Fourteen miles of unspoiled pristine beaches, Bald Head Island is one of the hidden treasures of Eastern North Carolina. Located a couple of miles from the Cape Fear River and between there and the Atlantic Ocean, the only access to this island is by a passenger ferry boat or a private yacht.
That’s right! There are no cars on Bald Head Island. The only means of transportation while on the island are golf carts,bikes, and of course “pat and joe” (your feet), making it an ideal place to host both an intimate and eco-conscious destination wedding among your closest family and friends.
As soon as you and your guests arrive onto the island, you will suddenly feel the slow pace of life as you leave your worries all behind you. Just imagine all the memories and the unforgettable time you and your guests will have in this unique little paradise.
Featured in the above photograph is the Bald Head Lighthouse, which is North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse and affectionately referred to by the locals as “Old Baldy”. The lighthouse is the most popular place on the island for outdoor wedding ceremonies. This historic lighthouse is just gorgeous as it is nestled between live oak trees and lush greenery.
What do you do in wedding destination that is unspoiled and has no car pollution?
Relax and past time on the beaches with your bridesmaids
Sooth your mind, body, and spirit at Island Retreat Spa and Salon
Explore the island by hiking the maritime trail, kayaking the tidal creeks, wind-sailing
Climb the “Old Baldy” Lighthouse for a complete view of the island
And of course you can wine, dine, and shop while on the island
Whether you chose to host a destination wedding and/or your honeymoon on Bald Head Island, you truly leave it all behind and enter into your own world of fun, romance, and complete relaxation. I have included a promotional video of Bald Head Island that I found on YouTube to entice you a bit.
Are you enticed and interested in hosting a destination wedding on Bald Head Island?
If so, please contact us and do not forget to subscribe to my blog as I will continue to feature the beauty I have grown to love here in my home state as well as in my travels.
Photo Courtesy of Chris Van Atta Photography, a destination wedding photographer based in Wilmington and Asheville, NC. Please be sure to visit his website and blog.
The obvious reason is that we have the best of two-worlds—majestic mountains in the western region and a beautiful coastline in the eastern region. However, North Carolina also offers many other things in between making it an ideal wedding destination for both Carolina brides and out-of-state destination brides.
The allure of North Carolina is in part because of its southern charm and hospitality, which is the icing on the cake. Of equal appeal, North Carolina is the home to a host of private estates, including historic plantations and venues, vineyards and wineries, botanical gardens, farms for barn weddings, and a few secret jewels that are all perfect for hosting a weekend long of wedding events with your closest family and friends.
I was born and raised here in Eastern North Carolina and through the years have grown to appreciate the beauty of my native, especially our beaches. I have decided to re-launch a blog series where I will introduce you to places to host a destination wedding in North Carolina.
Tomorrow, I will introduce you to an island here on our coast that was once one of our best-kept secrets. However, destination brides are becoming to privy to this treasure. Can you guess what island I am referring too? If so, take a guess by commenting.
Photo Credit: Chris Van Atta Photography, a destination wedding photographer based in Wilmington and Asheville, NC. Please be sure to visit his website and blog.
Last year, I wrote a six part blog series about “Outdoor Wedding Essentials.” Considering that spring starts this month and some of you will be hosting an outdoor wedding and/or are planning an outdoor wedding for this summer, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight those outdoor wedding essentials.
In that series, I discussed the following:
the importance of checking city ordinances, especially if you are hosting a beach wedding or your wedding in a public garden or park, or a tent wedding
The lovely husband and wife team, Honey and Briar of Silvas Photo, a photography and videography studio based in Charleston, submitted the following wedding video to be featured in our Carolina destination wedding series. Silvas Photo serves clients throughout the Southeast, including both North and South Carolina. Featured below is a wedding they filmed here in our coastal region in Manteo, NC.
I first introduced you to Manteo, NC located on Roanoke Island over the summer, when I featured the Elizabethan Gardens. Hailed as one of the popular wedding destinations in the Outer Banks, Roanoke Island is a beautiful place to host a romantic and intimate destination wedding.
The island offers options to host your wedding reception waterfront at a restaurant like Adrianna’s, at quaint bed and breakfast inns, and of course, you can exchange vows beach side or at the island’s lighthouse.
I love mason jars and they remind me so much of my grandmother. She used them to make jams and preserves, to pickle, can or store various foods. Heck I even remember drinking lemonade and sweet ice tea out of mason jars when we were children.
So, naturally I am inspired that many brides are wanting to incorporate them into their wedding design. One of the most awe-inspiring ways I have send them used is as lighting–candle holders and lanterns.
Here are a few inspiring ideas I found on the Internet and wanted to share with you of how you can use mason jars as lighting for your event.
In the photo to the left, the designer used a manzanita branch as the base and then adorned it with rose pomanders and hanging mason jar candles.
What I love about this is that the designer combined both the flowers and the mason jar candles. Truth be told the design would have looked very nice with either the mason jar candles or the rose pomanders alone, but the designer took it a step further by using both. Don’t you just love it?
This is a simple, elegant and inexpensive way to decorate your wedding ceremony using mason jars. I really like the idea of using mason jars as aisle decoration whether it’s to hold flowers or candles, though I really like the candles a lot because of the warm and romantic ambiance it creates. On that note, candles for an outdoor wedding ceremony work best if your ceremony will take place in the late evening.
This is another great way to use mason jars to add lighting to an outdoor wedding. Now, just imagine if you setup a lounge area under a tree like this that has been decorated with mason jar laterns and kissing balls. Here’s a visual for you.
What I like about this last photo is that it peaks one’s interest or curiosity. It’s like what’s that over there and as you can see the mason jars serve the same function as your typical candle holders, providing the perfect lighting to attract guests to this focal point. In case you are wondering, those are glass ornament favors, which have been displayed on grapevine trellises. Lovely idea!!
Photo Sources: Manzanita branch with mason jars – DC Nearly Weds; Photos of the ceremony and lounge area by MQ Photography; Photos of mason lanterns in the tree and with the glass ornament favors (last photo) – Beautiful Days Event’s blog
As mentioned a couple of days ago here, I have decided to launch a new blog series where I will highlight places to host a destination wedding in North Carolina each week. Naturally, I have decided to start with destination wedding locations in Eastern North Carolina primarily because I am based here in the eastern region.
First up on my list is a treasure located in Manteo, NC which is a town located on Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks. The reason I have decided to start with Manteo is that I recently had a bride email to ask if I knew of a place on the coast where she could host a garden wedding. The first place I thought of was Elizabethan Garden.
Elizabethan Garden was founded by the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. and is located on the same site where the first colonist settled, hence the name “Elizabethan”. The garden is open seven days a week all year long. The place is truly a “jewel.”
The setting is so beautiful and is a great location to host a garden wedding on our coast. Whether you are looking to have a small and intimate wedding of 20 guests or a large outdoor wedding of up to 400 guests, Elizabethan Garden features several locations on-site to host both your wedding ceremony and reception, including a “16th century-style gazebo that overlooks Roanoke Sound,” a perfect backdrop for your wedding. In addition, they do have an indoor reception facility that will accommodate up to 100 guests. To learn more about the “jewel” of Roanoke Island, please click here.
As mentioned here, this week I wanted to feature a couple venues where you can host a barn wedding here in North Carolina.
Next on my list of North Carolina wedding barns is The Barn at Valhalla located in Chapel Hill, NC. This barn is truly a treasure and is set in a very natural and serene setting.
Featured below is a fall wedding that took at the Barn at Valhalla shot by Silvas Photo, an awesome photography and videography studio owned by husband and wife team, Honey and Briar. They are based out of Charleston, SC and serve bridal couples worldwide. Please be sure to check out their blog!
How beautiful is that walkway!
What I love most about this venue is this gorgeous outdoor fireplace. It is the perfect focal point for an outdoor wedding and it’s very warm and inviting. Wouldn’t you agree?
Finally, this is a photo of the inside of the barn. The Barn at Valhalla is a great wedding venue to host a green wedding, outdoor wedding, fall wedding, or a combination of them all.
Fourteen miles of unspoiled pristine beaches, Bald Head Island is one of the hidden treasures of Eastern North Carolina. Located a couple of miles from the Cape Fear River and between there and the Atlantic Ocean, the only access to this island is by a passenger ferry boat or a private yacht.
