Full Disclosure….I don’t have a crystal ball (still looking for one!), but the ‘trends’ I see happening with bookings being made for 2022, along with what happened in 2021, are becoming more and more pronounced with each day. So I thought I would do two things with this Blog…. 1) Share the top trends coming down the beach for 2022, and 2) Celebrate some of the amazing 2021 couples I had the honor of taking care of this year. I went through my phone and just grabbed a handful of pics from the 2021 couples you’ll see below. I wish there was room for a photo of everyone because I’ve never met so many all-stars in one year! 2021 was one of the biggest years of my 18 years here on the Outer Banks. Every wedding vendor you talk with from the Outer Banks Wedding Association will tell you the same thing. The combination of 2020 postponements along with new 2021 bookings made things pretty interesting to juggle around here. This blog is a response to the reflections of 2021 coupled with the inquiries and bookings happening right now for 2022.

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TREND #1… MAKING IT MICRO

There has always been, and forever will be, both large and small weddings performed on the Outer Banks, but the overwhelming trend is Micro. What does that look like? Here are three examples….

Jessica and Troy have changed their wedding date 2 times and are tired of waiting for pandemic protocols to line up perfectly, so they say the heck with it and head for the Outer Banks. They get their marriage license on Monday and get married on Wednesday with only their parents and a two friends present. Private and precious. They are done with waiting and wishing, so mission accomplished!
Mandy and Alex have never wanted a big extravagant wedding but didn’t want to offend or let down their family and friends. So they decide to take the trip from Pennsylvania to the OBX, just them and Fido. It’s just the three of them, the beach, and that big ocean when they promise everything to each other. The photographer they book takes amazing photos that will be part of a family and friend celebration at a later date back home.
Lynn and John have been together for a long time, but have never married because of their focus on their kids from previous relationships. The family has planned a beach vacation in Nags Head, NC, and the light bulb comes on, “Let’s get married since everyone is already going to be together.” So that’s what they do, right there on the beach with their toes in the sand, surrounded by the 15 most important people in the world to them.

These types of scenarios were played out over and over in 2021, and I would bet the farm that the trend will only grow in 2022. North Carolina has made it very easy to get married in this state with a marriage license that has no waiting period. You drive across the bridge, get settled on Sunday, acquire your marriage license on Monday, get married on Tuesday, and then just relax and celebrate the rest of the week. Sounds like a plan to me!

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TREND #2: LEGAL BUT UNCELEBRATED

The ripple effect that COVID made on every life in the world will be talked about for hundreds of years. Planning a wedding, whether small or large, can be very arduous and stressful at times, but when you add a pandemic to the mix, WHOA! Anyone with a beating heart felt so bad for all the couples who were sent scrambling to figure out new dates, new options, new vendors, new everything. But alas, love always finds a way. So what did many couples do? They said, “Screw you COVID, we’re going to get legally married NOW, and we’ll gather the family and friends later to celebrate.” And that’s what they did, in droves. And when the day of promise came with their loved ones gathered, we treated the moment of promise with the utmost of importance that it deserves.

With the ever wavering policies and protocols of the powers that be, I see this trend continuing on through 2022. Couples doing their legal thing at home without delay, and then celebrating a wedding on their terms down the road. And where else to do just that than the beautiful beaches and venues of the Outer Banks. There are no State permits or hoops to jump through to do this. It’s totally your call.

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TREND #3: VOW RENEWALS

One of the silver linings of the pandemic was the fact that it made most of us pause and really take another look at what is most important in life. With the world turned upside down, we reached for the anchors that keep us afloat; family, friends, and faith. We’ve always told our spouses that we love them, but in such times, we sometimes feel the importance to put an exclamation point on that love. And that’s exactly what happened in 2021. I’ve never performed as many Vow Renewal Ceremonies as this year. In the past, most every Vow Renewal was coordinated with celebrating one of the biggies, like 10, 20, 25, or 50 years. Not this year! Couples were saying to me, “Rev. Jay, we’re not waiting for a benchmark year to come. We want to do it now!” So they would stand there next to the Atlantic Ocean and they would renew their vows, proclaiming once again their love and commitment to each other. They weren’t celebrating a number, but rather something far greater, and were just not going to wait. After all, hasn’t the past couple of years reminded us that you’re not guaranteed anything, especially not a magic future number.

So yes, I believe this is a trend that will carry on in 2022 and beyond. Vow Renewal ceremonies that celebrate love, whether it’s been 2, 7, or 13 years. It just doesn’t matter. She matters. He matters. Love matters.

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Destination weddings on the Outer Banks are popular for good reason, whether held at one of our beautiful venues (The Roanoke Bungalow in Manteo, the Sanderling Resort in Duck, the Hilton Garden Inn Pier in Kitty Hawk, the Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head, the Currituck Club in Corolla, Haven on the Banks in Nags Head, and so many more) or on the beach right out the back door of your beach rental. The photos of these real 2021 couples in this blog did it their way, on their terms, and I’m so proud of them. My name is Jay, just a regular guy living near the beach in North Carolina, who is one of the luckiest officiants in the whole world to be a part of so many wonderful stories. There are no words that can adequately express how thankful I am to all the couples who have trusted me with their big life moments over the years. May we all boldly move forward into 2022, committed to making this world a better place…..together.