Wedding Bells on the Beach

   Let me first start by saying I am not a typical girl when it comes to weddings.  I never spent time daydreaming about a beautiful church wedding, or ball gowns, or a handsome husband waiting at the end of an ailse donning a tuxedo.  However, I have always known exactly where my wedding would be.  The Outer Banks has been my second home since I was born.  After my parents' divorce when I was five, it became my refuge, a place to enjoy family time, relaxation, and of course, the sun and sand.  I only hoped that I would meet a man who would love the Outer Banks as much as I do.  Luckily, I did.

After the storm, these beautiful clouds and blue water.

   David and I met almost eight years ago.  I was a young reporter for a local newspaper who had to interview a firefighter (and I freely admit, I hoped he was cute).  Luckily, he was.  We went on our first date that very night, and have been together ever since.  When he proposed, there were many plans to consider (food options, the dress, invitations, the dress, how many guests to invite, the dress, music, the dress!), but the one thing we were absolutely sure of was the location...Hatteras Island.  Once we found a vacation home large enough to fit our guests and reception (we chose the Love Boat in Frisco) the wedding was officially on a roll.

What's a wedding without firefighters?

   The week leading up to the wedding was beautiful.  Our wedding day... not so much.  I awoke on that Friday morning to torrential rain and 40 mph wind gusts.  "Devastated" just doesn't cover it.  So much money, time and effort had gone into this wedding and many of our guests had traveled hours to get there.  Now it looked as if our ceremony would be taking place in the living room of the Love Boat.  But as anyone who's spent time on the Outer Banks knows, the weather can change in an instant.  Two hours before our ceremony, the rain stopped and the clouds disappeared.  The wedding was on as scheduled...we just had two hours to set up for it (and get dressed). 

   In the end, though, Hatteras came through for me.  Somehow I knew she would.  Afterall, this had been my childhood dream.  It was surreal to stand before the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in a wedding dress, posing for photos with my new husband and being congratulated by strangers.  Surreal, and wonderful.  My dream had come true, and to share it with the man I love makes it all that much sweeter.

A dream becomes reality.