Wedding Wednesday: Beach Wedding

Alyssa + Chris // Destination Wedding | Outer Banks, NC from Josh Gooden on Vimeo.

Is this video not incredible?

I just love everything about it.

The music for the video, the genuine expressions on everyone's faces that are being filmed, the scenery which I grew up spending so much time at (the big orange sunrise on the beach, the mid-day on the gritty sand of OBX, NC, and the orange-pink sunsets of the Sound), every element and moment is captured with this video.

Some people make things really formal, which is fine. I like how this ceremony was a good middle ground. Super sweet. Apparently the minister is a huge hit up and down the Banks, for all kinds of ceremonies.

And yes, I did sniffle a bit watching this video!

Credits:
Music: Hoppípolla by Sigur Rós
Officiant: Reverend Jay Bowman
Blog: joshgooden.com/​blog/​2010/​10/​alyssa-chris-destination-wedding-outer-banks/​

Wedding Shoe Update

Hey y'all! I am just up in arms about wedding shoes! I am really still leaning towards a nude heel so I can wear it with formal wear post-wedding and Badgley Mischka has two shoes that are really beautiful that I think would be fabulous with my dress (trying not to go metallic as I feel like then I will be overly concerned with how my jewelry and hair go...):

Badgley Mischka 'Keeper' Pump:


I like the 'Keeper' pump because of its construction. I love the fact that it is whimsical and carefree. I am happy that it is satin with a grosgrain bow because the satin is more what I am looking at now, a "proper evening shoe" material! What do you think?



The second pair of shoes is also by Badgley Mischka. This sandal is called the 'Randi':




I like the 'Randi' sandal because it is a little sexy, to be honest. My feet are covered for the most part so they won't really be shown off by my dress in any way. This shoe brings the sexy without my feeling guilty over it during the church service, too. The shoe is fun and flirty which may be nice long-term wear wise, as I can wear it out with my skinny jeans and a cami-cardi set or with a fun summer dress and my pearls! It is satin as well and I would have to assume that the "petals" are organza with the way they fall (although of course Nordstrom doesn't tell us!!). What do you think?



Nothing major on the wedding front although M and I did make a 50% deposit on the luxury home we have rented for our honeymoon week in North Carolina. We are staying in the village of Duck. We had considered the Sanderling Resort, one of my family's mainstays, but we wanted to have our dog and be able to cook together at a sound front home, so we booked a house instead. We will just take the car service to the Sanderling for dinner and spa treatments when needed, instead! Just as good : ).

Photo Credits: both pairs of shoes - Nordstrom, beach house back photo - Southern Shores Realty

Ocean Boulevard

One of the best places to eat on the Outer Banks is Ocean Boulevard in Kitty Hawk.



My family has loved eating at this restaurant for years, back when it was still owned by the same people who run the Blue Point. We had been dining there since the mid 1980s when it first opened. However, BP expanded and the food has not made us as happy in recent years as it used to. OB also remembers it's longtime customers and goes the extra mile. BP is good but not as great as OB.



So, natch, Ocean Boulevard is our regular place, now.



Their busiest night is on Thursdays, but it is worth the wait. The menu is diverse but not expansive and ridiculous [I'm talking to you Cheesecake Factory] and they have wonderful wine pairings and martinis as well.

You can call them to make reservations at (252) 261-2546.

If you can, and your party is 5 people or less, request the chef's tables so you can watch the men at work. During the off-season it is the best, as they can converse with you freely during that time.



Locals love this place, and I know of tons of people who will drive down from the Hampton Roads area just to have dinner there. It is THAT good.

http://www.obbistro.com/



Pictures by me of Ocean Boulevard.

Beach Towns

Being from a family with interests in sailing and an appreciation for nature means I grew up going to various beach towns as a child. Now that I am older, the fun of travelling to these towns is even greater, as I can try local cocktails, appreciate local art galleries, and cherish the time I spend with my parents. My favorite memories are from the beach, and I hit a lot of milestones at beach locations as we practically lived year-round at our family OBX house (lost first tooth, learned to ride bike, etc).



Photo by Tripadvisor

My Dad's parents owned a home in Corolla when I was a child. My grandfather purchased it in 1991 and we owned it until 2003 (when I was a freshman in college, sigh...) - when they couldn't take the "Yankee takeover" any longer. They were also increasing fees in a way that was not good business sense for those with "smaller" homes like ours (4BR being unheard of there now, really) and rented it to a few people on selected weeks during the peak season.



Photo by Snowbirdbeaches.com

My Dad's cousin owned a condo complex in Panama City, FL, which we visited, too. Panama City is where my family had a shipyard which built Liberty ships during the war, and a lot of my family either lived here, or grew up here at some point - including both of my Dad's parents!



Postcard of the Galen Beach hotel

My Grandparents ran a hotel on Key Biscayne for many years, which they sold before I was born, which was called the Galen Beach Hotel. They sold it to Sheraton and was renamed the Royal Biscayne Hotel before Hurricane Andrew. The current location of the hotel and some of its outside facilities are used by the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne on the same property. While in the Miami area, they lived in Coral Gables, FL at this time in a beautiful section which George Merrick designed in the 1920s. They love talking about that hotel, as it was a really fun time for my family.



Photo by Discover Georgia

During WWII, my grandfather lived outside of Brunswick, GA, while my great-grandfather ran the Liberty shipyards in Brunswick and Panama City, FL. So St. Simons has always been special to them.



Photo of Camp Seafarer aerial shot from Pimlico, NC government

I went to Camp Seafarer as a girl. This camp is located on "the Crystal Coast of North Carolina" and it is located in Arapahoe, NC, across the Neuse River from Cherry Point base. We would frequently visit New Bern, Oriental, and Morehead City with camp or as a family before and after my month-long session. When I worked at Seafarer I loved travelling around this part of the coast.



Photo by my cousin of my Dad and I on Kiawah last week

My Dad's cousin has a house on Kiawah Island, and that place is gorgeous. It is populated, but the developers have laid it out so it doesn't seem like it. You never worry about locked doors or dressing up here, which is the way I like my beach experience!


Where did you enjoy going for beach trips when you were young? Where do you travel to now?

Outer Banks weekend Getaway!

Hey y'all, well, Michael and I are back, sadly enough, from the Banks. We agreed that we didn't want to leave... As background, my grandparents had a house down here from about 1989-2003, so I essentially grew up on the Banks part-time from when I was a baby to the summer I started college, so it is a huge part of my life. And I was ecstatic when Michael told me he got us a room at The Sanderling resort for our long weekend getaway!

Sunset on the Soundside (for those not in the know, Soundside means the side of the Outer Banks's barrier islands, which looks back towards the Mainland of Currituck County, NC, over the Currituck Sound) from the North Inn, where we stayed (quieter), from the 2nd floor balcony:


The North Inn is essentially an unconnected wing off of the Main Inn of the hotel, built around the same time the Main Inn was built, in 1988-1989. The North Inn has two floors and two wings, which meet in the middle on this community area, which includes a game table (with daily papers), fireplace, and often tea or coffee during certain points in the day. This is a picture of the community area...


We ate dinner at Ocean Boulevard and Blue Point. We ate at OB on the 13th, and had seats at the Chef's table. I chose the pre-Valentine's Day special tasting menu - it was amazing.

My first course was an amuse bouche - with a lovely wine pairing, and it had two items on it, a goat cheese and strawberry dallop of yumminess with creme fraiche on a yummy shortbread cookie... and a smoked salmon cheesecake square.

My salad course had baby greens, two toasted pieces of baguette, two chunks of baked brie cheese, a raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette, candied grapes, CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS (Muffy, I know at least will love that!!), and toasted almond slices. It was amazing. Here is a picture:


My entree was the sea scallops, which included a swirl of pesto around the plate, a large grilled portabello mushroom, a tomato-herb salsa (not spicy though, and they called it puree although it was chunky), a large folded piece of roasted garlic and ricotta jumbo ravioli, a dozen small fried calamari, and the sea scallops:


My desert was the dark chocolate pot de creme with some heart-shaped peppermint shortbread cookies - yummy!!:


After that, Michael and I went back to our hotel and relaxed in the room with the door propped open so we could listen to the waves break on the beach over the dunes from our room, which was amazing. The scent in the winter of the ocean is so intoxicating... isn't it?

Outer Banks

We just got back from the Outer Banks for our Valentine's Day getaway which was just lovely... Details to follow!!

Xoxo

Memorial Day 2008

Cannot wait for Memorial Day weekend. I have a faboo time planned for my man, one of his best friends from the Army, and myself and it involves the sun, the sand, and one of my favorite places, the Outer Banks. We got a sweet deal on an adorable house with an amazing view:

What a cute house, right? I totally love the color and the shutters and everything!

I love a soundfront house. It's quieter, and you get the sunSET not the sunRISE. Even better. I love OBX!