



Marriage License Info:
To be married on the Outer Banks, you will need to obtain a Marriage License at any register of deeds office in the state of North Carolina. You will need a photo ID and proof of social security. If either person is divorced, a divorce decree is required. You must have two witnesses, at least 18 years old sign your marriage license after your ceremony is complete as well as your Officiant and it is the job of your Officiant to file it with the Register of Deeds in its proper county. A marriage license will cost $60.00 - there is no blood test or waiting period and the license is valid for 60 days from the date of issue and in any county in North Carolina.
Rande Banks, The Outer Banks Officiant:
(252) 473-0551 or (252) 441-4228
Email: randebanks@theouterbanksofficiant.com

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4. There must be two witnesses at any marriage ceremony, whether it is civil or religious. The minister or magistrate must sign the license, then return it to the register of deeds who issues the license. This is the official record of the ceremony. Certified copies of the certificate can be obtained from the office where the license was issues.
What is the best time of day to get married on the beach? For photography purposes, one or two hours before sunset is best. A bride or wedding planner will also want to consider high tide (depending on the beach/sand you've chosen). At the very peak of a sunshiny afternoon in the summer time, the sand is often too hot to stand on, and there are many tourists using the public beaches that will invariably wander into your wedding photos. Ideally, choose a secluded area or private beach, an hour before sunset in the evening or after sunrise in the morning.
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| The location choices for weddings on the Outer Banks are endless. In addition to the traditional church wedding, some other ideas include the Elizabethan Gardens, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Fort Raleigh Historic Site, Jockeys Ridge State Park, the Whalehead Club in Corolla, Currituck Lighthouse, an airplane at the Wright Brothers Memorial, the beach, a local wedding chapel, charter fishing boat, pier, favorite motel or historic inn, or in a large rental home on the beach. Two new publications are available to help you with your planning. They are The Wedding Guide to the Outer Banks produced by Three Dog Ink and the Outer Banks Bride Magazine produced by the Outer Banks Wedding Association. | ||||
Callour Chamber office at (252) 441-8144,
8:30 am - 5:00 pm,Monday-Friday, EST.
After photographing approximately 250 wedding in the past seven or eight years, I’ve come up with five important ideas to share with brides-to-be:
I hope these tips help in preparing for your wedding!
This week's guest blogger is Colleen Almoney of HomeTour Magazine here on the beach.
If you are reading this, you are either thinking about having a beach wedding, already planning a beach wedding, or wishing you had your wedding at the beach and are simply beating yourself up because you didn’t do it.
Let me be frank. Weddings make you crazy. Some women go full-out bridezilla, and some slowly watch themselves turn into someone that they no longer recognize. The pressure to try and please everyone is daunting. Add to the mix a healthy dose of unrealistic expectations, and your future Mother-in-law telling you that you “just haaaave to invite so-and-so, and her husband, and their four children” who you have never met, not to mention MONEY, and it’s no wonder that so many brides spend too many nights crying in the closet so no one will hear.
Beach weddings elicit warm, comfortable feelings that are captured in the heat of the sand beneath your feet, and the sweet, salty breeze off of the ocean. It’s no wonder that people are drawn to the idea of a destination wedding! First of all, the pictures are to DIE FOR, and the less people know, the less they can try to influence you!
I have to be honest, my first wedding (I call it my “practice wedding”) was typical in that we did the church/flower/big family/wedding party/buffet reception with a band thing. It was good fun for everyone, and it put my parents so far into debt that I, to this day, want to kick myself.
My second time around, I vowed to make this the wedding that WE wanted… and it was perfect. No, I don’t mean the bride-y, “Oh! My wedding was PERFECT” perfect. It was simply perfect.
Having a wedding on the Outer Banks meant that our family and friends would converge on the beach in a swarm. We had rented from a super company, Village Realty, in the past, so they were our first call. We rented an amazing oceanfront home for the event, and our “people” managed to band together and snatch-up a few rental homes next door and across the street from the event location. NO DRIVING REQUIRED!
Friday night, we had a very casual, un-rehearsal BBQ to welcome everyone into town. Our guests showed-up and left when they wanted. They ate, drank, and were very merry. Music was provided by local friends, The Little Kings. We had THE best burgers, and chicken, and salads, and dessert, and, oh, the feeding frenzy was gross display. I loved every second of it. I don’t remember when the night ended.
Saturday morning, I picked-up my best friend and my mother, and we went to get our hair done at Hair Designers in Kill Devil Hills. We had a lovely, relaxing morning with no fuss. A few hours later, I met my father at his rental home. We had a shot (or two?) of Captain Morgan and we just walked across the street to the wedding. Everything was just as I had hoped.
Our “important flowers” (bouquet, corsages and boutonnières) were provided by Holiday House in Manteo. I am in love with their work and they didn’t let me down. The rest of the décor was casual, with shells, starfish and candles.
We had a few chairs on the beach for the folks who needed them. Everyone else stood close by us so they could hear and to bear witness to the exchange of our vows… indeed there were a few people who didn’t believe it was actually happening J We did the “I Do’s” and took some amazing photos. Carrie Roen, of Brooke Mayo Photography, did the unthinkable! She actually got my husband to do some fairly goofy things and SMILE the whole time! That alone was worth the cost of admission.
We had a giant buffet that was provided by a company that is no longer in business, which is a crying shame because I would tell you all to use them in a second. We had prime rib,
Our DJ, John Harper, put up with my list of “Don’ts” (you know, Achy Breaky Heart, We Are Family, etc) and managed to keep us dancing well into the morning.
I had a strategy going into this event: marry my husband. That’s really all I wanted. In my humble opinion, too many brides get tied-up in the WEDDING. The truth is, I really can’t remember too much about my “practice wedding” activities. I don’t remember what flowers we choose, or who said what.
We used the bulk of our budget on what was most important to us: location, food, drinks, entertainment. We made memories that are cherished by the two of us. We’ve been told by many that ours was the most “laid back, fun, authentic” wedding they had ever attended. The question is this…
What do YOU want? When you decide, go get it, and don’t take “no” for an answer.
PS, your future Mother-in-law will eventually forgive you for not inviting her best friend’s daughter that married that guy from around the block back in the day. But not right away.
Thanks Colleen for sharing your awesome beach wedding with us!
Colleen Almoney works for HomeTour of the Outer Banks. You can email her at htourcolleen@earthlink.net or visit them online at http://www.hometour-obx.com/skins/hometourobx/
Our guest blogger today is Janice Lane of Seaside Healing. Janice is an officiant for non-denominational weddings on the Outer Banks.
There are some very basic things to consider when planning a wedding on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in addition to the catering, flowers, location, etc. And that is planning for the marriage itself.
Often couples get caught up so much in the planning for the event, that they forget this is about bringing together two people who love each other and want to spend their lives together. There are many fine officiants locally that can assist you with planning for the marriage. Here are some things to consider as you are planning for this part.....
Work on your vows; they should be very personal for the two of you. These vows will express the feelings you have for each other, and those that you feel comfortable to share publicly before family and friends. Most officiants have suggested services and readings, or there are plenty on the internet and in books. But make sure they come from your heart and express what you want to express. This is not the time for anyone else to have input except for the two of you.
Make sure you have the necessary paperwork. To be married on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you can obtain a marriage license at any Register of Deeds office in the State of North Carolina. They cost $50.00 and are good for 60 days from the date of issue. You must be at least 18 years old and present the following items:
Outer Banks locations are:
Allow someone besides the two of you to be in charge of the papers on your wedding day. On my own wedding day, we realized a couple of hours before the service that the marriage license had been packed and was somewhere in a box in the U-Haul! With so many other things on your mind, let a trusted friend or family member take care of this for you. The officiant will need to have the marriage license before the ceremony begins, and it is a good idea to have the witnesses be briefed by the officiant about the signing of the license by them before the marriage can be legal. This is also a good time for the officiant to receive their payment. After the ceremony, people feel like celebrating, not like doing paperwork. The officiant will mail the completed license into the proper office within a week after the ceremony.
There are two witnesses needed at a marriage ceremony. Consider carefully who you would like to sign your certificates as your witnesses, since their signatures are there forever. Often the best man and maid/matron of honor are the witnesses, but if a couple wishes to come on their own without family or friends, often an officiant can find willing friends of their own to come and witness the marriage. There is a retired couple I often call when witnesses are needed – they think it’s so much fun. After all, who doesn't’t love a wedding?
It is a good idea to meet privately with your officiant before the wedding, and also before the rehearsal, if there is to be one. At this meeting, you can discuss how you would like things to take place during the ceremony and most officiants will be able to offer good suggestions about things that may not be readily apparent to a couple making plans. This is our home, and we know many of the ins and outs of doing things that may make things much easier. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want - this is your wedding. It is also nice on your wedding day to say your vows in front of someone you have met and talked to, and who has an idea of who you are individually, and as a couple.
If there is to be a blending of families, such as children from previous relationships, consider making those children a special part of your ceremony. Something simple can be done, some sort of acknowledgment, that will allow them to feel more secure about their place in the new relationship. One of my favorite weddings included the giving of rings to two young girls who were getting a new step-parent. The couple offered a vow to the children that they would make this a happy family and be the best parents they could be. It was beautiful and so very meaningful to all of them.
If you are having your ceremony on the beach, or on an outdoor deck, please-please-please keep your rings in their ring box. There is little worse than looking for a dropped wedding ring in the sand, or seeing it drop through the space between the boards on a deck.
Have fun. This may be the most important piece of advice of all!
Thanks Janice! I had a mishap with my marriage license too - not something you want to deal with on your wedding day ![]()
Janice Lane performs non-denominational marriage and commitment ceremonies on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She has been providing this service for several years and loves bringing people together in our beautiful natural area. You may reach her at 252.202.6842 or seasidehealing@gmail.com.
