Southport Magazine

STORY BY: AMI BROWN

Destination weddings are all the rage and the hottest trend! No need to go overseas. What better place to enjoy your wedding and honeymoon than right here in Brunswick County! With these properties you will feel like a princess in her own castle. Kristin Goode from Oak Island Accommodation was the perfect person to chat to. They offer a huge selection of properties, not only perfect for a honeymoon, but can accommodate the wedding, the reception and even the entire wedding party. Talk about a one stop shop!

SURVIVING STRESS

This first house is my pick for the ultimate Event Location. You could get married on the beach here, have your reception on the humongous wrap around porch and stay in this luxurious home for an extended honeymoon. For the wedding event, it offers plenty of space for out of town guests, with six bedrooms and can easily sleep 18 people. Located on the more secluded area of Caswell Beach it’s the perfect location for any bride’s dream wedding and honeymoon. This property looks and feels like a modern day Romeo and Juliet’s Castle. With sweeping views of the ocean and private bedroom balconies. This does come at a premium price, depending on the season this home will set you back between $2000 – $5000 per week. But considering it could be your wedding venue and honeymoon…maybe that’s not such a bad deal. The master suite offers a canopy bed draped in lush fabrics, and quality touches throughout, including a huge chef’s kitchen, perfect for caterers or preparing meals.

An open living room offers vaulted two story ceilings and a breath-taking ocean front view. The interior second floor loft balcony hosts a quiet seating area and plenty of room for your guests. All of the decor is not only modern and comfy, it screams style, elegance and luxury. Soft yellows and blues with a touch of red as a nice accent are as calming as the ocean views.

BRIGATINE II ‘

Brigatine II is a close second when it comes to a perfect Destination Wedding, venue and honeymoon option, located on West Beach Drive, Oak Island. Two stories of wrap around porches, ocean front, and huge living room and kitchen areas are just a few of the reasons I picked this property. With five bedrooms it can easily sleep 13 people. The windows stretch from floor to ceiling, there is not a dull view in sight. The extra deep porches would make the perfect location for an outside reception, or even intimate wedding. The extra large dining room table seats ten and a funky mural brighten sup the internal elevator. Depending on the season, this property also runs from about $2200-$5000, and there may be event fees associated with hosting an event here as well.

THE CANDY STORE HOUSE

This has got to be one of the cutest little options in Southport, perfect for a romantic getaway, and quaint relaxing, honeymoon. It’s not a destination wedding or event rental, but it makes the perfect love nest. This little pink house used to be a candy store, but has been re-purposed as a lovely rental property in the historic Southport district. There are few options with this location, price and quality in Southport and I find this little house cute as a button. This completely remodeled home is only one bedroom – so no family members allowed! Located at the 300 block of Nash Street just across the street from the Old Brunswick Jail. If you are a Southport junkie, you’re going to love this location. Kristin told me this is one of her favorite rentals. You can walk to the waterfront, the Yacht Basin and all the sweet little Southport shops, galleries and restaurants. No need to drive anywhere. The living room is a huge open great room, eat in kitchen with beautiful hardwood floors.

The furniture is light, airy, comfy and modern. Not to mention the warm cozy fireplace, perfect for snuggling with your new spouse. It even has a picket fence and allows pets, so you could bring your dog if you wanted. The stainless appliances really stand out, as does the granite countertops and huge farm house sink. All the finishes and hardware are top of the line, it’s a little bit of luxury mixed with history and charm. The huge claw foot tub is perfect for a soak or just relaxing. The back porch rockers offer a quiet spot to read, chat or enjoy that morning coffee I love the soft pallet of the decor, but not overly beachy or themed. It looks and feels like home. This is a classy option and won’t break the bank. Off season rental is under $1000 per week, where peak season is about $1400 per week.

THE LOVE SHACK

Now for something a little different. This charming little Oak Island property sits across from the beach, but offers a cool roof top deck boasting a 360 view of the ocean. Located at 2626 East Beach Drive, 3 BR, 1 1/2 Ba, It’s the perfect cozy beach escape for the recently hitched. Pop Art, cute owls, license plates and a wall of hubcaps are just a few of this property’s unique design features. LOVE shows up in just about every room, including a “Love” motif in the romantic bedroom, complete with faux mosquito netting wall canopy. Interesting antiques, sculptures and art fill the cozy home. The Retro-Kitchen’s stand out feature is the red polka dot fridge and the slew of other red accent pieces like the whimsical EAT wall art. The funky decor and sixties inspired furniture may not be for everyone, but will bring a smile to your face and not a huge dent in your wallet.

For a beach property, it’s affordable and ideal for two love birds. If you tie the knot in the early Spring or late Fall, you will get even a better deal at under $800 for the entire week. If you happen to have a peak season wedding, then you will pay about twice that Planning is everything when it comes to booking these properties, especially in the Summer when they are in the most demand. It’s not unheard of to book the popular rentals a couple years in advance, so plan, plan, plan. If you want to view more properties or event friendly rentals, Oak Island Accommodations has an entire section on their website you can browse. www.rentalsatthebeach.com or call 1-800-243-8132 There are several other local rental companies that offer vacation properties and honeymoon options; Margaret Rudd, Southport Realty, Better Beach Rentals and Bald Head Island Property Management. If you are really adventurous, try Air B&B.