|
Five Outer Banks Wedding Faux Pas
By Cathy Baldwin
As a bride planning her Outer Banks wedding from far away, you may not be aware of the lay of the land. That doesn’t mean you’ll be held blameless just because you didn’t take local laws or common sense into account. Take notes, dear bride, so that your Outer Banks wedding can go off without a hitch!
Are We There Yet?
With miles and miles of gorgeous coastline and countless oceanfront mansions, choosing just the right spot to get married and have the reception may be difficult. From the North Carolina Aquarium in Manteo to the Whalehead Club in Corolla, the choices in our area for a breathtaking and memorable event are numerous.
That being said, you will want to consider the nearness of the ceremony site to the reception site for the sake of your guests. A wedding at the Corolla Chapel with a reception at Mallards Marsh in Wanchese might sound like a great idea when you’re planning a wedding from afar, but when your guests have to travel for more than an hour in summertime traffic you’ll wish you’d planned something closer together. It’s a wise idea to drive the distance between your planned ceremony and reception sites well before your wedding day to get an idea of how far apart they are. Tack on an extra half an hour or more for traffic if the wedding is on a weekend during the summer.
Keep in mind that if you want the ceremony and reception to seem cohesive, the events should be held relatively close together. Otherwise you risk losing people along the way and having guests straggle in just as the DJ is announcing the Mr. and Mrs.
Don’t Be Trashy
Leaving trash on the beach after a wedding isn’t just tacky, it’s criminal (littering, anyone?). Keep the beach beautiful for the next bride by designating a friend or family member to stay a few minutes after the ceremony to tidy up. The same goes for before the ceremony. Have that person arrive at least half an hour before the wedding to pick up stray cigarette butts or other litter that might mar your sandy aisle.
You might want to forgo wedding programs if you’re having an outdoor wedding, lest they end up flying down the beach. If you simply must have programs, consider designing them in the shape of a paddle fan so that guests are more likely to keep them in hand. A good rule of thumb is to leave the beach a cleaner place than when you arrived.
What Goes Up Must Come Down
If you’ve been thinking about releasing white doves, balloons or butterflies, you might want to reconsider. They all eventually must return to the ground, and in the case of balloons, you might as well be throwing trash into the Atlantic. Tossing rice or birdseed might seem like a more natural alternative, but there’s no way to sweep up the sand once the ceremony is over. And besides, who really wants to be pelted with birdseed anyway?
Instead, have a friend pass out bubble wands before the ceremony so that you and your groom can walk down the aisle together under a whimsical shower of bubbles. Not only is this a more Earth-friendly way to go, but it also makes a great favor for your younger guests.
No Street Parking
When scouting out the perfect beach site for your ceremony, look for an access with enough parking for your guests. Almost nowhere on the Outer Banks are cars allowed to park on the street. The general rule to avoid being ticketed is that all four tires must be off the street. Ask your guests to carpool or arrange for alternative transportation.
Avoid Uninvited Guests – a.k.a. The Police
No one likes a party crasher, and no crasher can bring down the festive mood of a reception like a visit from the police. You’re unlikely to get a visit from the Outer Banks’ finest if your reception is held at a site that can accommodate loads of people and their cars and is far enough away from houses so that your boisterous 8-piece band doesn’t wake the neighborhood.
On the other hand, if you choose to have your reception at a beach house, you should be respectful of those renting houses nearby. Giving the neighbors fair warning of the party might head off a visit from the men in blue. It’ll be much easier to reason with your neighbors ahead of time when they know what to expect then it will be at 2 am when your groomsmen are doing cannonballs into the pool from the balcony. As for the law of the land, noise ordinances vary from town to town. In some towns, as little as one complaint from a sleepless neighbor will make the police come a-knocking.
If you do get a visit from the police, remember that they are responding to a complaint and just trying to do their job. Be polite and accommodating, turn the music down and ask noisy revelers to stay inside. They aren’t there to ruin your fun – just to keep the peace – so treat them with respect.
Return to Articles »
|
