We have a venue… and it’s a destination!

Didn’t see this coming, but couldn't be any more excited! We decided on a semi-destination wedding in the Outer Banks, North Carolina!

2019 - Dress & headband : old from J.Crew

Over the last few weeks my mom, Drew and I have been touring venues here and there and everywhere. The first few just weren’t it for me- I do not want a cookie cutter wedding with boring this and that. I ended up falling in love with a venue just past Annapolis- it was a mansion/pasture venue, so elegant it belongs in magazines (in fact, it is… in a lot of magazines! Haha!) But unfortunately their prices were heavy in some areas that are unimportant to me (cough cough, food, cough cough) so it just wasn’t the right fit for our budget. After I knew what I couldn’t have, it made everywhere else so.. unappealing. For over a week it felt like I was mourning my dream wedding. Not to sound dramatic, but this process is so precious to me and it felt like it was all going to be wasted at a venue I didn’t even love! My mom pulled me out of my whole and we resumed our hunt.. but no luck.

In a moment of complete frustration after weeks of constant searching, I called Drew and said I wanted to elope. LOL. Me. Elope. Anyways. Drew said no, and that he wanted a wedding with our family and friends, and I said “FINE. Let’s just rent a big house in the Outer Banks and have the reception in the house.” And after i blurted it out, it sounded like a really good idea! AH! My Mom & Dad instantly agreed, I got researching on the “how when where”, and apparently the Outer Banks has a big ole’ wedding industry! OBX weddings are a real thing- and my idea was *chefs kiss* :) It took about a week of research before I got a grip on all the details, aaaand convinced Drew’s parents that it was a good idea! There’s even a perfect little chapel in town, right out of a story book, and it’s available on our day! Meant to be.

The Outer Banks is a beach town in North Carolina. It’s subtle, calm, definitely catered towards families and made up of beach front and semi-beach front homes. It’s about a 7-8 hour drive from my home in Maryland, and get this… there’s no airport near by. HA. Sorry in advance, everyone! Trust me- the drive is worth it! So in the Outer Banks, specifically Corolla (the city we favor!) there are some houses that can sleep up to 30-50 people. Some are even built as “event homes”, meant to cater to huge groups for events like reunions, conferences, and even weddings! My dad has been going to the Outer Banks since he was an early teen with his friends- he has so many stories of everyone piling in the back of his pickup and driving through the night to get there by sunrise! When him and my mom started dating they would go together, and my family has spent so many summer weeks there that’s it’s truly become one of my favorite places in the world. Drew started tagging along on trips when we started dating, and it’s become one of his favorites too. I feel at home and giddy whenever we’re in town! Picture an old school surf town, with a splash of “fancy” ;) We’re confident there couldn’t have been a better location for us to tie the knot.

One of the most fun (and stressful) parts of this stage of planning has been picking out which house we wanted for the wedding! For the sake of the surprise, no pictures of the house yet (!!!) but let’s just say… LAZY. RIVER. BRIDAL. SUITE. The “wedding house” as we’ve been calling it (so in love!!!) has 16 bedrooms and sleeps 36. We’ll be staying Sunday-Sunday, with the big day on Saturday, June 26, 2021! 6/26/21! What a magical day!

Our “wedding day” very quickly evolved into a “wedding week” and the itinerary is in the works! So much to do and so much to share with YOU! Can’t wait to check in again!

LOVE,

Jaime

Wedding update - Where & When

We have a venue… and it’s a destination!