In the world of weddings, weather is always top of mind. Fingers remain crossed for the entirety of an engagement for a bright, sunshiny day, but when the day actually rolls around and storm clouds add themselves to your guest list (like they did to this couple leading up to their Outer Banks affair) it’s time for plan B. Well, it turns out if you happen to have Charlotte Jenks Lewis behind the lens, a we can make this work attitude and love oozing out of everyone attending, Plan B turns out to be pretty darn beautiful. I’d go as far as to say it was meant to be. One look at this gallery, and I guarantee you won’t believe a little not so pretty weather was trying to rain on their parade – because everything couldn’t be more perfect. See so much more here.
From the Bride… Tyler and I knew we wanted a smaller wedding that was a destination but also somewhere that everyone could come celebrate with us. We both enjoy the beach and thought that it would be a fantastic place to get married. His family had been vacationing in the Outer Banks in North Carolina every summer for years and I had been with them the couple years before we got married. So we started looking into venues and thought about getting married on the actual beach, but nothing was “perfect.” We had booked Charlotte, our photographer, because her expertise was something that was important to both of us, and we wanted to find a venue that would match her talent.
As we were searching, we stumbled across a stunning soundfront home, Croatan Ridge, in a small fishing town an hour south of Nags Head, NC. We immediately knew after touring the home that it was the place for us, and booked it right away. This incredible 10,000 square foot home was available for rent on a week to week basis, so we invited our closest friends and spent the week leading up to the wedding spending time with friends and preparing for the big event. Although we had found the perfect venue, weather in the Outer Banks is often unpredictable and a large storm system seemed to be hovering right off shore the week we were down there. Rain on your wedding day is supposedly good luck, but rain with wind gusts up to 40 mph the whole week before your wedding is a different story.
We managed to keep our heads high and came up with a Plan B to move everything indoors. The night before our wedding we fell asleep, with our fingers crossed, to sounds of torrential downpours and frightening wind gusts. When we woke up the next morning, there was still a great deal of wind, but the rain had stopped and the sun was shining! We were able to have our ceremony outside, because the house was blocking all the wind, but had to move the reception inside. I was skeptical because all of our planning was for a reception by the pool outside. But everything turned out perfectly! We couldn’t have asked for anything better, even with the weather. We were so elated not only with our wedding day, but the incredible time we spent with our friends and family leading up to it.
Wedding Photography: Charlotte Jenks Lewis Photography / Wedding Venue: Croatan Ridge Rental Home in Buxton, North Carolina / Floral Design: Kim + Wes Stetson of Holiday House Weddings & Events / Wedding Catering: Basnight’s Lone Cedar Café / Invitations: Minted / Cake Toppers: Potter and Butler / Wedding Dress: Sweetpea by Ivy & Aster via Lovely Bridal Shop / Bride’s Belt: Sewn by Bride’s Sister (supplies via M & J Trimming) / Bride’s Hair Piece: Handle & Spout / Bride’s Shoes: Miu Miu / Bridemaids’ Dresses: J.Crew / Groom’s Suit: Ralph Lauren / Men’s Ties + Pocket Squares: Tux and Tulle + Ralph Lauren