Anthony & Shelby

Bohemian, romantic and COVID friendly are just a few words to describe Shelby & Anthony’s wedding weekend at the First Colony Inn. The amber, emerald and yellow florals used throughout complemented the wooden details of the Inn and only added to the relaxed vibe of their special day.

Opting out of a formal seating arrangement, Shelby and Anthony instead had socially distanced cocktail tables set up where guests could space out and enjoy the served hors d’oeuvres. Guests were comfortably entertained with boutique lounging, an Instagram ready photo booth, lawn games and their thirst was quenched with specialty cocktails throughout the evening. 

From the couple:

One of our favorite dates used to be day trips down to Buxton. We would wake up at the crack of dawn to drive down and then enjoy the beach until nearly sunset – always stopping to grab two Veggie Weggies from the Stop n’ Shop on the way. So it felt right to spend the most exciting day of our lives in one of our favorite places. With the challenges that everyone faced in 2020, we liked the idea of our wedding doubling as a mini-vacation for our friends and family.  

I am very grateful to say that the planning process and our wedding itself went smoothly for the most part.

Prior to restrictions, we already knew that we wanted a smaller wedding that was casual and that felt like a backyard party. We had booked the First Colony Inn as our venue exactly a month before the world shut down. I had also attended the OBXWA Wedding Weekend & Expo a week before the shut down; and thank goodness I did. I was able to secure the majority of my vendors that weekend. 

It was important for us to keep our vendors local. The Outer Banks wedding professionals we met and worked with were the most professional, personable, and efficient people to do business with. They, of course, had great knowledge of the area, but were also very communicative and were educated on the restrictions every time there was an update. 

Due to COVID restrictions, we had to be creative with how to set up the space and how food and beverages would be served. We were successful in creating a safe space as there were no reports of COVID by our guests following the wedding. The only hiccup we experienced on our wedding day was the wind! It was probably the windiest day of the year.

Featured Vendors

Photographer | Digital Wunderland Photography & Video

Coordinator | Heart of Harlow

Ceremony & Reception Venue | First Colony Inn

Floral & Decor | Renee Landry Events

Cakes & Confections | Almost Heaven Bakery

Equipment Rentals | Amaranth + Artifact and Ocean Atlantic Event Rentals

DJ | Coastal DJ & Video

Photo Booth | Heart of Harlow