Melissa & Maxwell ~ Wedding with Sugar Snap Events

How did you meet?

We met on eHarmony! It really worked! Our first date was in January at a local coffee shop and were practically inseparable within weeks.

How did you get engaged?

Max told me one day in April that he had sold one of his French Horns. I said that’s great, what are you going to do with the money? And he answered “Buy an engagement ring!”

Why OBX for your wedding day?

We wanted to keep the wedding low key, like an elopement. But our parents would have killed us if we left them out of the event. So we chose an option that kept the relaxed feel, but made it possible for very close family members to attend.

How did you decide on the ceremony and reception location?

We had been contemplating a fall wedding at a winery in the mountains of Virginia and made an all day trip out to tour various places on a Saturday. At the end of the day neither of us was jazzed about any place we saw. The next morning we were having our morning coffee and I remembered Elizabethan Gardens, which I had first visited a few years earlier. We jumped in the car and made the trip down, we knew the moment we saw the Overlook Terrace that this was the perfect place for the ceremony.

Finding the Reception Site was tougher because we were very unfamiliar with most restaurants in the area. On a later trip down we popped into Aqua S for lunch because of its great reviews. It was a fabulous lunch so we made an appointment to come back later and meet with Lynette. She was so in tune with just exactly the kind of event that we wanted (an intimate meal focusing on great food and wine) that we were confident it was the perfect choice.

How many guests did you have?

About 23.

How long did you allow for the wedding planning process?

1 year .

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

We both enjoyed the photo session after the ceremony. It was great to be alone with each other for a little while before traveling to the Reception. Kristi was a great photographer and totally put up with us mooning all over each other!

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

Honestly, we were so happy with every facet of the day that it’s hard for us to think of anything we would have changed! We probably would have arranged for you guys to do some of the run around stuff we ended up doing the next day (picking up the vases and flower pots). It ended up being more of a hassle that we expected.

Oh, and I would have remembered to pack my contact lens case and solution in my overnight bag for the wedding night. I put my lenses in two hotel glasses in the bathroom and sometime during the night Max got thirsty and accidentally drank the left one. I had to wear my glasses for the rest of the trip!

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

Don’t be afraid of hiring a coordinator! We thought that our wedding was too small to warrant the expense, but it was totally worth it. Oh! And shop around for the right coordinator for you… we chatted with several different coordinators, but we just didn’t click with any until we found you two. From there on everything just came together perfectly.