Hatteras Island Vacations

With miles of beautiful, natural background to choose from, it can be hard to decide on the perfect spot for your Hatteras Island wedding. You may want to keep the following locations in mind, but remember with so many miles of seashore, and dozens of dreamy vacation rental homes, your imagination is your only limit to choosing the ideal setting for your wedding and reception.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore: Find your favorite stretch of sand and say your nuptials Oceanfront or Soundfront. You can even choose a vacation rental home that’s just steps from the shore or a sandy sound beach for added convenience for the entire party. Just remember that as part of the National Seashore, some restrictions and a special use permit will apply. Visit the National Park Service website for more information.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: The breathtaking black and white candy cane striped landmark lighthouse provides the perfect backdrop for wedding photos. As part of the National Seashore, be sure you obtain a special use permit. Visit the National Park Service website for more information.

Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station: Want a ceremony and reception that’s truly unique? Explore the grounds of the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station. Built in 1874, the station provided 80 years of maritime service and history, and the property itself is a beautiful spread of the main station house, bordered by a white picket fence. Fees vary depending on the complexity of the wedding and/or reception. Visit the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station’s official website for details and contact information.

Kinnakeet Shores Oceanfront Beach Club: One of Hatteras Island’s newest reception sites, the Oceanfront Beach Club is an ideal setting to host a larger wedding or reception. With enough room for a 100 person sit-down function, and a second floor observation deck for front row views, the beach club is one of Hatteras Island’s best wedding reception facilities. Call (252) 995-3511 for more information.

Local Community Centers: Many local couples rely on the town community centers for a laid-back, Hatteras style wedding reception. For a nice, simple reception with a hometown feel, contact the local community centers in the different villages for information on renting the site for an afternoon. These centers include:

Rodanthe Waves, Salvo Community Center

Avon Fire House / Community Center

Hatteras Village Civic Center

Local Restaurants: For an intimate reception, many Hatteras Island restaurants can accommodate small wedding parties. For a list of area restaurants, visit the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce website or simply call or visit your favorite local restaurant for more information.

Vacation Rental Homes: Surf or Sound Realty offers a number of premier rental homes perfect for an intimate reception, and with all the amenities to make the festivities easy and enjoyable. Many homes have private pools, plenty of decking with views, spacious great rooms, first class kitchen facilities, wet bars, ice machines, and all the little features that comprise the perfect reception. Click here to view all of our homes that cater to weddings and special events.

Just because you’re having a destination wedding doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy a traditional church wedding. Hatteras Island has a number of churches that can accommodate a traditional ceremony, many in lovely scenic locales, surrounded by live oaks and maritime forests. If you’re planning on a church ceremony, be sure you call the church well in advance, particularly for the popular spring, summer and fall wedding seasons. Review the following list of local island churches to find the right location and denomination for your traditional island ceremony.

Avon Worship Center (252) 995-5111. Avon.
Fair Haven United Methodist Church (252) 995-5383. Avon.
St. John’s United Methodist Church (252) 995-5383. Avon.
Lighthouse Assembly of God (252) 995-5696. Buxton.
Our Lady Of The Seas Catholic Parish (252) 995-6370. Buxton.
Buxton United Methodist Church (252) 995-4306. Buxton.
Cape Hatteras Baptist Church (252) 995-5159. Buxton.
Little Grove United Methodist Church (252) 995-5519. Frisco.
Hatteras United Methodist Church (252) 986-2254. Hatteras.
Hatteras Assembly Of God (252) 986-2312. Hatteras.
Fair Haven United Methodist Church (252) 987-1120. Rodanthe.
Salvo Assembly of God (252) 987-1312. Salvo.

Before you come to Hatteras Island for your beach wedding, you’ll need to obtain a North Carolina wedding license. The following guidelines will help you take your first step towards walking down the aisle.

There must be two witnesses at any marriage ceremony, whether it is civil or religious. After the marriage ceremony, whoever performs the ceremony is required to give the couple a marriage certificate. This certificate includes the couples’ names and addresses, the date of the marriage, the county that issues the marriage license, and the date of the license. The minister or magistrate must sign the license, then return it to the register of deeds who issues the license. This is the official record of the ceremony.

A Surf or Sound Realty vacation rental home can be a fabulous locale for a Hatteras Island wedding, rehearsal dinner, or reception. With all the amenities you’ll need for an exceptional event right at home, many couples find that rental home weddings are simpler and more laid back than the average wedding. Perhaps best of all, you can enjoy your home, and your vacation, long after the reception is over.

Before you book your dream home, however, there are a few key questions and tips to bear in mind as you browse through our portfolio of vacation homes that allow weddings and special events.

Think about the amenities you’ll need: Would it be convenient to have multiple wet bars or an elevator? Do you need easy access to the beach for an oceanfront ceremony? Jot down a list of the amenities that would be the most beneficial, and use it as a guideline as you narrow your search.

Think about benefits and restrictions: The joy of using a rental home for a wedding event is that it’s perfect for intimate wedding parties of a couple dozen family member and friends. Wedding homes are not conducive, however, for large affairs with several hundred guests. If your island wedding is a grand scale celebration, look into local island sites that cater to large events, and simply book a vacation home to enjoy before and after the celebration.

Think about accommodations for your guests: A benefit of having a wedding or reception at a vacation home is that many Surf or Sound Realty homes are grouped together in small communities and neighborhoods, making it easy for your guests to find accommodations for their visit. While booking your home, send an email or card to your guests letting them know where your vacation home is located, and allowing them to find appropriate lodgings nearby. Your guests can also call us at (800) 237-1138, and our vacation specialists will be happy to help them find the right rental home, near the ceremony or reception site, for their island stay.

Think about a second week: Because the majority of vacation rental homes are Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday rentals, it might be a good idea to book two weeks, giving the wedding party plenty of time to prepare before the ceremony, and plenty of time to relax and enjoy their vacation afterwards.

Above all else, consider what your dream wedding entails, and use that information to decide if a rental home is a good fit. If you’re planning an intimate island ceremony and reception that’s simple but tasteful, then a vacation rental home might just be the perfect fit.

There are so many unique sights and sounds to enjoy while on a Hatteras Island vacation - from relaxing on the beach, to exploring the Pamlico Sound and watching boats of all sizes bring in the daily catch at our area fishing marinas.

Photo submitted on Facebook by Paul V Kelley

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of strolling down an aisle of sand, reciting your nuptials with the ocean in the background, the waves as your music, and letting the sunrise or sunset provide the lighting for your wedding photos.

The beach is understandably the most popular site for Hatteras Island weddings, but before you kick off your sandals to take the plunge, remember that all Hatteras Island beaches are part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and some restrictions apply. Be sure you familiarize yourself with the wedding guidelines provided by the National Park Service. Those guidelines can be found here at the NPS website.

You will also need a special use permit to have your wedding at the beach or at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the most recognizable lighthouse in the world. Relax, a special use permit can cost as little as $100, and all information and guidelines can be found here at the NPS web site. You can also call 252-473-2111 for more information.