Brunswick Islands!

Follow this link for a very good listing of local places to stay or rent!

Tucked away along North Carolina’s southernmost stretch of coastline, the Brunswick County Islands claim over 45 miles of tranquil beaches with sand like sugar, and water that just relaxes you instantly from head to toe. It’s the beach-going memory you have from your childhood,  with many people returning to the same beach house, year after year.

With the distractions of Myrtle Beach only a short drive away, and historic Wilmington to the north, the beaches of Brunswick County offer the perfect balance for relaxation and privacy, fun-filled day trip adventures, and the best seafood anywhere to be found.

You'll find the beaches of Brunswick county to be free of commercialism, designed for quiet, carefree days of shell hunting and sun worshipping, nestled amid pastel colored beach cottages along sandy beach trails or long and un-crowded fishing piers that jut out into the Atlantic Ocean. The hotels on the beaches offer special wedding packages that can be checked out by visiting their websites located on this page.  Best of all, it gets even better in the off-season, with even fewer people and great prices. To our thinking, it's just the perfect place to go!

Sunset Beach! (See the beach here...)

The southern-most of the Brunswick County barrier islands, Sunset Beach is accessible by driving across the only remaining pontoon bridge on the East Coast.

The last area island to be developed in Brunswick County, Sunset Beach is proud of it's remarkably wide snow-white beaches, huge dune ridges, and marsh areas, that conveys a very natural and secluded feeling. Large pastel cottages set back behind the dunes make this island a favorite return haven for family gatherings and vacations, and for the sea turtle population that comes here each year to make more sea turtles. At dusk, Sunset Beach puts on a show worthy of its name, with spectacular sunsets made more dramatic by the unusual east-west alignment of the island.

And at the western end near the nature preserve, don't be surprised to find a lone mail box with the words, "Kindred Spirits" jutting out of the sand. Leave a note or write in the journal about your impressions of our beach!

Contact the Sunset Inn for a wonderful place for you and your guests to stay for your Sunset Beach Wedding! The spectacular sunsets of coastal North Carolina, combined with the charm of the Sunset Inn make for a hard to beat combination! Most rooms have screened in balconies, and the have a large tent that they set up on the lawn for elegant wedding receptions! Tell Andrea or Susan that I sent you!

See the following link for more images of Sunset Beach and local restaurant recommendations for our area..

Also check out the Continental Condominiums, located just a stone's throw from the beach! They have very good prices on rooms, and their rates are on their website.

Ocean Isle Beach

With 7 miles of quiet beaches and a peaceful quality of life for its residents and visitors, the friendly village of Ocean Isle typifies the Brunswick Islands experience. Visit the Museum of Coastal Carolina for an in-depth look at island life. You’ll also find unique shops, as well as marinas, deep-sea fishing, and canals with backyard crabbing and fishing. The well-kept private lodgings, hotels, condos, and golf resorts make this laid-back island community very inviting to visitors and vacationers. And, at certain times of the year, you can watch the sun both rise and set over water.

A new addition to Ocean isle Beach is the new ocean front Community Center, available to rent from the town for extremely reasonable rates! (See more images here...) 

There are several very nice places to stay and to have a wonderful beach wedding on Ocean Isle!  Come catch the Island Attitude, mon!

The Winds Resort is an oceanfront resort that offers romance, along with golf and wedding packages, and plenty of amenities. And plenty of white sand for those bare feet! This is a beautiful and tropical paradise resort somehow transplanted to the Carolina Coast. Try a late-night, moon lit session in the Jacuzzi, surrounded by palms, serenaded by the Atlantic Ocean. Very romantic!

The Islander Inn, another great beach resort on Ocean Isle Beach also offers beachfront accommodations for you and your guests, and another wonderful choice for your destination wedding event. The The Isles Restaurant, in partnership with the Islander Inn, offers a wedding and reception location for casual or formal weddings.

From their website..."our banquet facility is the only oceanfront facility in the area. The room is 33ft wide by 48ft long and has glass doors that open onto the Tiki deck which overlooks the beach club pool with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. The room also offers all audio visual equipment needed including a projector and wall size screen that slides down. Our banquet facility can accommodate 100+ people in an array of setups and designs that may fit your function. The Isles is the perfect setting for a beachside wedding with this gorgeous view of the sunset the white sand and rolling waves. Our facility is secluded from the other dining areas and we provide your group with anything you may need for an intimate gathering including your own staff and specialized menu. Come experience what The Isles has to offer and let us take care of you on your special day. With our excellent service, delicious food and breathtaking view we assure that your event will be one to remember."

South Port and Oak Island!

Rand McNally recently named Southport one of the best places in America to retire. It has that kind of pace to it. Today Southport continues to face the Atlantic, even if a couple of islands do somewhat block the view, and so it's fitting that Waterfront Park is the most popular spot in town for just sitting and watching life-and mammoth ocean going vessels-go by. From here you can see Bald Head light (1817), 109 feet tall, and the oldest in the state. Oak Island Light was built in 1958, stands 168 feet tall, and can be seen 24 miles away. By some estimates it's the brightest light in all the United States, though there is a pawn shop off the I-26 north of Charleston that gives it a run for it's money!"

I  recommend the Waterfront Park, with it's gazebos, public fishing pier and river walk paths as being a marvelous place for a small, relaxed wedding! With the cool, coastal breezes and front seat view of the historic Cape Fear River, it's a perfect place for an inexpensive service, offering several B&B's and waterfront accommodations, with quaint walking, dining and shopping to be had for you and your guests before or after. It has the look of old New England, coupled with Southern hospitality!

1. Southport Community building Observation Deck, 910-457-0665
2. City of Southport – Franklin Square Park, Waterfront Park, Keziah Park - 910-457-7911 (must also get permit from Police Department)

   The Pharmacy  Restaurant  (910) 457-5577

   Ocean Crest Restaurant and Pier  (910) 278-6674

http://www.bbonline.com/nc/southharbour/

http://www.bbonline.com/nc/southport.html

Oak Island is a large yet quaint beach cottage community, featuring many wonderful beach house rentals and many fairly secluded beach locations. Fort Caswell town beach, and the especially the private beach at Fort Caswell Baptist Retreat (very nice), and at the very western tip of Oak Island you'll find a small public parking area that gives access to several sandy pathways down to the beach and Lockwood's Folly Inlet... an awesome location for sunset ceremonies! There are no beach houses looking over your shoulder here; nothing but dunes, ocean waves and pelicans.

Orton Plantation!

Orton Plantation is situated about halfway between Wilmington and Southport, north Carolina, on the west bank of the Cape Fear River. The area was settled in the early 1700's. The land known as Orton was first owned by Colonel Maurice Moore, but he sold it to his brother Roger. It was Roger Moore who developed it into perhaps the most famous of the lower Cape Fear plantations. With a beautiful Chapel available for weddings, or acres of gardens  as well, Orton Plantation is a very popular location for wedding ceremonies rich in old southern charm.

So, what does Brunswick County offer

for  wedding minded couples?
 

Go to the tourism website for Brunswick County and visit the various communities. You'll find many rental agencies and resorts listed, most with clickable links. Or how about having your wedding or reception at a beautiful local winery, Silver Coast Winery? Looking for a banquet facility right near the beach? Look no further than the Seatrail Resort at Sunset Beach offers this and more!