destination wedding location in the country. I think so many people just fall in love with how simple and gorgeous it is. I just know that when I am there I am super happy and everything seems like an adventure so what a perfect way to start a marriage.

ms_teach

Sigh. We just love the Outer Banks.  It was the first place we went away as a couple for vacation.  Neither of us had been before and I found out about it by simply googling top beaches.  We fell in love right away and have gone back every summer since.  I love the mix of beach relaxing, area history, and tourist spots too.  It's a great get away.

We initially checked out local venues, mostly because of obligation to our families.  Nothing felt right so we decided to follow our hearts and go back to our initial dream of a beach wedding.  It was the best decision ever and our wedding day still makes me so, so happy.

Just remember, having a destination wedding means giving up some of the control.  You can't oversee your vendors every step of the way and have to do a lot by phone/email.  Picking vendors you click with will make this so much easier.  If at all possible, take a planning trip to meet your vendors in person.  We changed our minds after talking with some of them who had initially seemed great based on the internet.

Decide what's most important to you.  For us, it was photography since pictures last forever so that's where a big part of our budget went.  Remember your guests too... we fed them well, gave them OOT bags, etc. 

Don't let the planning drive you crazy!

jendem8

I have spent more summers than I remember in the OBX; it holds such a special meaning to my family and I and now Mike as well, since during the past four family vacations to the OBX, Mike was able to join us.  After all of the weddings that I've been to I knew that the most beautiful ceremonies were always those that were outside.  I also knew that there was no better, more beautiful outdoor setting than the beach, specifically the OBX.  Maybe during the second or third trip with Mike, I started to see wedding information for the OBX (for Ocracoke actually since we typically stayed in Avon).  When I started planning though, I liked the convenience of the Nags Head area.  Therefore, less than a month after getting engaged to Mike, my mom, MOH, and I were down in the OBX looking at venues (in freezing January - we saw snow on the beach!).  We actually missed the expo, but it has still been a great (and realtively easy) experience so far dealing with vendors and recommendations from the other brides on this site.  We're less than 5 months away, and although the stress is starting to build, I am so beyond excited to take our first steps as husband and wife with Mike on the beautiful beaches of the OBX!  *Not to mention that our dog will be able to join us since it is the beach!*

littlemsmagic138

I've always dreamed of getting married at the beach. The Outer Banks is the beach I've known and loved my whole life, it's where my family vacationed every year. I was slightly devistated when my brother and sister-in-law got married in Nags Head almost three years ago, because I thought they'd "stolen" my idea and would be upset if I wanted to have a beach wedding, too. They love the idea because we all had so much fun at their wedding.
Once FI and I got engaged, one of the first things I asked him was whether he would be willing to get married at the beach. He really didn't have any ideas for where to get married and he knew how happy a beach wedding would make me so our first wedding planning decision was that we'd get married somewhere in the OBX.
I love that the OBX offers whatever kind of wedding you want. You can elope, you can make a more traditional destination wedding and have a very small, intimate wedding, or for us, we're not really cutting the guest list any smaller than a hometown wedding would be. So excited about spending time this summer surrounded by our friends and family with our toes in the sand! (Oh, not having to wear heels, one of the best parts of a beach wedding!!)

kellytucker28

We wanted a venue that would be on the water and allow you to bring in your own caterers. I grew up in Virginia Beach and we couldn't find anywhere like that (we live in DC now). Our photographer from Virginia Beach suggested the Whalehead Club - we went there one November day and fell in love! We got engaged in the Outer Banks and I vacationed there as a child - so it definitely seems meant to be!