Whimsical Star Themed Beach Wedding

Bethany and Nathan's spring wedding in Oak Island was a beautifully creative and whimsical celebration with a star motif and oodles of handmade elements. Bethany owns her own bridal shop on Etsy and created a number of her own and the bridal party's accessories! I absolutely love how they included the kids in their ceremony, and Jenna Henderson, Photographer captured every personal moment.

A whimsical star themed beach wedding in Oak Island, NC

Nathan and I are what I would call myth-lovers. Whimsical, storybook, quirky, dreamy were some “feels” we were probably going for – we like mystic images like fractals, stars, feathers, butterfly wings. I like objects with meaning, I think you can feel the stories that get put in things, so I used one of Nathan's soft dress shirts to make the underlayer of our daughters' dress bodices, and found 100-year-old velvet rose appliqués from a flapper dress for the embellishments. Nathan wore his grandfather's shoes. My wedding ring is all of our birth stones together. I also like to take risks and play with conventions, in life and in creativity, so I went with millinery flowers for the bouquets and boutonnieres, I really liked how the gold veil (also a somewhat scary risk) turned out in the waning sunlight. For the reception, I collected vintage swan planters, lace curtains and tablecloths, and mismatched china. I wanted all the women in my life to feel special, so I made little bouquets for our moms and sister-in-laws too. I walked down the aisle to choral music from Final Fantasy VII, his favorite video game, and we recessed to a song from the Shakespeare movie Much Ado About Nothing. We didn't rent chairs for the beach ceremony, it was short. Instead, we had everyone stand in a circle to symbolize unity. There was a lot of depth and emotion in the day. It was all great in the end. Pretty much everything turned out how I imagined it, which was a relief and a delight! – Bethany

Artists

• Photographer: Jenna Henderson, Photographer
• Beach Rentals/Reception Venue: Oak Island Accommodations
• Cake Designer: Crazy Cake Chicks
• Caterer: Coastal Catering
• Wine: Colonial Liquors
• Beer: Yazoo Brewery
• Furniture Rental: L & L Tent and Party Rentals
• Bride's Dress: Village Bridal
• Bride's Shoes: Steve Madden via 6pm.com
• Bride's Necklace: wildfox on Etsy
• Alterations: Suki's Alterations, Nabil Alterations
• Bridesmaids Skirts: misdress
• Groom's Shirt & Pants: The Men's Room Consignment
• Groomsmen Ties: Cyberoptix
• Flowers: MaryNotMartha
• Flower Girl Dresses & Sons' suits: Zulily, with embellishments by the bride
• Veil, Bridesmaids' Necklaces, Groom's Vest, Sons' Bowties, Daughters' Dresses: Jumping Mermaid Bridal