3 "Must-Do" Tips for Outer Banks Wedding Weekend + Expo

January 9th and 10th the Outer Banks Wedding Association will be hosting their annual Wedding Weekend + Expo!  Tickets and information are available online. To those attending the show, here are three things you should plan on doing in order to avoid information overload.

1.  Purchase your tickets early to avoid standing in line when the doors open on Sunday, January 10th.

2.  Pre-print your name and address information on small stickers to avoid writing it repeatedly at the show.  Placing your sticker in the "would like more information" sign-up sheets at the various booths of vendors you find interesting is a timesaver.

3.  Bring your camera!  Everybody has one these days and it's a great tool to use at the show.  If you find a booth you are interested in learning more from but don't have time to stop and talk,take a photo to use as a reference point just in case the show closes before you've had a chance to meet with that professional.  Later, back at your hotel room, you'll have the images you can refer too.

Tips you would like to share?  Leave a suggestion here ...

Many of today's couples are facing the same question. Do we need or should we have an engagement photo session? If you are facing this same thought and are still unsure, then consider the following information before you make your final decision. For anyone who is married, you can still consider having this style of photo shoot as part of your anniversary celebration too. The couple below did just that...they requested an engagement session "with a twist" as part of their fifth wedding anniversary. Congrats to Linsey + Chad!

An engagement session is a great way to get to know your photographer, develop and build trust/rapport with your photographer and to become familiar with your photographer's style of shooting. The engagement shoot is designed for you to experience your time together in a fun, light hearted way and, at the same time, it will include some romantic moments that can show the intensity of love shared between you two. How many professional images of you with your loved one do you have in your apartment, home or office that show all the facets of your relationship in high quality imagery? I'm not talking about the snap shots your friends took of you two at the latest outing or the couple's shot with you holding the camera at arms-length away, high overhead. Those are great, fun candid images to be treasured, no argument from me. But what I'm talking about is something more.

The engagement session is all about YOU! Be creative about what you wear, where you decide to shoot, time of day and what it really is about you two as a couple that makes you two click. Bring your dog to the shoot or maybe some wine while walking under the pier? Also, look to other websites for inspiration. Remember, the engagement shoot is a time for your photographer to learn about you and for you to build trust and rapport with your photographer...all before the big day. But who said you couldn't have fun too? Once you've invested your time and have seen the final results, you'll be glad you had your engagement photos taken.

More to come on what to do with the engagement images now that you've had the photo session.

--Mary Basnight

outer banks wedding photographer
www.marybasnight.com
mary@marybasnight.com
www.marybasnightKIDS.com
http://OuterBanks.Weddings.com featured blogger for The Knot

The Castle on Silver Lake Bed & Breakfast Inn

Complete Your Fairy Tale Wedding with a Honeymoon in The Castle. . .

You're planning the perfect wedding. Of course you want to follow it with the perfect honeymoon. Imagine a picturesque harbor dotted with boats bobbing gently against the docks. Sea gulls and pelicans circle lazily overhead. Rising above the live oak and cedar trees are the multiple shingled towers and gables that are characteristic of The Castle on Silver Lake Bed & Breakfast Inn on Ocracoke Island. Lovingly and expertly built by local craftsmen as a private retreat for industrialist and local legend Sam Jones, the Castle and accompanying Castle Villas provide the perfect setting for an absolutely unforgettable honeymoon.

Jones, who first came to Ocracoke in the late 1930s, fell in love with the island home of his wife's relatives. The construction of the Castle began in the 1950s and took nearly two decades to complete. Once known as Berkley Castle, the final building encompassed 12,500 square feet as additional rooms were added over the years. In his glory days, Sam Jones hosted lavish parties in its ballroom. Used as a corporate retreat, costume balls and square dances were held, set to the music of talented local musicians. Guests played croquet on the bulkheaded lawns with the finest view of the sparkling Silver Lake harbor on the island. Local watermen traded fish stories and whale tales at the neighboring Whittler's house, also built for Jones.

Handpicked cypress was used to build the Federal style mantels that adorned the fireplaces and dancers dosey-doed on the quarter sawn fir used in the ballroom. Jones furnished the Castle with oriental rugs and ornately carved Victorian furnishings as well as the art deco style. It is said that he when he ran out of space for the rugs, he layered them on top of one another! The Castle's historic photographs chronicle Sam Jones' eclectic style and his deep connection with the island and its people.

After his death in 1977, Jones' masterpiece lay vacant and neglected for nearly 20 years. In 1994 it was purchased and renovated by two local businessmen and longtime friends. They bought it along with the house known as the Whittler's Club, which is now a private residence. Every available inch of the enormous original structure was saved except the heavily deteriorated breezeway. A six year renovation project culminated in what is now The Castle on Silver Lake Bed & Breakfast Inn and Castle Villas.

The Castle offers 11 rooms, each with a private bath, television and a small refrigerator. Three rooms are equipped with whirlpool tubs and the unique third floor Lighthouse Suite has two sitting rooms in addition to the bedroom area. The downstairs den offers satellite TV and a custom made pool table. The entire Castle is furnished in exquisite style that reflects its rich history.  A sumptuous buffet breakfast is served every morning that includes eggs, biscuits, pancakes, fried potatoes, cheese grits, bacon, grilled sausage, fresh fruit, juices, muffins, and pastries.

Tucked behind the Castle are 16 courtyard one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury villas that complement the magnificent architecture of the Castle. Eight of the villas are designed with master suites. Each villa has a fully equipped kitchen, screened porch or deck, washer, dryer and whirlpool tub.

Whether you choose the Castle or the Villas, you can lounge around the heated outdoor pool, enjoy a relaxing massage or sit in the sauna or steam room after a busy day of touring the island. Stroll into Ocracoke's laid back coastal village for shopping and dining or use our bicycles to explore the village and beyond. Of course you'll want to dig your toes into the sand of the island's vast, pristine and never crowded beaches - recognized as the best beach in America year after year.

Getting here is easy. Drive your car onto the Hatteras Island Ferry for a leisurely (and free) ride to the island. Fly your private or chartered plane into the Ocracoke airstrip and we'll pick you up. Bring your boat or arrive by boat and enjoy complimentary docking. Our innkeeper is dedicated to the traditions of hospitality and service that have been the hallmark of the Castle since its inception. Experience the romance of Ocracoke by honeymooning at the most romantic and picturesque location on the island. Your fairy tale honeymoon is waiting for you at The Castle.

Don't you deserve the royal treatment?

--by Karen McCalpin

Images (c) 2009 The Castle on Silver Lake Bed & Breakfast Inn.

All Rights Reserved.