Alexandra & Richard ~ Wedding at The Sanderling

We met at work about 5 years ago.  Alexandra was a consultant at the company which Richard worked for.  There was a connection from the first moment we were introduced but because it was a work situation we kept things platonic for a while and just remained friends.  Until one day, Rich needed help looking for a new apartment and he asked Alexandra for her help.  The apartment outing turned into a lunch date and a lunch date turned into a happy hour.  After that day we could not deny that being together was the thing which we both wanted.  The rest is history.

How did you get engaged?

We got engaged right before Alexandra’s 31st birthday.  It was a chilly day and we had just come back from walking our dog Molly.  Alexandra was feeling kind of down and after the walk retreated to the bedroom just to relax.  Richard then cames in to check on me and the next thing I know he is down on one knee with a black box open asking me to marry him.  My down day was turned around at that moment.  I immediately said “YES!!! Oh my god I love you.”

What made you choose the Outer Banks for your wedding?

Since the first few weekends of our relationship the Outer Banks has been special to us.  Our first road trips in the middle of the night were made driving down to the Outer Banks.  It has always been a place for us to retreat and reconnect.  It is truly our special place.  When thinking about our wedding and wanting to have a destination wedding the Sanderling in Duck was a “no- brainer”.  It was our way of sharing our special day and special place with everyone in our lives.  Showing them the beauty and wonder that is the Outer Banks.

How did you decide on your ceremony and reception location?

We had stayed many times at the Sanderling and it is the place that we always come back to when visiting the Outer Banks.  Its only made sense to want to share the things we love about the Sanderling with our friends and family.

How many guests did you have?

I think we had about 70 people.

How long did you allow for the wedding planning process?

We were engaged to 11 months however we really started to plan after being engaged for about 2 months.  Total planning time was 9 months.

Please share some planning details that were important to you.

The things that were important to us were, to have great food, fun music, great flowers and awesome photography.  We wanted everyone to really enjoy themselves and just have so much fun in  a beautiful setting.  And we wanted to make sure that the entire day was captured well so that we can look back and have amazing memories.

Looking back, what was your favorite moment of your wedding day?

There were so many amazing moments of that day.  As a bride, I loved getting ready with my friends and family around me.  I felt so special.  But probably the two moments I remember the most and most fondly are standing at the end of the aisle with my dad and seeing Richard at the other end of that aisle.  I was so happy to finally be able to share everything about the day and our life together.  Then when my dad gave my hand to Richard, my heart just took off – it’s a moment I will never forget and will cherish forever.  Richard expressed that the moment he saw me coming down the aisle it was one of the best moments.  I loved how we just had so much pure fun together and we had so much fun on the beach with our wedding party and Mike and Allie.  Everything was perfect.

If you could do one thing different (either in the planning or actual day) what would it be?

I wish that the day would never end and we had more hours to celebrate. But everything was amazing.

What advice would you give to another bride planning their wedding on the Outer Banks?

Get good vendors and listen to them.  The people you work with are the experts and if you give them creativity and space they will do amazing things.  Trust that you have picked the right people.  Make sure that you love all of your vendors because they make the day in the end all come together.  One thing I loved about getting married in OBX was that the vendors were all familiar with each other and they all seemed to respect one another so much.  That was important to me.  Also, don’t forget that in the end it is about you and the person you love committing to each other.  Don’t get lost in all the little details and potentially miss the most important thing – that on that day you and your fiance are becoming one.