Outer Banks Real Wedding: Genelle & Forrest

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Photography by: Charo Donohue
Location: Corolla, NC
Date: 9.26.08
Ceremony: Corolla Chapel
Reception: The Currituck Club

I had never been to the Outer Banks before this wedding. Genelle told me that it was beautiful up there - I had no idea. Driving up to Corolla (at the northern tip of the Outer Banks, almost in Virginia) is like driving to the edge of the world. It's so remote and wild, untouched... I haven't been so taken aback by an area's natural beauty since I went back home to Maui to shoot Cat and Shawn's elopement. I definitely recommend a vacation to the northern Outer Banks... and, bonus, Genelle is a realtor and can hook you up with a beach house for your trip!

I don't know how to adequately describe this day in words. You almost had to be there. For Michael and me, the day started way too early in the morning, when we headed up the coast from Wilmington. Along the way, we stopped at a NAPA so Michael could change my brakes in the parking lot (they were grinding something awful, and it was making me nervous)! Thirty minutes after changing my brakes, Michael was dressed in his wedding clothes looking all spiffy. I don't know if I looked spiffy, but probably not. Anyway, we got to the Corolla Chapel and it was just chaos. Bridesmaids running around in heels and towels, unity candle holders breaking and being superglued back together, curling irons and mascara... just chaos. In the middle of it all was Genelle, just as calm and collected as she could be.

So, they got married in the quaint chapel (that my GPS didn't actually know was down a dirt road, so I'm amazed I got there on time!), and they had a FOUR WHEEL DRIVE BEACH BUS waiting to take them to the beach for pictures. Dude, it was a Monster Bus. We got on the monster bus and drove down to the beach. Which is also a state highway. Not kidding - the beach "road" we were on is a state highway, it's the only way to get to a housing development at the northern tip of the island. I can't really explain how awesome it was to be on this bus, driving between these enormous dunes and the ocean, wondering what we would see next.

The dunes up there are massive. They go on as far as you can see, it's nothing like the dunes we have down here in Wilmington. I could have stayed on that beach forever, if the tide wasn't coming in and if the wedding party didn't want to get to the reception.

-- By Charo Donohue