Location & Accommodations: Pine Island Lodge | Attire: Sottero & Midgley
Photography: Sarah Keenan Creative
Beauty & Spa: Lovie’s Salon | Catering: Metropolis
Rentals: Ocean Atlantic Rentals | Officiant: Brian Collier
Music: Andy Begina (Ceremony); DJ Face (Reception)
The Pull of the OBX
“Aaron and I met in NJ. We are both massage therapists and we met in massage school. We actually came down to the Outer Banks for a couple months [after our first date] to visit Aaron’s friends who lived in Corolla. Aaron worked in Corolla the previous summer, so he pretty much knew everyone in town. I fell in love with the Outer Banks, as we all have, the minute I got here. Aaron and I hit a crossroads in our massage therapy careers a few months later. He turned to me one day and said, ‘There aren’t many massage places in Corolla – we should move down there and open up one.’”
Local Vibes, Out-of-Town Size
“The fall has the best sunsets in my opinion and we wanted to get married with that as our backdrop. Wanting an event home, we absolutely fell in love with the Pine Island Lodge. Since both of our families are from out of town, we knew we needed a home that would provide accommodations and a reception space. We had breakfast delivered to the house [the day of the wedding as well as the next day], as well as alcohol provided for the week. When having a large group of people during the off-season on the Outer Banks, providing breakfast was greatly appreciated by both our families and friends. Also, the beauty of having the house for the week is that you can spread out the decorating so you get it done little by little.”
A Fiery Twist
“Our house in Southern Shores caught fire on November 2, 2016, a beautiful 70-degree day. Aaron said, ‘Let’s go out on the boat since it’s so nice out.’ We took the dogs and our fishing poles and went fishing at the Wright Memorial Bridge. At about 4:30, we start heading back and I could see smoke coming from the tree line of Southern Shores. I noticed that our neighbors we are close with had called our cell phones and I told Aaron that it’s definitely our house. Well, needless to say, by the time we got back, our street was lined with fire trucks and our house was completely engulfed in flames. We had all of our decor, liquor and Aaron’s suit [for the wedding] in the house – except my wedding dress luckily!”
OBX Pulls Together
“Aaron and I have always helped anyone in need and to be the person in need was difficult. The outpouring of love and support from our community was astounding. People who we didn’t know or hadn’t met came by and gave hugs and were there for us. Our friends let us stay in their rentals until we could get back on our feet. We had so much clothes donated and we still wear most of it to this day.”
A Little Improvisation
“Our wedding was only two weeks [after the fire] and having to start over after a year’s worth of planning while trying to find somewhere to live, dealing with insurance and fire investigation interviews felt impossible. My sister Jen, who is the most kind-hearted person I know, stepped up and called and emailed everyone – almost everyone resent everything, no questions asked. Without the generosity of Ashley Earnhardt from Southern Hospitality, Renee Landry, Outer Banks Tuxedos and Lucy’s Alterations [all of whom chipped in to help as a result of the fire], we wouldn’t have had a wedding remotely as beautiful as the one we had! We were able to not sweat the small stuff – the baker for our wedding cake was out of town, so we ended up going to Harris Teeter and ordered cupcakes and had a small 8-inch cake to cut into for the reception. It worked and looked beautiful!”
