Where it all happened The summer before the wedding my family rented an ocean view house for the fi rst time, in the Outer Banks.

After our return, Matt and I hopped online to search for the perfect wedding house in Duck and found Absolute Ambiance. With luck…or some might venture to say fate, we were able to get it. season of choice We had some concerns about choosing the middle of May but in this house, even a wedding indoors would have been spectacular. It was warm and everything was intimate and informal, fun and wonderful.

Which is how I would describe the two of us and the atmosphere on our wedding day. a floral event I’ve never been a big fan of “color.” My goal was to let our surroundings do their part and keep the focus on the ceremony itself.

The look: simple and elegant. I wanted a white bouquet and the oriental lilies, which looked just like the fl ower on my dress, were perfect. Blooms Design Studio chose the Vanda purple orchids for my sister, who was my maid of honor, and everyone else in the wedding party.

The bride wore I spent days searching online for a dress, not knowing what type I would go with. My family and I set out to try on gowns and found one in organic cotton by designer Chris Cole of Cotton Bride. The material makes all the difference. The dress was perfectly unique and we all fell in love with it.

I knew Matt would love it the minute he saw me in it and I was right! the bridesmaid wore My sister chose a chocolate brown strapless dress. the groom wore A Hugo Boss suit and surprised me with his shirt and tie combination. We went back and forth 100 times trying to decide if he should wear shoes on the beach.

I didn’t know what he decided until I was coming down the aisle. a moment to remember The vows will always stand out in my mind.

We didn’t decide until the night before that we would write our own vows. There was so much going on the week of the wedding that we didn’t know when we would fi nd time to clear our heads and write them. the celebration My mom walked me down the aisle which was a very special
moment. She has done so much for us and you can never repay your mother for the lessons you have learned by her example. Our three year old
Labrador, Kona, was our “flower dog.”

My sister walked her down the aisle and Kona performed like a champ! My grandmother, who turned 90 this year, said the Lord’s Prayer in Russian which has been a tradition in our family. The parting memory We were ecstatic to get into the
car that whisked us off to our honeymoon suite.

We kicked back and relaxed, laughing about the memories that we will have for the rest of our lives and thinking about our safari in South Africa, which was right around the corner.

Photographers wishing to inquire about wedding photo submissions for The White Album can contact Editor Kim Wadsworth
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