Your Outer Banks Wedding
Photo courtesy of When Doves Fly and Pasha Bellman Photography.
The Outer Banks of North Carolina has quickly become a top location for a destination wedding. For some, the experience is a combination of being married in a special place entwined with a time of vacation and play with family and guests. For others, it is the beautiful scenery of being married along the oceanfront, at a sound front home, at a favorite lighthouse or historic attraction.
There are thousands of weddings on North Carolina’s Outer Banks each year. An annual Outer Banks Wedding Association Expo weekend in early January highlights over 170 vendors which provide the many services necessary for the perfect wedding experience.
Those who are not familiar with the Outer Banks should consider a wedding coordinator who lives and is familiar with local government regulations and who has the business contacts to ensure a perfect event. A list of wedding consultants and service providers can be found in the chamber’s on-line business directory and on the Outer Banks Wedding Association’s website.
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To be married on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you can obtain a marriage license at any register of deeds office in the state of North Carolina.
Outer Banks locations are:
the Dare County Register of Deeds Office located in the Dare County Justice Center at 962 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo (252) 475-5970;
the Currituck County offices on the Currituck mainland (252)232-3297 (Mon-Fri, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm);
at the Hyde County Register of Deeds office in Swan Quarter (for Ocracoke weddings) at (252)926-3011. |
Requirements For North Carolina Marriage License are:
Things You Will Need In Order To Obtain a Marriage License: Photo ID
Birth Certificate
1. Marriage License:
a) Make a trip to any Clerk of Court’s office in North Carolina, even if it is not in the county where your wedding is taking place. All counties require that both parties be present to apply for the marriage license unless there is a circumstance that does not allow for one of the party to be in attendance–such as being stationed overseas or being in the hospital. In that case, the Clerk of Court requires a notarized affidavit of absence be submitted.
2. Bring all necessary documents required by the state. Both parties must have valid photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, copies of both birth certificates and divorce papers if either applicant has been divorced less than 60 days. The Clerk of Court will provide you with the marriage license application, which must be filled out in their presence.
3. Pay the Clerk of Court the fee for a marriage license. The fee as of 2010 is $60. North Carolina does not require a waiting period and your license can be used immediately–but it is valid only for 60 days. 4. The legal age for marriage in North Carolina is 18. Anyone 16 or 17 years of age must bring their parents with them to apply for a marriage license, as their signature is required on the application. Anyone age 14 or 15 must obtain a court order to be allowed to marry in North Carolina. No one under the age of 14 can legally marry in the state.
5.There are no justices of the peace in North Carolina.
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| T For the complete set of rules or to contact a magistrate:
Dare County www.darenc.com/depts/Deeds/marriage.htm or (252)475-5970.
Currituck County www.co.currituck.nc.us/Register-of-Deeds.cfm or (252)232-3297.
Ocracoke Island www.hyderod.com/ or (252)926-4198.
There must be 2 witnesses to any ceremony whether it is civil or religious.
The job of your officiant, minister or magistrate is to sign your marriage license and return it to the location in which you received it. This is the official record of your marriage. Certified copies can be obtained from the Register of Deeds office.
There are several spectacular places on the Outer Banks to get married or pop the question. In addition to a traditional church wedding, other people have used some of these notable places:
On Roanoke Island: The Elizabethan Gardens, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Manteo Waterfront, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, sound front housing communities
The North Beaches of Duck & Corolla: The Whalehead Club, The Currituck Lighthouse, large oceanfront homes, a vineyard, hotels and resorts, The Duck Town Park
Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk: The sunset on Jockeys Ridge State Park, an airplane from the Wright Brothers Memorial, a pier, a gazebo, aboard a large boat or yacht, or at an oceanfront rental home
If you are thinking of having your ceremony on Hatteras Island or on the beaches at Ocracoke, the National park Service can be contacted at (252)473-2111. For information on fees and permits required at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: www.nps.gov/caha/fees.html
Need additional information, call our chamber office at (252)441-8144. 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
Two publications are available to help you with your planning. They are The Wedding Guide to the Outer Banks produced by Three Dog Ink and the Outer Banks Bride Magazine produced by the Outer Banks Wedding Association.
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Need Additional Information? Call our Chamber office at (252) 441-8144,
8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday, EST.
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