Josh & Mason

Today marks the final day of Pride month, but that doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate all of the couples who get married here all year long! Josh & Mason’s classic Black Stallion wedding is featured on our blog today! The grooms first priority was to find a venue that could accommodate their friends and family all under one roof, which led them to the 24-bedroom event home in Corolla. Read more about their experience getting married on the Outer Banks, watch their dreamy highlights reel and browse photos from their OBX wedding below. 

Why did you choose the Outer Banks?

We actually came to the Outer Banks for the Black Stallion. We were looking for a large home that could fit all of our family and friends under one roof. We have family who attended their friend’s wedding at the Black Stallion six years ago. They had amazing things to say about the experience and after showing us some photos, we fell in love with the venue and were even more excited to be married on the Outer Banks.

Where are you both from? How did you go about planning a destination wedding?

We are both from Indiana, so it was a little tricky planning a wedding 900 miles away. We quickly learned that there are a variety of resources available to help us plan the big day. The first thing we did was book the Black Stallion. They were able to provide us with a large list of popular vendors for just about anything you could want for a wedding. That was honestly a huge help to get the ball rolling. We later learned that our officiant, Cinthia O’Neil, and our photographer, Natalie Heim, were former wedding planners. They were both absolutely terrific and went above and beyond what we could have hoped for. Natalie sent us an entire book of tips on what to expect and be prepared for, most of which we never would have thought of otherwise. She also included a bunch of timelines to help plan everything out. It was basically a template to plan the entire wedding. Could not have done it without her! Black Pelican catered our wedding, but due to state restrictions from the pandemic, they informed us about six weeks before the wedding that they wouldn’t be able to bartend or serve our dinner. We called Cynthia, who we knew was super well connected in the wedding community, and she set us up with someone right away that could fill in. Angel Doebler is a personal chef and brought an entire team to fill in for the other piece of the catering. She was an absolute hit! Her and Cynthia definitely saved the day there.

Did you attend any of the local wedding shows?

We would have loved to check out the wedding shows but weren’t able to make it. There was quite a bit online though which was still very helpful.

How did you find your vendors?

We chose all of our vendors through the list provided by the Black Stallion. They provided us with so many options!

How are you two doing now that you have settled into married life!?

We were engaged and living together for a couple years before the wedding, so we started the married life a little early. Not much has changed as we are just as in love now as we were then. We could relive that day a million times and miss all that went with it, but now we are really enjoying not having to save up for a big destination wedding anymore. We’re planning lots of trips and ready to spend our lives together! Next stop, the Caribbean for a delayed honeymoon!

Looking back, is there anything you are glad you did? Anything you would have done differently?

Everything went about as perfect as it could have! One of us was pretty insistent that we wear tuxedos for the big day. Pictures turned out awesome, but we would probably shed the jackets if we were to do it again. We weren’t prepared for the North Carolina heat in early September! Maybe drink a few less beers on the golf course the day before the wedding too. Overall, we wouldn’t have changed a thing.

What was wedding planning like as a same-sex couple? Did you find the Outer Banks to be accommodating?

We would love to say that planning was no different for us than it would have been for any other couple. It was a little tricky when booking our vendors because we had to make sure no one we chose was, say, against baking a cake for us or something. Usually, couples choose vendors based on recommendations from friends and family. We were really shooting in the dark, not being from the area. Looking back, we were probably overly cautious though. The Outer Banks couldn’t be more LGBTQ+ friendly based on our experience. Even during our photos and videos on the beach we had strangers cheering for us. All around it was an amazing experience. We also would love to give a shoutout to our videographer, Benny Baldwin, our DJ, Bruce, and Dorothy with Bells and Whistles, who did our flowers. We did end up asking them early on if they were ok with doing a gay wedding and the reaction was as if it was the silliest question. Benny’s videos are our absolute favorite take away from the wedding. He and Bruce were a blast, and we would recommend them 1000 times over. They were so fun to work with, which helped with the all-day jitters. The Outer Banks was an amazing choice for a gay wedding and all of our team that helped make it happen couldn’t have been more loving and supportive.

Do you have any advice for other LGBTQ+ couples who are thinking of an Outer Banks Wedding?

The best advice we could give other LGBTQ+ couples is to not overthink it. Savor every moment because it goes by quickly, and you only get to do it once. There are so many amazing people in this community who want to make sure you have the perfect day. If you want the experience to be completely worry free though, you can’t go wrong with any of the vendors we mentioned here. We’re obviously a little biased, but they are all the best at what they do, and the day wouldn’t have been the same without them!

Featured Vendors

Photographer | Natalie Heim Photography

Venue | The Black Stallion

Officiant | Ceremony by Cynthia

Floral & Decor | Bells & Whistles at the Flowerfield 

Videographer | Reel Love Weddings by Baldwin Video

DJ | DJ Bruce

Caterer | Black Pelican Catering

Cake | Icing on the Cakes

Accommodations | KEES Vacations