This week's guest blogger is Colleen Almoney of HomeTour Magazine here on the beach.

If you are reading this, you are either thinking about having a beach wedding, already planning a beach wedding, or wishing you had your wedding at the beach and are simply beating yourself up because you didn’t do it.

Let me be frank. Weddings make you crazy. Some women go full-out bridezilla, and some slowly watch themselves turn into someone that they no longer recognize. The pressure to try and please everyone is daunting. Add to the mix a healthy dose of unrealistic expectations, and your future Mother-in-law telling you that you “just haaaave to invite so-and-so, and her husband, and their four children” who you have never met, not to mention MONEY, and it’s no wonder that so many brides spend too many nights crying in the closet so no one will hear.

Beach weddings elicit warm, comfortable feelings that are captured in the heat of the sand beneath your feet, and the sweet, salty breeze off of the ocean. It’s no wonder that people are drawn to the idea of a destination wedding! First of all, the pictures are to DIE FOR, and the less people know, the less they can try to influence you!

I have to be honest, my first wedding (I call it my “practice wedding”) was typical in that we did the church/flower/big family/wedding party/buffet reception with a band thing. It was good fun for everyone, and it put my parents so far into debt that I, to this day, want to kick myself.

My second time around, I vowed to make this the wedding that WE wanted… and it was perfect. No, I don’t mean the bride-y, “Oh! My wedding was PERFECT” perfect. It was simply perfect.

Having a wedding on the Outer Banks meant that our family and friends would converge on the beach in a swarm. We had rented from a super company, Village Realty, in the past, so they were our first call. We rented an amazing oceanfront home for the event, and our “people” managed to band together and snatch-up a few rental homes next door and across the street from the event location. NO DRIVING REQUIRED!

Friday night, we had a very casual, un-rehearsal BBQ to welcome everyone into town. Our guests showed-up and left when they wanted. They ate, drank, and were very merry. Music was provided by local friends, The Little Kings. We had THE best burgers, and chicken, and salads, and dessert, and, oh, the feeding frenzy was gross display. I loved every second of it. I don’t remember when the night ended.

 

Saturday morning, I picked-up my best friend and my mother, and we went to get our hair done at Hair Designers in Kill Devil Hills. We had a lovely, relaxing morning with no fuss. A few hours later, I met my father at his rental home. We had a shot (or two?) of Captain Morgan and we just walked across the street to the wedding. Everything was just as I had hoped.

Our “important flowers” (bouquet, corsages and boutonnières) were provided by Holiday House in Manteo. I am in love with their work and they didn’t let me down. The rest of the décor was casual, with shells, starfish and candles.

We had a few chairs on the beach for the folks who needed them. Everyone else stood close by us so they could hear and to bear witness to the exchange of our vows… indeed there were a few people who didn’t believe it was actually happening J We did the “I Do’s” and took some amazing photos. Carrie Roen, of Brooke Mayo Photography, did the unthinkable! She actually got my husband to do some fairly goofy things and SMILE the whole time! That alone was worth the cost of admission.

We had a giant buffet that was provided by a company that is no longer in business, which is a crying shame because I would tell you all to use them in a second. We had prime rib, Maryland crab cakes, a mashed potato bar, oysters, pasta, kabobs, fried turkey, veggies… again, it was a hideous display of gluttony. The drinks were cold and, if pressed, I believe that’s what caused me to jump in the pool with my gown on. Speaking of which, I bought the first and only gown that I tried on at Black Tie Affair in Kill Devil Hills. I saw it in a major bridal magazine, checked online, and there it was, just waiting for me.

Our DJ, John Harper, put up with my list of “Don’ts” (you know, Achy Breaky Heart, We Are Family, etc) and managed to keep us dancing well into the morning.

I had a strategy going into this event: marry my husband. That’s really all I wanted. In my humble opinion, too many brides get tied-up in the WEDDING. The truth is, I really can’t remember too much about my “practice wedding” activities. I don’t remember what flowers we choose, or who said what.

We used the bulk of our budget on what was most important to us: location, food, drinks, entertainment. We made memories that are cherished by the two of us. We’ve been told by many that ours was the most “laid back, fun, authentic” wedding they had ever attended. The question is this…

What do YOU want? When you decide, go get it, and don’t take “no” for an answer.

PS, your future Mother-in-law will eventually forgive you for not inviting her best friend’s daughter that married that guy from around the block back in the day. But not right away.

Thanks Colleen for sharing your awesome beach wedding with us!

Colleen Almoney works for HomeTour of the Outer Banks. You can email her at htourcolleen@earthlink.net or visit them online at http://www.hometour-obx.com/skins/hometourobx/