Engagement Story

Lauren flew to meet Mike at his "work" trip in California for a short vacation weekend. Mike had secretly arranged a whole weekend in Napa Valley. The first morning he took Lauren on a private tour of Opus One Winery and had the rooftop terrace roped off to enjoy a glass of wine and the scenery. That's when he surprised Lauren and got down on one knee. They celebrated the rest of the weekend with excitement, love, and lots of wine!

Why did you choose the Outer Banks & The Black Stallion?

Mike's family vacations together every year in the Outer Banks. Lauren joined his family for their first summer vacation together in 2013 and have gone every year since. When we decided we wanted a destination wedding we knew it was the perfect spot!

We love entertaining our friends and family at home, so when we were deciding how we wanted to plan our wedding, we thought it would be perfect to rent a large home to hold both the welcome party and the wedding celebration. By renting a home we could spend more time with our loved ones and enjoy the whole week with our favorite people. We looked around at different event homes, and after seeing the Black Stallion we knew instantly it was the one! It was so beautiful and perfect for what we imagined.

Description of wedding

Mike and I wanted our wedding to be classy and elegant, but with a non-traditional or laid-back atmosphere. We envisioned neutral colors and classy touches for decor. We told the decorator and coordinator we wanted most details white and clean and they took care of the rest! We wanted to focus on our guests and our top priorities were food, dancing, and fun. We hoped our guests would feel as if they were at a intimate family party.

Looking back on the day a rain storm came through right before the wedding ceremony and didn't stop. It was the only 4 hours of rain the whole week! We ending up holding the ceremony and dinner indoors last minute. The ceremony inside the home at the fireplace couldn't have been more beautiful. Eating and having the bars indoors made our guests mingle more than they may have, and hit the covered dance floor all night! Everything worked out perfectly.

Any advice to couples currently planning a wedding?

Don't worry or stress about the small details. Little things most likely won't go as planned, but you will still have one of the best days of your life. Enjoy the day and laugh! Everyone will have fun and remember the love and smiles surrounding the day.