A Nautical, Beach Wedding at a Private Home in Corova, North Carolina

If you ask Ryan Dixon (28 and an assistant director of admissions) how he met his now wife Shauna Fultz (27 and an admissions leader), he’ll tell you a pretty epic story about the night their eyes first locked. Their proposal story is no different. Ryan enlisted the help of his two good friends to plan a surprise proposal for Shauna. On a weekend trip to Pittsburgh, the couple and a group of their close friends decided to go hiking on a nearby mountain, followed by dinner at a restaurant at the mountain’s peak. With the support of his friends, Ryan mustered up the courage to pop the question, getting down on knee in the middle of the restaurant and asking Shauna to marry him. She said yes and after a night of celebrating, as Ryan would say, “The two then created their own plan, to be wed by the ocean, surrounded by their friends, family, some dolphins and Aquaman.” The summer after the couple started dating, they started regularly vacation every summer in the Outerbanks. So, when it came time to planning their wedding, they knew exactly where it would all go down. They rented a sprawling beach home for the affair, with plenty of space to house their 75 guests as well as all of the wedding’s events and activities. “By having our wedding at this home, we were actually able to celebrate our wedding for a week prior to the wedding day,” says Shauna. “It was so neat to see everyone come together for our wedding and be able to vacation as well. We did so many beach activities that week; it was the best vacation ever.” When the wedding day rolled around, the couple looked to the waterfront locale for design inspiration, choosing a nautical theme to dress up the outdoor patio where both the ceremony and reception took place. Wooden farm tables with bunches of ivory hydrangeas and curly willow designed by Ryan’s mother, introduced a rustic element to the reception décor, with navy blue linens playing off the nearby sea. The couple and their guests enjoyed a night filled with dinner and dancing under the stars, the private beach allowing them to celebrate late into the evening.