Outer Banks Venue

Hi Taylor! Congrats! I was born and raised on the Outer Banks and will be getting married there in Spring 2021. All the locations you mentioned are beautiful and I don't think you could go wrong. Some things I'd note about each of them:

1. Whalehead Club: you can't do any of the event inside the actual building, so your reception would either have to be somewhere else or a tented reception on the lawn. Tented receptions can be too much of a headache for some people because of all the stuff you end up having to rent! So something to think about.

2. Kitty Hawk Pier: I love this pier because I am from Kitty Hawk . It is much older than Jennette's, wooden and beautiful in pictures because of how classic it is. It's now owned by the Hilton which is right behind it, so for your destination wedding it could be a good option for your guests because they could stay right there (although the Hilton is probably much more expensive than other hotels on the OBX). And I bet you'd get a good room block deal!

3. Jennette's Pier: It's really cool! They built it more recently so the look is a lot different than Kitty Hawk, much more concrete and more modern looking. I think it would give you a different "vibe" than Kitty Hawk, but neither is wrong! The building is really beautiful and I haven't been in the event room upstairs but I bet it has amazing views. There's no hotel associated with it, but plenty near by if you need to room block for a lot of guests.

I hope this helped! Let me know if you have any other OBX related questions.

View Quoted Comment This is so helpful! Thank you very much! And congratulations to you! Spring time in the outer banks is so beautiful, less crowded and the weather is great! Where will you be getting married?

And yes, we definitely thought about all the different things you have to bring into Whalehead to make it work. We absolutely loved the inside of Kitty Hawk pier and the classic outer banks feel it gave us. And Jennette’s pier is definitely a jaw dropper since it has been rebuilt! We are definitely torn between the two piers but your perspective has been very helpful! We appreciate it!

I haven’t decided 100% on a venue yet, but I’m leaning strongly toward First Colony Inn. Like you, I love the classic OBX feel it has, and the ability to have all my out of town family/friends stay there is really appealing to me! It would be another place that needs a “tent reception” however...so that’s the downside!

Hi Taylor,

I'm also looking at next fall in OBX and toured all three of these spaces! I was initially set on the Whalehead Club for our reception with the ceremony at the lighthouse - I couldn't think of anything more memorable! However, we decided that the cost of the venue plus a tent and restroom trailers (we needed to have bathrooms closer for some of our older family members), put us a little too far out of our budget.

I also really liked both piers and I think we are leaning toward Jennette's Pier. We want to be able to pick our own caterer and BYO alcohol, and I like the openness of the room a little more than the Kitty Hawk Pier. But, I think the Kitty Hawk Pier offers a lot more amenities and it probably will help to deal with less vendors (chair/table rentals, linens, etc.) that the pier offers.

I've been thinking about this since the summer and am hoping to make a decision soon! Best of luck with planning - OBX is so amazing and I can't wait to tie the knot there!

Hey! Thanks so much for the reply

we had the exact same thoughts about both Whalehead and the Kitty Hawk Pier! The views at Whalehead are undeniably beautiful but we could see it easily going over our budget with all of the outside vendors you have to bring in. And we loved the rustic feel of the inside of Kitty Hawk but It felt a little small. Do you mind me asking how many people are on your guest list? We are leaning towards Jennette’s but I’m worried the large reception hall might swallow a guest list of less than 100. Any thoughts? Thanks

Just a little update! We went with Jennette’s Pier and booked our date in August of 2020. We can’t wait! ❤️

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Congrats! I think Jennette's Pier will be great, no matter what size wedding you end up having. You could always consider putting all your tables on one end and reserve the other end for dancing so that everyone feels close together during dinner, speeches, etc. We anticipate about 120-130 guests for ours. Best of luck with planning - I'm sure it will go great! Also, definitely try to go to the OBX Wedding Association expo in March, if you can. I feel like it will be really helpful for us

Congrats all! Definitely helpful reading this thread. Planning a late summer/early fall 2021 wedding. Looking at Jennette's Pier, Kitty Hawk Pier, Haven on the Banks and Black Stallion, so getting the reviews from all of you was helpful. Best of luck planning.

I’m getting married in OBX this May! We chose the grand ritz palm beach house in Duck. We looked at the sanderling resort too after searching beach house after beach house. Best of luck with your decision! If you need a photographer recommendation, I highly suggest Julie Dreelin of beach productions!

View Quoted Comment Congratulations! All of those venues are gorgeous! We toured the Kitty Hawk pier as well and Miha (I believe that is her name) was fantastic. Best of luck with your planning 😊

View Quoted Comment That house is beautiful! The pictures of previous weddings held there are just 😍😍 congratulations & I wish you a lifetime of happiness!